RMIT University
Full-time 1 year; Part-time 2 years
Transform your nursing career with advanced mental health specialisation. This graduate diploma equips registered nurses with evidence-based skills in therapeutic interventions, mental health treatment, and clinical practice, leading to professional recognition and career advancement in Australia's growing mental health sector.
To enter this program, you must hold an Australian bachelor degree in Nursing or Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing (or equivalent qualification). Current registration or eligibility for registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia is required. You must have completed at least 840 hours of supervised clinical practice in mental health nursing, or be completing this as part of a graduate year program. English language proficiency is required: IELTS (Academic) minimum 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, or equivalent tests accepted. International qualifications are assessed for comparability to Australian Qualifications Framework standards.
The program comprises seven core subjects and one elective subject. Core subjects include: Foundations of Mental Health Nursing Partnerships, Context of Mental Health Nursing, Therapeutic Initiatives in Mental Health, Dual Diagnosis and Community Work, Mental Health Nursing Clinical Portfolio, Assessment Analysis in Mental Health Nursing, and Health Inquiry Critique. Elective options include Foundations of Narrative Counselling, Leadership and Management, Loss, Trauma and Grief, and Parent-Infant Mental Health. Students develop skills in individual and group counselling, mental health treatment modalities, contemporary mental health issues, research methodology, and reflective practice. Work-integrated learning subjects enable application of skills in diverse clinical settings including acute, forensic, child and adolescent, aged mental health, addictions, homelessness, and consultation liaison services.
RMIT University is one of Australia's longest-running and oldest providers of nursing education with over 40 years of industry partnership and strong graduate employability outcomes. The program is delivered by experienced mental health nurses with strong industry connections and is developed in close consultation with current practitioners. RMIT's focus on industry-based, practical learning ensures curriculum remains contemporary and linked to evolving vocational practice. The university's commitment to work-integrated learning and purpose-built facilities provides students with real-world clinical experience and professional development opportunities.
Graduates can pursue diverse career pathways in mental health nursing across metropolitan and rural areas in public and private organisations. Mental health nurses work in acute hospital settings, forensic services, child and adolescent mental health, aged mental health, addictions services, homelessness teams, and consultation liaison services. The qualification enables application for ACMHN credentialing, providing access to the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program and funding for employment. Graduates can seek promotional positions requiring this qualification and contribute to mental health policy and research. With employment rates for registered nurses forecast to increase 12.2% to 2028 and a substantial workforce gap projected to 2030, career opportunities are expanding significantly.
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