Graduate Diploma of Health (GDHH)

Health and Community
GDHealth

Graduate Diploma of Health (GDHH) - GDHealth

	External
Semester intake:	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July)
Fees:	Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place
Residential school:	Toowoomba campus (compulsory – Mental Health)
Standard duration:	2 years part-time, maximum duration 4 years
Program articulation:	From: Graduate Certificate of Health To: Master of Health

Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students	Future International students	Current students
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315 Email: study@usq.edu.au	Phone: +61 7 4631 5543 Email: international@usq.edu.au	Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285 Email usq.support@usq.edu.au

Professional accreditation

Students enrolling in the Rural and Remote specialisation may elect to include the scheduled medicines courses. The Scheduled Medicines program is accredited with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) to enable graduates to apply for scheduled medicines endorsement through Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Note: Successful completion of this degree does not lead to registration as a health care professional in Australia.

Program aims

The aim of the Graduate Diploma of Health is to enable health professionals to broaden and develop an in-depth understanding of, and capacity to contribute to specialised areas of health including:

Rural and remote (incorporating scheduled medicines)
Community health
Gerontology
Advanced Clinical Practice
Health Leadership (incorporating clinical education)
Mental health
General (no specialisation)

Program objectives

Graduates of the Graduate Diploma of Health will be able to:

critically reflect on their own clinical and educational practices
engage in effective, supportive, collaborative practice within a specialised context
have the skills to practice in a professional, legal and ethically justifiable manner according to professional requirements and standards, within a specialised context
advocate and protect the rights of individuals or groups regardless of their cultural background, age and/or geographical situation
critically analyse relevant (i.e. clinical data, government policy, research findings) and apply this knowledge to their selected specialised area
strengthen their professional identity including independence, interdependence, authority and partnership
extend their capacity to search, critique and synthesise relevant research literature in relation to a topic within their speciality area of choice
develop an understanding of different research methodologies, including their application to a research question relevant to their area of specialisation
demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing.

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 08. Graduates at this level will have advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

Completion of an Australian university three year Bachelor degree in a health related field, or equivalent.

Or

A minimum of one (1) years' professional work experience equivalent to a qualification at AQF Level 8.
English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.

Admission Criteria

Rural & Remote specialisation: To be eligible for admission to the Rural & Remote (incorporating Scheduled Medicines) specialisation, applicants must:

be registered as a Division 1 Registered Nurse and must be able to demonstrate at least one years' full-time clinical experience. Applicants must provide a detailed CV including education, clinical experience, professional development, and full time equivalent for each employer.
USQ requires written confirmation that the applicant is currently practicing as an RN and can complete required hours of clinical mentorship in their workplace.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ��ýapp-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

Requirements for professional experience placements

There is a compulsory clinical requirement for (Rural & Remote or Advanced Clinical Practices for Health) only. This placement is coordinated through the USQ Professional Placements Office.

Program fees

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Program structure

The program consists of eight courses each worth one unit. There are two core courses common to all GDHH programs and six courses specific to the chosen specialisations.

Program completion requirements

Students are required to successfully complete , and six courses specified for the chosen specialisations. Students who select to study GDHH (general) are required to successfully complete and (or may substitute with an approved course) and six courses from the GDHH. To discuss which courses to study within the General specialisation please . All course pre-requisites must be met, and all courses chosen are subject to the approval of the Program Coordinator.

Required time limits

This program is offered on a part-time basis only. Minimum time to complete is two (2) years. Maximum time to complete is four (4) years.

Core courses

, and (or an approved course for the general specialisation) are required for successful completion of the program.

Specialisation

Gerontology

The program uses a wellness model to promote the notion of older people, living as well as they can even in the face of illness. The gerontology focus takes a broader perspective to address quality of life. The gerontology courses are designed to enhance the knowledge and expertise of health professionals working with the older person in a variety of health settings.

Community Health

The program enables experienced health and social well-being practitioners to develop the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical application skills to analyse and address human health and social well-being issues within a community health framework.

