Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing - CC69

The Graduate Diploma of 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 interested in practising as a qualified Mental Health Nurse.

Our Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing is nationally accredited by the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing, meaning you’ll graduate from this course with specialist mental health nursing skills and knowledge. After completion of this course, you can later apply to become a credentialed Mental Health Nurse through the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing provided you meet the other requirements.

Delivered as part of a suite, the Graduate Diploma incorporates a nested Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing. This means that the first four units you complete make up the Graduate Certificate and will build your skills and knowledge in undertaking mental health assessments, risk assessments and formulations, along with psychotropic medications, and recovery. The final units of this course extend on this and with a focus on the provision of safe, person-centred, recovery-orientated mental health care, particular attention is given to exploring a range of therapeutic interventions that you can use to enhance your practice. After completing the Graduate Diploma, you may like to extend your studies and continue on in the Master of Mental Health Nursing.

The assessments that you complete in the Graduate Diploma need you to be working in mental health. This way you can employ your mental health nursing skills and apply your learnings to your own clinical practice.

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.

Course Structure

The Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing is comprised of eight core units. The units that you will study are generally broken down into five or six smaller modules that you can complete.

The Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing is nested within this course - the first four units form the Graduate Certificate. If you haven’t already completed the Graduate Certificate when you enter this course, you will have access to the first four units. After completing these, you’ll have access to the final units, and you can work through these in any order.

Each unit is six credit points and designed to require a time commitment of a total of 144 hours; in total, for all eight units (this is approximately 1120 hours of study). The eight units from within the Graduate Diploma equate to 12 months of full-time study when compared to a typical university term structure of two terms of full-time study. However, you will have up to three years from enrolment to complete the course at your own pace.

Assessments

Unit Information

To view the units that sit within the Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing, visit our Student Handbook, and select the Course Structure tab.

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 with specialist Mental Health Nurse skills and knowledge 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

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 up to three years to complete this course.

To be eligible for entry into this course, applicants must supply:

· Current registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA); and

· A letter of employment demonstrating current employment in a setting which requires the use of mental health nursing skills.

Letters of employment must be presented on a company letterhead and be signed and dated by a delegated authority. Please ensure that the letter contains your full name, position title, duties performed, hours per week, and length of service.

Security Requirements

NA

Health Requirements

NA

Assumed Knowledge

N/A

On the completion of this course you will receive the award of Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing.

Students who complete this course of study will be able to seek employment in the mental health field as a career pathway.

The Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing CC69 has been accredited by The Australian College of Mental Health Nursing.

Indicative first-year fee

The fees listed are indicative only and based on enrolling in a full-time study load for one academic year. 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.

Government assistance loans

You may be eligible for FEE-HELP, an Australian Government loan scheme that helps eligible students pay their tuition fees. Provided you meet the FEE-HELP eligibility criteria, you can choose to use FEE-HELP to cover all or part of your tuition fees. Learn more about paying for university or view the FEE-HELP information booklet on the Australian Government’s Study Assist website.

Other study costs

There may be additional costs as part of your studies, such as technology expenses. Learn more about other study costs.

If you have decided what you would like to study and are ready to apply, we’re here to help you along the way.  Before you apply, you will need to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI).  If you do not have a USI, creating one is quick and easy.  Simply visit usi.gov.au to create one.

Want to know more about application dates and other admission information?
View our important dates information and read about other admission considerations such as information for domestic students with overseas qualifications, indigenous support, and elite athlete, coach and performer support.

APPLY DIRECTLY TO CQUNIVERSITY
To apply for this course, submit your application directly to CQUniversity using the Apply button below.