• 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); AND
• Applicants without an AQF 7 Bachelor Degree of Nursing or equivalent qualification but hold a current Registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) will be considered for the Graduate Certificate in Nursing. Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate, applicants will be eligible for admission to Master in Nursing with credit granted for completed units.

Advanced Standing

You may be eligible to enter into the masters with credit for past skills and/or study, known as advanced standing.
 
If you've already completed any of the units in the course in which you are enrolling, or their equivalent, you may be eligible for advanced standing. Learn more about Advanced Standing here.

Prepare for the healthcare challenges of the 21st century.

Australia requires registered nurses with advanced knowledge, skills and competencies to help drive the transformation of the Australian healthcare system.

Study with us to build on your years of experience in direct care, training, professional development, management and implementing change. With our Master of Nursing, you’ll have the credentials needed to progress into management and leadership in one of our specialist areas of Chronic Disease and Ageing, Nursing Leadership and Nursing Informatics Leadership.

Prospective career paths may include:

• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Clinical Research Nurse
• Clinical Nurse Consultant
• Clinical Nurse Educator
• Nurse Unit Manager
• Leadership role in chronic disease and ageing
• Unit Manager
• Director of Nursing
• Executive Director of Nursing
• Nursing Informatics Manager
• Health Informatics Manager
• Clinical Information Director

On completion of this course, Australian Registered Nurses (RNs) will be eligible for the postgraduate qualification allowance.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Assess and apply current WHO and Australian Health priorities and cultural competency principles to promote community health.
2. Formulate and lead quality and safety innovations for improved patient outcomes.
3. Assume leadership for complex care coordination for clients.
4. Provide leadership in informatics and its applications to digital healthcare
5. Contribute to advancing nursing knowledge, practice and design through the evaluation of research.
6. Develop, implement and assess professional development programs for clinical settings.
7. Lead or influence nursing care in a chosen specialty area.
8. Design and undertake primary  research in a specialist area

VU Online provides you with the support you need, when you need it, during your course. Our support network has a single focus on ensuring you are entirely supported to succeed in your studies.

Our highly experienced academics are responsive and accessible and understand how to deliver a quality online learning experience. You will also be introduced to your very own Student Success Advisor, who provides motivation and one-on-one personalised assistance with non-academic matters throughout your course.

You’ll experience the support of your community through chat, virtual seminars and discussion board activity. Remember, your support network is only a phone call and email away.

A Master of Nursing from VU Online costs $2,950 per unit*, taking the total for 12 units to $35,400*.

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.

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.

With VU Online, you can rest assured you will find 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.

This unit examines the major concepts and principles of community health promotion including self-care, continuity of care, primary health care, health promotion, illness prevention, community assessment, family assessment and home care. Health promotion is a proven dynamic in disease prevention and maintenance of community health. In this unit you will review the major health issues impacting on national and global health. Australian and World Health Organisation (WHO) health priorities and strategies for optimising community health will be critically reviewed. You will reflect on the role of the nurse in community health promotion within areas of specialisation. You will examine communities with diverse and specific health requirements and health literacy needs to understand how to optimise the success of health promotion strategies. This unit also examines the major concepts and principles of cultural safety and the knowledge and skills required of the nursing profession to work ethically with diverse people and communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Students will examine a health problem in relation to a specific community and design strategies of community health promotion in a specialised area of your choice.

View unit page

This unit explores the competencies registered Nurses need to work within inter-professional teams to provide coordinated care for clients with complex needs. The unit investigates strategies for working together effectively; making informed health care decisions and ensuring continuity of care for clients. This unit provides students with essential skills in utilising available resources effectively, health coaching and consultation, and the development of care plans that meet complex care needs. Students will further their skills in client advocacy and anticipatory care management, assessment of risk factors related to decline in a community context and determination of available alternatives for managing risks and balancing the needs and desires of clients. Key themes of the unit include exploring and practising the collection and management of client information across the continuum of services and how to negotiate potential service providers for best care package for client needs, including the management of subcontracted services.

View unit page

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.

View unit page

This unit investigates evidence-based research and its application in the healthcare setting. Students will develop and refine their skills in searching and critically reviewing and evaluating available nursing and healthcare research and evidence. Students will also learn to use critical appraisal tools to evaluate qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research. By examining systematic reviews to clarify how evidence is synthesised, students will critically appraise literature and identify gaps in current knowledge to design and develop research proposals and/or projects.

View unit page

This unit provides for knowledge development in complex care planning, delivery and coordination with a focus on developing knowledge about the principles, practices and relevance of client focused practice in complex care. Students will appraise risk factors for maintaining health and well-being for clients with complex needs. Themes in this unit refer to environmental social and clinical assessment, the delivery of clinical programs in the home and funding arrangements and their use to provide care. Students manage complex care coordination, and in doing so need to further develop their knowledge and skills of the community context and local service providers, methods of delivery and eligibility criteria, and effective use of technology to manage and share client information.