Rural and Remote (incorporates Scheduled Medicines)

The program has been developed for registered nurses wishing to further their knowledge and advance their nursing skills in the area of rural and isolated practice. Options for other health professionals who wish to extend their expertise in this area are currently at planning stage. With the incorporation of scheduled medicines, the program enables registered nurses to further their advanced knowledge and skills in the area of scheduled medicines, under protocol or permit. (See note under Other Information.)

Health Leadership (incorporating Clinical Education)

The development of types of leadership and leadership issues from the perspective of teams is an essential component of health leadership preparing students for their role as leaders in their area. The program also enables health professionals to develop their knowledge and expertise to work effectively as clinical mentors, facilitators and preceptors in supporting the clinical education of students, peers and other health professionals with a particular, but not exclusive, focus on rural and non-urban settings.

Advanced Clinical Practice

This specialisation prepares health care professionals working in independent clinical practice areas in the community such as community health centres or as practice nurses to develop their expertise in areas of chronic illness or community related health. It also offers the opportunity to develop expertise to promote resilience related to disaster experiences.

Mental Health

This program prepares nurses to develop expertise in mental health care and enables them to work as clinically skilled members of mental health teams in developing and established services. This program is also open for other health professionals who wish to extend their expertise in mental health. Students seeking to complete a GDHH (Mental Health) are required to complete the courses listed for GCHH Graduate Certificate of Health (Mental Health) before progressing to graduate diploma level. There is one residential school required for this specialisation.

General

Enables health professionals to personalise the courses studied to suit their own specific needs by completing the core courses ( and (or an approved course)) and six courses of their choice approved by the Program Coordinator to meet their professional learning objectives as well as overall program objectives. To discuss which courses to study within the General specialisation please . All course pre-requisites must be met, and all courses chosen are subject to the approval of the Program Coordinator.

Other combinations of specialisations may be studied with the approval of the Program Coordinator.

Electives/Approved courses

Approved courses may be chosen from any of the Graduate Diploma of Health (GDHH) specialisations, Master of Nursing or courses of the student’s choice approved by the Program Coordinator.

Practical experience

All students are normally required to have current employment as a professional in health practice to be able to complete the Graduate Diploma of Health.

IT requirements

Students should refer to the USQ to check that their computers are capable of running the appropriate software and versions of Internet web browsers and to check the minimum and recommended standards for software.

Residential schools

The attendance requirement of residential schools within this degree is indicated by the following letters: V = Voluntary; O = Optional; C = Compulsory; R = Recommended; HR = Highly Recommended; M = Mandatory. Further information is available and in the

Residential Schools are scheduled in the Mental Health specialisation.

Articulation

Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Nursing Practice graduates within the last five years, are eligible for 4 credits when articulating into the GDHH Graduate Diploma of Health including the core course of . Specifically Postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Nursing Practice students who have undertaken , , and ANP5004 would be given credits for , , and .

A student successfully completing the Graduate Certificate of Health program may apply to articulate into the Graduate Diploma of Health or Master of Health. A student articulating without a break into a higher degree will only receive the award of the higher degree that they complete. Such students will be given full credit for all courses completed whilst studying the Graduate Certificate of Health or Graduate Diploma of Health (articulation to Master of Health ). Students must advise the Faculty in writing of their intention to articulate and this must occur prior to completion of the Graduate Certificate of Health or Graduate Diploma of Health.

Related programs

The Graduate Diploma of Health is a part of a nested program including the Graduate Certificate of Health and Master of Health.

Exit points

Students may exit on completion of 4 approved courses including with a Graduate Certificate of Health .

Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Other information

Students selecting the scheduled medicines courses , and must have and produce certified copies of annual medication competency certification. These courses are only available for students from Australia as they are specific to the Australian context.

Enrolment

Part-Time Enrolment - This program is only offered as a part-time enrolment pattern of up to two (2) courses in each semester.

Mid-Year intake

Students may commence the program in Semester 2 as per the recommended enrolment pattern however in some instances may not be able to complete within 4 semesters. Refer to recommended enrolment pattern.