¾«¶«´«Ã½app

Skip to main content
Toggle navigation

Graduate Certificate of Health (GCHH) - GCHealth

Programs at USQ regularly undergo a comprehensive re-accreditation process to assure their relevance and quality. This program is currently being re-accredited and, as a consequence, is likely to undergo some changes. Full details will be made available when it is approved. If you have any questions, please .

 External#
Start:Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Fees:Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Standard duration:1 year part-time 
Program articulation:

To: Graduate Diploma of Health ; Master of Health

Footnotes
#The Graduate Certificate of Health (Rural and Remote) and (Scheduled Medicines) is only available to students who hold current nursing registration with the Australian Health Professional Registration Authority (AHPRA) and who are located in Australia.

Back to top

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 

Back to top

Professional accreditation

The Graduate Certificate of Health (Scheduled Medicines) is accredited with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) to enable graduates to apply for ‘scheduled medicines endorsement’ through the (AHPRA).

Back to top

Program aims

The aim of the Graduate Certificate of Health is to enable health professionals to extend their professional knowledge, expertise and capacity within one of the following specialised areas of health care:

  • Rural and Remote Health

  • Clinical Education

  • Scheduled Medicines (for nurses)

  • Community Health

  • General


Back to top

Program objectives

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

  1. critically reflect on their own clinical and educational practices

  2. engage in effective, supportive, collaborative practice within a specialised context

  3. practice in a professional, legal and ethically justifiable manner according to professional requirements and standards, within a specialised context

  4. advocate and protect the rights of individuals or groups regardless of their cultural background, age and/or geographical situation

  5. critically analyse relevant (i.e. clinical data, government policy, research findings), and apply this knowledge to their selected specialised area

  6. develop a professional identity including independence, interdependence, authority and partnership

  7. demonstrate competence in and appropriate use of language and literacy including spelling, grammar, punctuation and bibliographic referencing.


Back to top

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 .

Back to top

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.

  • English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.


Admission Criteria

To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate of Health (Rural & Remote) specialisation, applicants must:

  • hold current Division 1 Nursing registration with the Australian Health Professional Registration Authority (AHPRA).


To be eligible for admission to the Graduate Certificate of Health (Scheduled Medicines) specialisation, applicants must:

  • be registered as a nurse in Division One of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) 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 a 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 ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

Back to top

Requirements for professional experience placements

There is a compulsory clinical requirement for GCHH (Rural & Remote) only. This placement is coordinated through the USQ Professional Placements Office.

Mandatory Documents required prior to commencing in the program:

  • Blue Card or Working with Children Check

  • Australian Police Certificate

  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certificate (CPR)

  • USQ Student Declaration


All students must also provide the following immunisation evidence prior to commencing clinical placements:

  • Hepatitis B immunisation evidence

  • Measles, Mumps and Rubella immunisation evidence

  • Varicella immunisation evidence

  • Pertussis immunisation evidence

  • Influenza immunisation evidence

  • Tuberculosis Risk Assessment


Back to top

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

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 .

Back to top

Program structure

The program consists of four courses each worth one unit. There is one core course ( ) common to all Graduate Certificate of Health specialisations and three courses specific to the chosen specialisation. HEA8001 Contexts of Practice is required for successful completion of the program.

Back to top

Program completion requirements

Students are required to successfully complete and three courses specified for the chosen. Students who select to study Graduate Certificate of Health (no specialisation) are required to successfully complete HEA8001 (core course) and three courses from the Graduate Certificate of Health approved by the Program Coordinator to meet the learning outcomes of the award.

Back to top

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 2 years to complete this program.

Back to top

Specific specialisations

Graduate Certificate of Health (Community Health) - 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.

Graduate Certificate of Health (Rural and Remote Health) - 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.

Graduate Certificate of Health (Clinical Education) – 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.

Graduate Certificate of Health (Scheduled Medicines) - has been developed for registered nurses wishing to further their advanced knowledge and skills in the area of scheduled medicines, under protocol or permit.

Graduate Certificate of Health (General) - no specialisation - enables health professionals to complete the core course () and three courses of their choice approved by the Program Coordinator to meet their professional learning objectives as well as overall program objectives. This pathway may also be used by Registered Nurses with less than one year experience to take courses toward a or Master of Nursing. In this case students would enrol in , , and .

Back to top

IT requirements

Students should refer to USQ (information about the minimum IT-related requirements necessary for the successful completion of the program).

Back to top

Articulation

A student successfully completing all courses in the Graduate Certificate of Health program will receive full credit towards the Graduate Diploma of Health in the same major area or in the General stream. Students intending to continue with the Graduate Diploma must apply for separate admission and may EITHER Graduate with a Graduate Certificate and receive full credit as exemptions into the Graduate Diploma, OR choose not to graduate with the Graduate Certificate, in order to transfer their grades, maintain their GPA and articulate into the Graduate Diploma and ultimately qualify from this higher award only. Students who wish to transfer their grades and maintain their GPA into the Graduate Diploma, must advise the Faculty in writing (usq.support@usq.edu.au) of their intention to articulate and this must occur prior to completion of the Graduate Certificate of Health

Back to top

Related programs

The Graduate Certificate of Health is nested in the Graduate Diploma of Healthand Master of Health.

Back to top

Credit

Credit will only be considered where students have completed, within the last five years, a course which has at least 80% equivalency with courses in the GCHH (maximum two courses).

Back to top

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 2 semesters. Refer to recommended enrolment pattern.

Recommended enrolment pattern

Back to top

Recommended Enrolment Pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)		External
(EXT)		Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Clinical Education – Semester 1 intake

11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
112Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GCHE and be employed as a practising health professional
12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or MNRS or GDHH or MOHH or GCHE Co-requisite: and
EDU5221 12

Clinical Education – Semester 2 intake

11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
EDU5221 12
212Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GCHE and be employed as a practising health professional
22Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or MNRS or GDHH or MOHH or GCHE Co-requisite: and

Rural and Remote – Semester 1 intake

11,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: PDEV or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GDNG
^**12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MNRS or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH
12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNSG or PDEV or GDNG

Rural and Remote – Semester 2 intake

21Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
21Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: PDEV or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GDNG
^**12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MNRS or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH
12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNSG or PDEV or GDNG

Scheduled Medicines - Semester 1 intake

11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNSG or MNRS or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GCNM
12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCNM.
12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNSG or PDEV or GCNM Co-requisite: and

Scheduled Medicines - Semester 2 intake. Note this pathway will take 3 semesters to complete.

12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
21Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNSG or MNRS or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GCNM
11,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCNM.
22Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNSG or PDEV or GCNM Co-requisite: and

Community Health - Semester 1 intake

11,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE
12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV

Choose one of the following two courses:

     11,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MNRS or PDEV or MNSG
     11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: PDEV or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GDNG
11,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or PDEV or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GCCO or MCCO or GDCN

Community Health - Semester 2 intake

12Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or DOHH or GDNG or GCNM or GCHE

Choose one of the following two courses:

     11,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: MNRS or PDEV or MNSG
     11Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: PDEV or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GDNG
22Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or MNRS or MNSG or PDEV
21,2Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BHEH or MNRS or PDEV or MNSG or GCHH or GDHH or MOHH or GCCO or MCCO or GDCN

Footnotes
^ is only available to students who hold current nursing registration with the Australian Health Professional Registration Authority (AHPRA) and are located in Australia.
**Clinical component