Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing - CL56
CQUniversity's Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing is ideal for registered nurses looking to develop their mental health nursing credentials. Delivered fully online in a flexible format, this course forms part of a suite of three mental health nursing courses and will provide you with foundation skills and knowledge required to practice in this area of nursing specialisation.
This course offers Commonwealth Supported Places, which means that you may be eligible for significant fee savings.
Online
4/24
Anytime
1 years part-time
The Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing is delivered via our Be Different platform and offers you a self-paced, ultra-flexible online course, ideal for busy, emerging health leaders looking for specialist skills in postgraduate mental health nursing.
Through this course, you will develop foundation knowledge and skills in mental health nursing, so it's an ideal course for you if you have an interest in mental health nursing or you are newly employed in mental health. You will build your skills and knowledge in undertaking mental health assessments, risk assessments and formulations, along with psychotropic medications, and recovery. The Graduate Certificate is not only the ideal course to build a solid foundation in mental health nursing but also a great place to start as you become familiar with our Be Different learning platform.
If you are interested in developing advanced mental health knowledge and skills, this Graduate Certificate provides an ideal pathway into our Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing, which is nationally accredited by the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing. This means that you will graduate from the Graduate Diploma with specialist mental health nursing skills and knowledge. Plus, after completing the Graduate Diploma you can later apply to become a credentialed Mental Health Nurse through the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (if you meet the other requirements). After completing the Graduate Diploma, you may like to extend your studies and continue on in the Master of Mental Health Nursing.
Developed with industry and lived experience academics, we’ve made sure our mental health nursing courses are evidence-based and clinically relevant so that your studies truly reflect current and emerging mental health nursing matters. Add to this, the flexible online delivery via our Be Different platform where you set your own pace and affordable tuition fees and you have a suite of mental health nursing courses that allow you to fit study around your life, not the other way round.
| Core Units | 4 | Major Units | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electives | None | Minor Units | None |
If you are entering the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing via a Partnership Program, you will be required to study two core units. All other students will be required to study four core units.
More detailed information on each pathway is provided below.
Partnership Students
If you receive an offer, and have been identified in advance as a partnership student, you will complete two core units listed below:- NURS20157 Mental Health Nursing Assessment Formulation
- NURS20158 Clinical Foundations for Practice
Upon successful completion of NURS20157 and NURS20158, and completion of your partnered graduate program, you will be eligible to receive credit for the final two units: NURS20150 and NURS20151.
Partnership programs are currently available through the following Hospital and Health Services:
- Townsville Hospital and Health Service
- Mackay Hospital and Health Service
- Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service
- Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service
- Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service
The Hospital and Health Services listed above provide CQU with their approved partnership students. This means, that if you would like to be considered for a place as a partnership student, you will need to liaise directly with the Hospital and Health Service in which you are employed before you apply to study this course.
All Other Students
All other students will complete four core units.- NURS20150 Contextual Foundations of Mental Health Nursing Practice
- NURS20151 Creating Meaningful Relationships
- NURS20157 Mental Health Nursing Assessment Formulation
- NURS20158 Clinical Foundations for Practice
Unit information
For information on the units, you could study as part of this course, visit the Handbook and select the "Course Structure" tab.Credit transfer information
If you have already completed study relevant to the course you have enrolled in, you may be eligible for credit transfer.Mental Health Nursing at CQUni
Uniquely flexible, clinically relevant, and designed to help you help others, our suite of postgraduate mental health nursing courses is ideal for registered nurses seeking a path to become a credentialed Mental Health Nurse or wanting to learn mental health nursing skills. Our mental health nursing courses are designed for self-motivated and independent learners and provide all the support you need with a great CQUni mental health team who can help you along the way.The Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing is the ideal taster for what’s to come in your mental health nursing studies and you’ll also become familiar with our Be Different learning platform. You’ll develop foundation knowledge and skills in mental health nursing, so it’s a great place to start if you have an interest in mental health nursing or you are newly employed in mental health. If you're interested in practising as a qualified Mental Health Nurse then the Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing is nationally accredited by the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing and ideal for you. You will graduate from this course as a specialist Mental Health Nurse and can later apply to become a credentialed Mental Health Nurse through the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (provided you meet the other requirements). With our Master of Mental Health Nursing, you will develop your research capabilities and have opportunities that prepare you to become a leader in advancing the discipline through scientific inquiry.
