To apply for the online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership, you are required to have:

• Completed an AQF Level 7 Bachelor of Nursing, or equivalent qualification​, AND​​
• Current registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)​​

OR

• ​ Applicants without an AQF 7 bachelor degree in nursing (or equivalent qualification) who hold current registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) and one year of full-time (or part-time equivalent) clinical work experience will be considered for the Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership.

VU Online provides you with the support you need, when you need it, throughout the course. With four layers of student support, our goal is to ensure you succeed in your studies.  
   
Our highly experienced academics understand how to deliver a quality online learning experience and are highly responsive and accessible.  
   
You will also have access to a dedicated Student Success Advisor, who provides motivation and one-on-one personalised assistance with non-academic matters for the duration of the course. You will experience the support of a community through chat, virtual seminars and discussion board activity. Your support network is only a phone call or email away.

A Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership from VU Online costs $2,950 per unit*, taking the total for 4 units to $11,800*.

​This depends on the number of units you study and whether you are eligible for Advanced Standing, which is assessed after you submit your application.  
   
Note that you may be eligible for the Australian Government’s loan scheme, FEE-HELP. The loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying students with the cost of a university program. It can be used for all or part of the tuition. To determine your eligibility, visit the FEE-HELP website.  
   
*2025 student fees are shown and are subject to change.

Commonwealth Supported Places

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is a place where the government pays for part of your unit fees. This is a subsidy, not a loan, so you do not need to pay it back. Your remaining fees may also be eligible for FEE-HELP. 

This subsidy is available to eligible students completing the Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership. It is only applicable to new students commencing their Graduate Certificate in 2025. To find out if you’re eligible for this subsidy, visit the government’s Study Assist. Limited places available. 

For more information on fees and student support, download a brochure.

Studying with VU Online means that you can undertake postgraduate study without having to attend on-campus classes. This makes it easy to fit study around existing commitments including work and family. You will be able to access your coursework, resources, assignment details and individual feedback from facilitators, all from your online learning environment, VU Collaborate.

Chat with fellow students, compare research notes and collaborate on group tasks – it’s all possible with our seamless, community-focused platform.

With VU Online, you will study just one unit at a time under the award-winning VU Block Model®. Learn about our postgraduate online Block Model with this YouTube video.

You will receive support from our responsive academics and facilitators, as well as your dedicated Student Success Advisor throughout your study.

VU Online has simplified the application process, involving just three key steps.  

1. Speak to one of our Student Enrolment Advisors, who will help you determine your eligibility for the program and whether it suits your career goals. Our advisor will keep you informed of all the application requirements and what to expect during the process. They can also suggest flexible study plans for your circumstances.  

2. Begin your online application and submit the required documentation. This may include a copy of your CV and academic transcript.  

3. Upon completing your application, you will receive a confirmation email or an email letting you know if you need to provide any additional information.

The use of digital technologies in nursing supports high-quality patient care in Australia. The sector needs skilled leaders to advance adoption of these technologies and lead improvements in digital literacy amongst nurses. This unit provides a comprehensive overview of the digital healthcare landscape and the adoption of nursing informatics technologies and practices. Students critically examine the role of leadership in the adoption, implementation, and use of nursing informatics. They practice leadership scenarios to develop, implement and assess professional development programs for informatics use in clinical settings and interrogate a range of barriers and enablers to the use of digital technologies in healthcare. Recognising the growing need for nursing informatics to improve complex care coordination and patient outcomes, students will be equipped to lead on and advocate for policies, procedures and practices the maximise the benefits of health informatics.

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One of the key performance indicators in management and leadership within nursing is to effectively lead improvement and innovation. In this unit students will determine key safety and quality concerns within the nurse practice environment and their influence on patient outcomes. Students will interrogate contemporary approaches, tools and techniques to improve the safety and quality of patient care. The unit requires students to formulate an approach to quality improvement that enhances an aspect of the nurse practice environment and patient outcomes in a specialised area of nursing practice. Students will also demonstrate the skills required to develop a teaching module to support an implementation strategy and ensure sustainability.

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This unit will enable students to take leading roles in digital healthcare to ensure technology is designed and used effectively to enhance their capacity to deliver superior and safer care. Students will learn about and practice health informatics skills to assess the usability of information systems and their alignment to nursing workflow, patient safety and information needs. By developing skills in data analytics and examining the adoption of nursing data standards including interoperability issues, students will analyse complex problems and formulate contextualised responses. Students will also examine issues related to the protection of privacy, confidentiality and security of health information and consider the potential usefulness of social networking tools in communicating health-related information.

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Nursing is a global profession that occurs within complex environments. Often nursing managers are responsible for being leaders and change agents within the profession and successfully managing teams. To be a successful leader or manager, students need to understand the challenges that currently impact on healthcare. This unit assists students in developing leadership knowledge and skills to achieve better outcomes for patients and create positive working environments. Unit content explores theories, concepts and leadership styles to help nurses further develop their leadership potential and the skills of motivating, coaching, and mentoring.

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