Graduate Certificate in Correctional Nursing

Wondering how a self-paced postgraduate course in correctional nursing works and what to expect? Explore more details below.

Course structure

The Graduate Certificate in Correctional Nursing is comprised of four units. These four units are generally broken down into 10-12, bite-sized modules for you to complete. Each unit is six credit points and designed to require a time commitment of a total of 144 hours.

If you choose to study all four units at once over a typical term duration of 12 weeks on a full-time basis this would equate to six months of full-time study for all four units.

After enrolling, you’ll have access to all four units, and you can work through these in any order.

Assessments

Your assessments range from portfolio, online quizzes and case studies. The difference is there are no deadlines or due dates. 

Unit information

You must complete a total of four units as follows:

• NURS28001 Jail Craft (We encourage you to complete this unit first or for it to be studied concurrently with other units in the beginning of the course).
• NURS20178 Alcohol and Other Drugs
• NURS28002 Understanding Offenders
• NURS28003 Optimising Health in the Correctional Setting

Unit overviews

Jail Craft

Nurses employed in correctional settings require knowledge and skills that align with the complexity and uniqueness of the prison environment. Further, it is imperative correctional nurses ensure the same standard of care is provided to offenders as to others in society. However, a number of impediments are encountered and require negotiation when providing care in a highly regulated environment including security restraints, high levels of staff authority and the prison culture. In this unit you will have the opportunity to explore the challenges associated with nursing in a secure and authoritative environment and in managing the prison culture. You will also develop the knowledge and skills required to meet these challenges to ensure a high and equitable standard of nursing care. You will examine characteristics of the prison culture including criminal identity, prisoner hierarchy, prisonerisation, jail language and ‘code of honour’. You will also acquire the knowledge and skills relating to, what is commonly termed, ‘jail craft’; being able to effectively communicate with offenders and Correctional Officers, maintaining professional boundaries, respecting cultural diversity including that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, dealing with vicarious trauma and possessing self-protectiveness and resilience.

Alcohol and Other Drugs

The use and misuse of licit and illicit drugs is a serious and complex problem in Australia and leads to broad health, social and economic concerns including: increased risk of mortality, illness, disease and injury; social and family disruption; workplace problems; and violence, crime and community safety issues. In this unit, you will have the opportunity to explore the impact of drug use, the reasons why individuals may use and misuse drugs, and evaluate strategies to minimise harm to the community and individuals. You will also compare the effects of different types of licit and illicit drugs on individuals and evaluate assessment and treatment options. This unit is relevant to students across different disciplines who may encounter drug use in their profession or those who wish to further understand this challenging area.

Understanding Offenders

This unit focuses on understanding the person who offends. You will examine the historical origins of current approaches to crime and punishment in Australia and the way crime and offenders are conveyed in the media. You will explore the biopsychosocial and cultural factors that inform the likelihood that a person will commit a crime and be punished for it, including: social inequality, trauma, gender, drug use, unemployment, family history, mental health issues, ethnicity and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. The impact of imprisonment on the offender will also be analysed and you will evaluate different ways to minimise this impact.

Optimising Health in the Correctional Setting

The health needs of offenders in the correctional setting are greater than those of people in the general community. This group often have long-standing physical illnesses and/or mental health issues. Social disadvantage and inadequate health literacy are often contributing factors towards a lower health status. While offenders often have not accessed healthcare before entering prison, they make extensive use of health services provided within prison. Thus, the correctional nurse has a major role in contributing to the current and potential health of the offender through acute and primary health care. This unit explores the role of the correctional nurse in optimising prisoner health in a highly regulated environment. This includes health promotion and health education, triaging and managing acute and chronic physical and mental health conditions and Sexually Transmitted Infection management and tracking.

Credit transfer information

If you have already completed study relevant to the course you have enrolled in, you may be eligible for credit transfer.

Majors and minors are not applicable to this course.

This course has no residential schools.