Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Health Nursing
Quick facts
Student type:
Quick facts
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Entry score
Not applicable
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Duration
Full-time 1 year, Part-time 2 years -
Location
Bundoora -
Fees
Next intake
FebruaryEntry score
Not applicable
Duration
Not applicableLocation
Not applicableFees
Not applicable
Next intake
Not applicable
Overview
Are you ready for a future in health?
Discover a rewarding career and seize your opportunities for professional development with a qualification from RMIT.
The Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Health Nursing prepares registered nurses (with qualifications as midwives) for advanced practice in community child and family health nursing.
You will develop the ability to critically analyse and apply principles of primary healthcare, to help you secure a rewarding role as a maternal and child health nurse.
You will have the opportunity to take advantage of our state of the art simulated learning facilities. You will participate in simulated practice within these facilities in preparation for placement. As a part of participation you may be filmed for learning, teaching, reflection and assessment and this is considered an inherent part of our curriculum. Recordings will be maintained in accordance with our assessment, document retention and privacy policies.
As a student in this in-demand field, you will be eligible to apply for scholarships and bursaries offered by the Health Department, designed to help increase the capacity of Victoria's world-class maternal and child health nursing workforce.
RMIT is at the forefront of nursing education and research. We are one of the oldest providers of nursing education in Australia with a history of industry partnership and strong graduate employability for over 40 years.
Details
This graduate diploma is available on-campus but includes units with significant online modules that can be studied from home. It also includes 300 hours of clinical placements and visits. Units are mostly offered in full-day attendance mode.
In addition to child and family health specialty subjects, this graduate diploma includes family partnership training which is highly regarded by industry and also offers a dedicated elective in parent-infant mental health.
The face-to-face contact at RMIT develops strong clinical skills in child health and enables regular support and discussion to enhance learning.
You will experience a range of learning approaches including learner-centred curriculum, learning activities and projects.
Your learning will be further supported by face-to-face lectures, some online learning, independent study and clinical experiences across a range of early childhood services.
The Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Health Nursing consists of 96 credit points.
The curriculum is structured to enable you to:
- critically analyse and apply the principles of primary health care related to child and family health
- analyse and evaluate nursing strategies designed to promote and maintain wellbeing for children and their families
- apply evidence-based practice to primary care within the scope of the Maternal Child Health (MCH) service
- critically examine key ethical issues relevant to professional health care practice in community settings.
You will complete seven core units and one elective unit.
Clinical practice
To meet curriculum requirements, you must complete a minimum of 300 hours of clinical experience in approved early childhood agencies. While most experience occurs in approved MCH centres, almost one-third of your clinical experience will include observations and visits to community agencies. These include childcare centres, early intervention services, early parenting centres, MCH Line, community day stay programs and other key services.
Choose a program structure
| Title | Location | Duration | Plan code | CRICOS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Health Nursing | Bundoora Campus |
1 Year Full time
2 Years Part time
|
1 Year Full time
|
GD159 |
Choose a program structure
Program code: GD159
Career
Graduates work in maternal and child health nursing in local government, early parenting centres and community services.
Job Outlook projects that work opportunities for registered nurses are set to increase by 11.7% to 2024. Job Outlook also estimates that the most common annual salary for a mental health nurse in Australia is between $90,000 and $100,000, and for a nurse manager is between $120,000 and $140,000.
Admissions
Applicants must have:
- an Australian bachelor degree in Nursing, or equivalent;
AND
- an Australian Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, or Bachelor of Midwifery, or equivalent;
AND
- current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as both a Nurse (Division 1, General) and Midwife (General);
AND
- completed a minimum of 1 year (full-time equivalent) post-registration clinical experience as a registered nurse and 1 year (full-time equivalent) post-registration clinical experience as a registered midwife (2 years total);
AND
- demonstrated recent clinical experience, defined as a minimum of 1 year (full-time equivalent) employment within the last 5 years as a registered nurse OR a registered midwife.
Applicants are required to arrange a clinical place with a local Maternal Child Health (MCH) service and submit confirmation of this as part of the application process. You are encouraged to discuss this early in the application process with the program coordinator, who will also provide a specific form for this requirement.
To have industry or employment experience assessed as part of meeting the entry requirements you will need to provide a detailed CV/resume listing previous positions, dates of employment and position responsibilities; a statement from your employer confirming these details (or contact details of employer so RMIT can seek confirmation); and evidence of any relevant professional development undertaken.
International qualifications are assessed for comparability to Australian qualifications according to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Entry requirements
Students who are successful in obtaining a place in the program must meet a number of Immunisation and Compliance requirements upon commencement of their studies in the program
Immunisations and vaccination requirements
- Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (dTpa – Adult Dose). Must be this immunisation NOT ADT (Adult Diphtheria/Tetanus – does not contain the pertussis component).
- Poliomyelitis: Primary course of 3 vaccination doses.
- Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR, 2 vaccination doses AND blood test (serology report) to confirm immunity.
- Hepatitis A: Primary course of 2 vaccination doses OR serology to show immunity to Hep A Ab.
- Hepatitis B: Primary course of 3 vaccination doses AND serology to confirm anti-HBV level is greater than or equal to 10mIU/ml.
- Varicella: 2 vaccination doses OR blood test (serology report) to confirm immunity OR history of chickenpox
- Influenza Vaccination: Annual requirement.
