1999 Medicine Handbook - Graduate Diploma of Nursing (Gerontics)

Graduate Diploma of Nursing (Gerontics)

The course
Aims
Objectives
Entry requirements
Course outline
- Year one
  - First semester
  - Second semester
- Year two

The course

Gippsland campus (distance education) and Peninsula campus (mixed mode)
Course code: 1754
Course coordinators: Ms A Rickards, Gippsland campus and Joan Yalden, Peninsula Campus
This course is offered part-time via distance education or by mixed mode, over two years. The mixed-mode course includes the combination of distance education study materials, on-campus seminars and clinical fieldwork. The course structure consists of three core subjects and five specialist subjects in gerontics.

Aims

The course has been designed to provide registered nurses with in-depth knowledge and specialised skills to promote effective functioning in the gerontic area. Graduates should therefore be capable of functioning as advanced care givers in aged care health settings; be able to demonstrate an ability to apply advanced problem-solving skills to patient care, and be equipped to respond to an increasingly complex health care environment.

Objectives

On successful completion of the course, it is expected that students should be able to:

clearly identify the role of the nurse in caring for the older adult;
apply current research into older adult nursing;
appreciate social policy as it is applied to older adult nursing care issues and the provision of nursing services;
demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the ageing process;
undertake comprehensive individual and family assessment which identifies obstacles to health and independent living and strategies to overcome or cope with them;
discuss common nursing problems of the gerontic client and demonstrate an awareness of strategies to overcome them;
describe the nature, process and evaluation of rehabilitation and therapeutic care for the older adult;
effectively act as a health educator and resource person to individuals, families and communities;
act as catalyst for change and innovation in older adult nursing.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for admission, an applicant would normally:

have relevant registration (eg Division 1 with the Nurses Board of Victoria);
have at least one year of nursing experience; and
have a degree in nursing or related discipline.

Experience in the relevant area of practice is desirable.

GHS8745 The physiology of ageing
GHS8747 Gerontic nursing processes I

Second semester

GHS8746 Lifespan development: a psychosocial perspective
GHS8748 Gerontic nursing processes II

Year two

First semester

GHS7640 Methods of information collection, analysis and usage
GHS8751 Aged care management and practice

Second semester

GHS8750 Gerontic nursing processes III
GHS8749 Clinical project

Mixed Mode

There will be a series of five seminars on campus throughout the semester to support study materials and clinical fieldwork.