Graduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Nursing (Advanced Practice)

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced theoretical and technical nursing knowledge, incorporating evidence to inform clinical decision-making in practice.  
2. Apply clinical judgement and problem-solving skills to work autonomously and collaboratively, demonstrating effective communication, cultural responsiveness and people-centred care.
3. Critically evaluate complex clinical problems, information and practices in nursing to respond to healthcare challenges and adapt to dynamic and evolving healthcare environments.

TheGraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Nursing will prepare you, as a registered nurse, to be an expert clinician in contemporary healthcare environments. This program will equip you with advanced theoretical and technical knowledge to support evidence-informed clinical decision-making and deliver high-quality, people-centred care across diverse settings. You will critically analyse and synthesise complex clinical information to respond effectively to the evolving demands of healthcare practice. Through the integration of specialist knowledge, reflective practice, digital innovation and critical reasoning, you will demonstrate the ability to promote culturally responsive care and improve health outcomes within interdisciplinary teams. 

As part of this course, you have opportunity to select to study one of nine specialisations:

Advanced Practice specialisation:

• Patients across healthcare settings present with increasing clinical complexity, multiple comorbidities, and diverse psychosocial and cultural needs. Specialist nurses play a pivotal role in delivering safe, high-quality, and people-centred care through advanced clinical decision-making, from assessment and management to rehabilitation, chronic care support, and transition across a diverse range of care environments.
• The units in the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Nursing (Advanced Practice) support the development of advanced bioscience knowledge, clinical reasoning, and professional capability required for advanced nursing practice. They prepare registered nurses to critically analyse the role and scope of the specialist nurse in improving patient and family outcomes. Students integrate advanced bioscience concepts with evidence-based practice to inform complex clinical decisions, while examining the physical, psychosocial, and cultural impacts of illness and comorbidities on individuals and their families.
• The units emphasise advanced clinical reasoning to design, justify, and evaluate evidence-based, people-centred care that responds to variations in patients’ health status. Students critically apply principles of interprofessional collaboration and shared decision-making to deliver culturally safe, equitable, and responsive care to diverse populations. Through critical evaluation of complex ethical challenges and contemporary nursing practices, and reflective examination of professional leadership, students are equipped to lead evidence-based practice, uphold professional standards, and advocate for safe and ethical care within a diverse range of complex clinical environments.

This course is ideal for nurses looking to become advanced practice nurses. This qualification also provides a strong foundation for those pursuing further study, and offers the option to take your innovation and leadership skills to the next level by continuing your study and enrolling a Graduate Diploma of Advanced Clinical Nursing or a Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing. ACU.

Delivered as an asynchronous online course (from a minimum of 1 year part-time), with flexible study options and a range of commencement dates, this course allows you to fit study around your professional and personal commitments and accommodates busy healthcare professionals' schedules.

Recommended study pattern

To qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Nursing, a student must complete 40 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:

20 cp from Specified Units

20 cp from Specialisation Units

Specified Units

NRSG546 Concepts in Advanced Clinical Nursing 10 CP

NRSG547 Contemporary Nursing Practice 10 CP

Specialisation Units

CCOQ Cardiac Care 20 CP

APOQ Advanced Practice 20 CP

GNOQ Gerontological Nursing 20 CP

ICOQ Intensive Care 20 CP

MDOQ Medical 20 CP

NSOQ Neuroscience 20 CP

PROQ Perioperative 20 CP

RNOQ Renal 20 CP

SGOQ Surgical 20 CP

Award requirements

To qualify for the degree, a student must complete 40 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:

• 20 cp from Clinical Nursing units
• 20 cp from Specialisation units.

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $2,452

The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying part-time, which is typically 4 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

Australian Catholic University – So much more

An Australian Catholic University (ACU) education is grounded in the Catholic understanding of faith and reason working together in the pursuit of knowledge, promotion of human dignity, and advancement of the common good.

ACU aims to transform lives and communities. Students are challenged to look beyond the classroom, solve real-world problems, develop their own search for meaning and cultivate strong professional ethics. They are invited to stand up for people in need and causes that matter.

Opportunities for personal and professional growth are critical to ACU. It is a university of service – so much so that it is built into the curricula. All ACU courses offer work placements, internships or volunteering opportunities.

Learn more about Australian Catholic University

Explore Australian Catholic University courses

QS World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

33

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

27

To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing, an applicant must:

• have completed a Bachelor of Nursing degree or equivalent; AND
• hold current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

International Students must also comply with English Language Proficiency requirements as outlined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.

• International English Language Testing System - Academic (IELTS): Overall score: 6.5 with an individual score of 6.0 in all tests
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): 58 with a minimum of 50 in all four communicative skills
• Test of English as a Foreign Language - Academic (TOEFL): Internet based total of 79 with a minimum of 21 in writing, 18 in speaking, 13 in reading and 12 in listening
• ACU English Language Test: B (65-74%)
• Cambridge Advanced English (CAE): Overall CAE of 176 with a minimum individual score of 169 in all test areas.

If your previous study has equipped you with knowledge, skills or experiences that align with the learning outcomes of units in your new course you may be able to apply for recognition of prior learning and you may be able to complete your course sooner. Speak to your course consultant for more information or to discuss your eligibility. ACU will consider requests for advanced standing based on prior studies to a maximum equivalence of 2 subjects (20cp).