- Tuberculin Screen: Tuberculin Skin Test OR Quantiferon TB Assay blood test (serology) to show immunity. This is an annual requirement for the duration of your study
PLEASE NOTE: A full course of immunisations can take up to 7 months to complete and students should contact their Medical Practitioner prior to entering the program to commence immunisations. It is a requirement that students will have commenced all immunisations and will continue to progress this until completion of the vaccination courses by the deadlines set by the University.
Compliance requirements
- Police Check: Students must present evidence of a successful National Police Records Check prior to undertaking the clinical components of this program (Annual requirement for the duration of your Program). National Police records check are conducted via fit2work. An account with fit2work will be created using the student’s name and the RMIT issued student email address, once studies in the program have commenced. Further information will be provided once enrolment has been completed.
- Working with Children Check (valid for 5 years): Students must hold a valid Working with Children Check prior to undertaking the clinical components of this program.
- Hand Hygiene Certificate: Students will be required to undertake Hand Hygiene prior to undertaking professional placement as part of this program. Further information will be provided once enrolment has been completed.
- NDIS Worker Screening Check*: You may be required to apply for and receive an acceptable NDIS Worker Screening Check prior to undertaking professional placement with an NDIS provider as part of this program. Further information will be provided once enrolment has been completed.
Pathways
Fees
Entry for this program is primarily through Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs).
Government financial assistance is available to eligible students regardless of the type of place you enrol in.
2022 indicative fees
- Commonwealth supported places (CSP) range from AU$3,985 to AU$14,630*
- Full-fee places: AU$24,000*.
Additional expenses
- Student services and amenities fee (SSAF): AU$315 maximum fee for 2022.
- Other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment.
Annual fee adjustment
Amounts quoted are indicative fees per annum, and are based on a standard year of full-time study (96 credit points). A proportionate fee applies for more or less than the full-time study load.
Fees are adjusted on an annual basis and these fees should only be used as a guide.
Defer your payment
You may be eligible to apply for a HELP loan, which can be used to defer payment of up to the full amount of your student contribution fees. You may also be eligible to apply to defer payment of your SSAF through the SA-HELP loan scheme.
For more information and to learn how to calculate your exact tuition fees see postgraduate study fees.
Payments and refunds
For information on how to pay your fees or how to apply for a refund, please see Paying your fees and applying for refunds.
If you are offered a Commonwealth supported place, your tuition fees are subsidised by the Australian Government.
Your share of the fee (student contribution) is set on an annual basis by the government and is determined by the discipline areas (bands) of your individual enrolled courses, not the overall program.
How much can I expect to pay for my Commonwealth supported place?
The Australian Government has introduced changes to university funding and student contribution fees under its Job-ready Graduates Package.
The fees in the table below apply to students commencing their program in 2022. Fees for continuing students are available at fees for Commonwealth supported students.
Each course (subject) falls into a band. The band determines the student contribution amount for the course.
Amounts listed in the table below are based on a standard, full-time study load (96 credit points per year) with all courses in the same band. A proportionate fee applies for more or less than the full-time study load or for enrolment in courses (subjects) from a combination of bands.
You can learn how to calculate your exact tuition fees for units from different bands at Fees for Commonwealth supported students.
Maximum student contribution amount for Commonwealth supported places in 2022 for commencing students
Student contribution band by course (subject) |
Maximum annual student contribution amount (per EFTSL) in 2022 |
|---|---|
Education, Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, English, Mathematics, Statistics, Nursing, Indigenous and Foreign Languages, Agriculture |
$3,985 per standard year $498 per standard (12 credit point) course |
Allied Health, Other Health, Built Environment, Computing, Visual and Performing Arts, Professional Pathway Psychology, Professional Pathway Social Work, Engineering, Surveying, Environmental Studies, Science, Pathology |
$8,021 per standard year $1,002 per standard (12 credit point) course |
Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Science |
$11,401 per standard year |
Law, Accounting, Administration, Economics, Commerce, Communications, Society and Culture |
$14,630 per standard year |
How does a HELP loan work?
If your FEE-HELP, HECS-HELP and/or SA-HELP loan application is successful, the Australian Government will pay RMIT, on your behalf, up to 100% of your fees. This amount will become part of your accumulated HELP debt.
You only start repaying your accumulated HELP debt to the Australian Government once you earn above the minimum income threshold for repayment, which is set each year by the Australian Government (this also applies if you are still studying).
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include this on your income tax notice.
For more information about loan repayment options see Commonwealth assistance (HELP loans) or Study Assist.
This program is approved for income support.
You may be eligible for student income support payments from the Commonwealth Government if you are undertaking a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or an approved professionally oriented masters by coursework program. For more information see Income support for Masters students.
If you are enrolled in an eligible program you will also need to satisfy all other student payment eligibility requirements. You can contact Centrelink or Services Australia for further information about student income support entitlements, your eligibility and how to apply.
In addition to tuition fees, you will be charged an annual student services and amenities fee (SSAF), which is used to maintain and enhance services and amenities that improve your experience as an RMIT student.
The SSAF is calculated based on your enrolment load and the maximum fee for 2022 is $315.
For more information about calculating your actual SSAF see Paying SSAF.
You may also be required to purchase other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment. These additional fees and expenses vary from program to program.
The Maternal and Child Health Nursing Scholarship is available for commencing or continuing students.
RMIT awards more than 2000 scholarships every year to recognise academic achievement and assist students from a variety of backgrounds. Learn more about RMIT Scholarships.
Looking for answers or more general infomation?
For frequently asked questions or how to find more information regarding applications and enrolments, fees, student support services, university policies and more, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.