Through our suite of mental health nursing courses, you will gain clinically relevant mental health knowledge and skills that you can apply in the clinical setting to support people affected by mental health issues. Analyse historical, traditional and contemporary mental health discourses and build on your communication and therapeutic skills to help you support a consumer's recovery journey. Devise strategies to implement the principles of recovery-oriented mental health nursing practice and explore methods to remove barriers to ensure culturally safe and inclusive mental health care with reference to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people. Study the mental health promotion strategies that build resilience and prevent or reduce the impact of mental health issues and explore obstacles to social inclusion for those with mental health issues and discover strategies to reduce these.
Be Different
Ideal for the busy, self-motivated learner, our mental health courses are hosted entirely online and structured so that you can choose when you study. They’re designed for you to access course content on any device with internet access.Unit content is divided into modules which are then broken down into smaller bite-sized learning activities so you’re able to fit study around your commitments and lifestyle. Complete modules on the bus, during your lunch hour, or in the doctor’s waiting room.
With no need to buy textbooks or additional content, and everything you need available on the Be Different platform and internet, you can be completing your mental health nursing course anywhere.
Online Availability
| Hyperflexible Annual Term - 2023 | Available Online |
When you study this course via our flexible online Be Different learning platform, not only will you study high-quality course content delivered by our supportive Mental Health Nursing educators, but you also get to set the pace. You are not bound by our traditional term dates, such as Term 1 (March) or Term 2 (July) and you can submit your assessments at any time over the duration of the course.
The course is open for applications all year round so you can start your studies anytime. Once enrolled, you will have access to all of the unit material to work through in any order you choose.
Unit overviews
Contextual Foundations of Mental Health Nursing Practice
Mental health nursing has evolved over many centuries and has continued to be influenced by socio-political factors. This unit challenges you to explore the historical, traditional and contemporary discourses shaping mental health nursing practice. You will examine the experiences of marginalised groups within these services. Social, biological and cultural influences of mental health will also be explored. You will have the opportunity to apply theoretical understandings to reflect on and better understand the mental health nursing role across various contexts.
Creating Meaningful Relationships
To support people affected by mental health issues and distress requires understanding, empathy and skilful use of therapeutic strategies. In this unit, you will learn about the concept of the therapeutic use of self and various mental health issues that affect a person's ability to think, feel and relate with others. You will apply therapeutic evidence-based strategies that support the person in their journey of recovery. This unit will also provide an opportunity to develop further skills in self-reflection on how you relate in a professional capacity with consumers.
Clinical Foundations for Practice
This unit will enable you to continue to examine mental health practice within a strengths-based framework and give you the opportunity to examine the nursing actions, including safety and therapeutic implications and psycho-education, associated with psychopharmacology and other types of biological treatments for mental health consumers. Ethical issues associated with the use of medication and other biological treatments within a Recovery-orientated practice will be discussed and analysed.
Mental Health Nursing Assessment and Formulation
This unit provides specialised knowledge and skills for safe and effective mental health nursing care within a strengths-based framework. You will examine psychiatric classification systems and undertake comprehensive mental state examinations and risk formulation. You will demonstrate good judgement and adaptability in the physical and psycho-social care of persons experiencing different forms of distress.
Students must hold current registration as a Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA).
Security Requirements
Not applicable.Health Requirements
Not applicable.Assumed Knowledge
Education for registration as a nurse with Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA).
On completion of this award, students will be able to seek employment as a nurse in a mental health setting.
| 2023 Indicative Fees | |
|---|---|
| Fee Type | Fees |
| Commonwealth Supported Place – Indicative First Year Fee | $2,060.00 |
| Domestic Full Fee Paying – Indicative First Year Fee | $7,794.00 |
Indicative first-year fee
The fees listed are indicative only and based on enrolling in a full-time study load for one academic year for a Commonwealth Supported Place. Your fees may vary depending on the units you select and the number you study per term. Fees are reviewed annually and are subject to change. Understanding your fees.
Commonwealth supported places
With Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) available for this course, you may be eligible for significant fee savings. If you are not eligible for a CSP or if CSPs are full, you will be required to pay full fees. Find out more about CSP eligibility criteria.
Government assistance and HELP loans
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are subsidised by the Australian Government, meaning you are only required to pay the student contribution rather than full tuition fees if you meet eligibility requirements. If offered a CSP, you may be eligible for a HECS-HELP government loan. HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme that assists you in paying your student contributions. Provided you meet the HECS-HELP eligibility criteria, you may use HECS-HELP to defer part or all of your student contribution fees. Learn more about paying for university.
Other study costs
There may be additional costs as part of your studies, such as technology expenses. Explore other study costs.