Postgraduate Degrees

[iamnomad]

Hello.

I'm recently offered a place to study for a postgraduate degree in Nursing. Two offers actually. I just want to know your take on my plans.

1st. University of Tasmania - Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Acute Care) with options to continue to Master in Clinical Nursing. It's entirely online. I don't know how online degrees are viewed/accepted by hospitals, especially in areas such as acute care. My ultimate long-term goal is to be a nurse practitioner, by the way. So this degree will be helpful.

2nd. University of Wollongong - Master of Nursing. Too bad they don't offer subjects related to acute care. The subjects are mostly management and psychiatric nursing. This is good if my progression is management but I just don't see that happening anytime soon since I only have 4 years experience.

Currently, I'm leaning towards the 1st option because of it's alignment to my future plans. However, my current employment is Aged Care. I only do some temporary part-time and casual work in Acute Care since there very very few vacancies in my local area. I had 2 years experience in Acute care / emergency while I was in the US.

Do you guys think I'm on the right track? or wait til I have a stable acute care employment before commencing this graduate studies?

Thank you.

[ceridwyn]

Flinders do a great degree, distance ed, that you can do a grad cert in a specialty-acute care, then so grad cert in advance practise then you can finish it off with the Masters few subjects. This covers any nursing really- gad cert in acute nursing if you ever want to do Nurse practitioner and the advance practice grad cert covers your experience in aged care or any other nursing spec as well, so you actually have 2 grad cents in specialties and you can do one grad cert at a time and keep enroling and getting creditor in the Masters in nursing - specialty streams think it was called.

As you know just having post grad in a specialty, without the experience is sort of laughed at in Australia, so no matter what where the job openings take you, your study has it covered and places you in the NP line, and/or clinical nurse specialist role no matter what.

And when reading back this post it is difficult to explain what I mean , just go to to the flinders nursing site and have a look around.

[iamnomad]

thanks Ceridwyn.

I believe Flinders' program has an on-campus attendance (e.g 3 days a semester, etc). It wouldn't suit me as I live in Wollongong and works 2 jobs. But I will look into it. I also looked at University of Sydney, which also has an on-campus attendance requirement but seems feasible since it's only an hour and a half away.

As I'm only pretty new to the Australian system, do you know if the grad cert (not the full master's) will land me an advanced nursing role? As you know, to be able to study NP master's, one has to have at least 3 years experience in an advanced nursing role on top of the regular RN experience, for a total of 5 years. Or do I really have to have a Master's first before even being considered for the advanced role?

Thanks heaps.

[ceridwyn]

Flinders only had on site requirements for the diabetes education grad cert last time I looked. Depends what subject you do, but not in acute care. Grad certs are enough for an advanced role to work ,but usually you have to be working in that specialty to be given the advanced role, after all even gaining a graduate certificate indicates that a nurse has much experience and has now a post grad cert.

though If you are in the right place at the right time you may have a look in as you have a grad cert, though times are tough.

[iamnomad]

thanks again.

I definitely look into the Flinders program and will let you know of the outcome. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get as much acute care experience as I can.