View unit page

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.

View unit page

This unit prepares students to devise, design and assess professional development programs for the healthcare setting. Students will work through the process of developing an effective professional development offering by identifying a workplace learning need to be addressed. Students will then develop goals and objectives and formulate an education program to address the identified need. By critically reflecting on the principles of adult learning and education, including heutagogy, students will cross-examine and advocate the use of different teaching strategies required to deliver professional development across diverse settings.

View unit page

This unit will further develop students' professional knowledge and expertise in the effective coordination and delivery of specialised mental health care. Students will focus on understanding mental health disorders and how to effectively care for a person experiencing mental health issues or illness. Students will also gain a deep understanding of the philosophy and theory underpinning mental health care, its values and the specific skills to maintain therapeutic relationships and assist in person-centred health care that promotes recovery and resilience. The unit includes a critical review of psychology, to support a greater understanding of mental health disorders across the lifespan and cultural awareness when supporting patients’ mental health and well-being. Students will also critically review models of self-care when delivering mental health care services across a range of settings. The unit will prepare students to provide evidence-based mental health care in a range of health settings.

View unit page

This unit develops students' capability in the provision of care and support for older persons with multiple co-morbidities that reside in a variety of health contexts. The unit aims to explore and devise innovative care interventions and models of care, for patients, family and carers. It embraces interprofessional practice and collaboration within the health care team environment. Students will apply various client-centred strategies to plan, assess, implement, evaluate and support to care for older individuals living with a complex comorbidities/chronic health conditions. Students will also examine parameters of their professional legal and ethical practice, identify strengths-based nursing practice, utilise evidence-based research to translate this to practice. Critically analyse practices that maximise health and wellbeing of older persons across different populations.

View unit page

A large proportion of older people have one or more long-term medical conditions. Older persons with a chronic disease or multiple physical and or mental co-morbidities, often require support and nursing care. This unit provides knowledge and skills to support older people living with chronic conditions, along with their family and carers. Students will analyse the variety of psychological, social and physical factors that contribute to ageing and chronic disease. This unit focuses on the nurse’s role as advocate for evidence-based care, early detection, treatment and evaluation of care programs is emphasised. There is a focus on communication skills and the factors that build and sustain professional and therapeutic relationships, collaborative practice and the promotion of health care partnerships.

View unit page

This unit will identify and clarify the role of the nurse to improve health outcomes and quality of life, for older people living with chronic disease. Using case studies and research, students will reflect on patient experiences, their interactions with the health system and self-management interventions and models. Students will investigate the effects of class, race, sexuality, gender and environment that influence a person’s health and wellbeing and their motivations to manage positive lifestyle changes. Students will also investigate current evidence-based approaches that incorporate integrated care and self-management interventions to improve overall health. Students will critically reflect on best practices to work collaboratively with the individual, family and carers to address specific and individual needs to enhance patients’ wellbeing and quality of life. Unit topics include investigating the promotion of a person-centred care approach, quality safety and risk and ongoing evaluation and maintenance of independence, choice, rights and quality of life.

View unit page

In this capstone unit students consolidate their training by investigating a significant issue in their specialisation through undertaking a research project. Students will strengthen their evidence-based research capabilities by participating in a number of key phases and activities of an evidence-based research project to inform practice. Students will critically review the literature, including academic, policy and/or practice evidence, collecting, analysing, interpreting and disseminating findings in the form of a report or journal article for publication.

View unit page

This unit will explore the cognitive, technical and creative principles and practices required to undertake the role of manager/leader in a healthcare setting. The unit will introduce students to human resource management, financial and information management, legislative and policy development as well as education and quality and project management. A strong emphasis is placed on understanding and incorporating quality and safety, change management principles and evidence in management. Self-awareness and using knowledge gained from experience is also advocated. Students will develop analytical and inquiry research skills required of health managers. Students will also demonstrate mastery of management principles to achieve the best client and organisational outcomes in a continually changing healthcare environment.

View unit page

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.

View unit page

This unit provides students with a comprehensive understanding of financial management in health care settings. Financial acumen is an important skill for nurse managers in the complex healthcare environment. The unit takes a multidisciplinary approach to develop advanced analytical, planning and decision-making skills. Students will demonstrate a variety of financial decision making skills to take on effective business and financial management functions. Students will also demonstrate how to manage healthcare business units in a fiscally appropriate way.

View unit page

In this capstone unit students consolidate their training by investigating a significant issue in their specialisation through undertaking a research project. Students will strengthen their evidence-based research capabilities by participating in a number of key phases and activities of an evidence-based research project to inform practice. Students will critically review the literature, including academic, policy and/or practice evidence, collecting, analysing, interpreting and disseminating findings in the form of a report or journal article for publication.

View unit page

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.

View unit page

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.

View unit page

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.

View unit page