Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)

Summary

The Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) program commenced at The University of Newcastle in 2001 to meet the educational requirements of the changing nursing workforce. The program is intended for registered nurses who wish to apply for authorisation by the Nurses and Midwives Board (NMB) of NSW to work as a nurse practitioner, or who may wish to present the qualification to authorities in other states or countries.

There are currently seven broad areas of practice recognised by the NSW Nurses and Midwives Board:

• Maternal and Child Health Nursing
• High Dependency Nursing
• Mental Health Nursing
• Rehabilitation and Habilitation Nursing
• Medical / Surgical Nursing
• Community Health Nursing / Primary Health Care Nursing; and Paediatric Nursing.

Nurses and Midwives Board of New South Wales (2004)

The curriculum has undergone revision in 2005/2006 and has now been approved by the Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW until August 2010. Changes to the program include increased entry qualifications, the development of several new courses including a residential course, and an increased focus on clinical practice and clinical competence. The popularity of this program is evident from the steady increase in student numbers over the last few years. The nationally accepted definition of a nurse practitioner is: “a registered nurse educated and authorised to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and extended clinical role. The nurse practitioner role includes assessment and management of clients using nursing knowledge and skills and may include but is not limited to the direct referral of patients to other health care professionals, prescribing medications and ordering diagnostic investigations. The nurse practitioner role is grounded in the nursing profession’s values, knowledge, theories and practise and provides innovative and flexible health care delivery that complements other health care providers. The scope of practice of the nurse practitioner is determined by the context in which the nurse practitioner is authorised to practise” (ANMC, 2005). To become an authorised nurse practitioner, graduates must meet the requirements for nurse practitioner authorisation, found on the NMB website www.nmb.nsw.gov.au

This is a fee paying program. Australian students may be able to participate in the Higher Education Loans Program (FEE-HELP).

Program duration

1 year full-time or part-time equivalent. The recommended intake for this program is Trimester 2. If students are awarded credit they may be able to complete the program in four trimesters of part time study (there are three trimesters per calendar year). However, students who commence in Trimester 1 or Trimester 3 will not complete the program in four trimesters. Program duration is dependent upon course availability and each course is offered once per year. NURS6620 and HUBS6202 are prerequisites for NURS6621 and NURS6622.

Admission criteria

Applicants must be Registered Nurses in an Australian State or Territory with a Bachelor of Nursing degree or equivalent and must be able to provide evidence of a minimum of one year at an advanced practice level within an area of specialisation recognised by the Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW. All applicants must also have a senior nursing colleague complete the Evidence of Advanced Practice form  which should accompany their application. To obtain a copy of this form you may contact the University of Newcastle by email: nursing-postgrad@newcastle.edu.au.

All students must complete two Mentor Nomination forms which must be submitted to the University of Newcastle at the same time as the UAC application. Included with the form must be a brief resume of the nominated mentor. To obtain a copy of this form you may contact the University of Newcastle by email: nursing-postgrad@newcastle.edu.au.

How to apply

This program is only offered to Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents. Prospective students must lodge an application through either Gradschool.com or the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). For details of how to apply please visit either

http://www.gradschool.com.au/enquiries/apply_australian/ 

or

http://www.uac.edu.au

Applicants for this program must also provide:

• Current Curriculum Vitae (including transcripts, previous course outlines and assessment details)
• Evidence of current registration/authority to practice
• Completed Evidence of Advanced Practice Form
• Two Mentor Nomination Forms

Program Location

The program is offered online with a one week residential for NURS6620 in trimester 3.

Program Description

The Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) program requires the successful completion of 120 units of study. The program is offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery in partnership with the three other contributing Schools within the Faculty of Health – Medicine and Public Health, Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences. This has allowed collaboration in the planning of the program and ensures that students have access to excellent resource materials and staff in the key areas of pathology, medical imaging, pharmacology and clinical nursing.

The program includes a minimum of 300 hours of embedded clinical practice in the student's specialty area of nursing, under the guidance of academic and clinical mentors (approved by the Program Convenor). This clinical practice is undertaken in the student’s normal place of work. It is expected that the student’s employment is accredited with the ACHS or similar.

Clinical Mentors

Students are required to engage a small multi-disciplinary team of mentors from their clinical field to provide ongoing professional support and clinical supervision throughout the program. Students are required to nominate a minimum of two appropriate clinical mentors with the student’s application. Clinical mentors may be authorised nurse practitioners or senior clinical nurses (eg CNC or nurse educators), medical practitioners or other health specialists who are colleagues of the student and who are experts in an element of the student's chosen area of practice. It is preferable for the mentor to have a master's degree or equivalent within the area of practice in order to challenge/discuss clinical issues with the MN (NP) student. In some cases where there is not a suitable colleague available, the University may assist in recruiting a suitable mentor from alliance partners of the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Program Structure

Student enrolled in this program are required to complete 120 units in total. including:

• 80 units of prescribed courses
• 40 units of elective courses.

Courses and Recommended Enrolment Pattern

The recommended intake for this program is Trimester 2.

 

Year 1 (Recommended)
Trimester 1
Successful completion of one of the following:
ELECTIVES	Elective courses	40 units
or
	Courses of the Graduate Certificate in Nursing (Advanced Practice) from the University of Newcastle	40 units
or
	Graduate Certificate courses in a specialty area of practice from another insititution	40 units
or
Equivalence	A post basic hospital certificate (min 6 months full-time) and 2 years experience in a recognised area of clinical practice	40 units
Trimester 2
NURS6090	Investigative Methods for Clinical Practice	10 units
HUBS6202	Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Nursing Practice Students must enrol through the University enrolment wizard at https://connect.newcastle.edu.au/enrol/index.cfm	10 units
Trimester 3
NURS6620	Biophysical Processes and Health Assessment	20 units
Year 2 (Recommended)
Trimester 1
NURS6621	Contract Learning A Students must complete HUBS6202 and NURS6620 prior to NURS6621 and NURS6622.	10 units
NURS6623	Leadership and Management in Practice	10 units
Trimester 2
NURS6120	Contemporary Nursing	10 units
NURS6622	Contract Learning B Students must complete HUBS6202 and NURS6620 prior to NURS6621 and NURS6622. Students will enrol in NURS6622 as the final course in the program.	10 units
General Enquiries
For further information on postgraduate coursework programs please contact the Enquiry Centre
Phone: +61 2 4921 5000
email: EnquiryCentre@newcastle.edu.au

Schedule

The relevant Program Schedule is available within the Degree Rules and Schedules section of the Policy Library.