Duration
1 Year Part-time
Study mode
Online
Intakes
January & July
FEE-HELP
Available
ACN is proud to be the only online provider of the Graduate Certificate in Stomal Therapy Nursing. Guided by the philosophy of the Australian Association of Stomal Therapy Nurses (AASTN), this course equips nurses who want to specialise in this field with the knowledge and the clinical skills to excel.
Studying with ACN will provide you with the knowledge and skills for the provision and coordination of evidenced based care for people who are referred to a stomal therapy nurse. The aim is to encourage professional and ethical understanding of clinical practice development for the improvement of person-centred outcomes. Our core units allow students to further explore wound and continence management as well as the principles of stomal therapy.
Course overview
The stomal therapy role is highly specialised and multifaceted encompassing the acute care environment, outpatient setting and the community. The Graduate Certificate in Stomal Therapy Nursing provides the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes of a specialist nurse in wound, ostomy and continence management. The course aims to provide students with the theoretical foundation for application to practice, enabling the delivery of contemporary, evidence based care. There is a strong clinical focus and the compulsory professional experience placement will permit exposure to this role and allow the students to reflect and benchmark against professional practice standards.
The course also focuses on clinical leadership, fostering the development of critical thinking and clinical decision making skills.
Career outcomes
A Graduate Certificate in Stomal Therapy Nursing is an investment in your future and will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to ensure better outcomes for people and progress your career, leading to opportunities in specialist stomal therapy nursing roles.
This course is designed to develop specific learning outcomes. Students will:
- demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes required of the stomal therapy nurse within their speciality context, and benchmark against appropriate professional standards
- develop critical thinking and clinical decision making skills using multiple modes of inquiry and a collaborative approach
- analyse the communication skills used to establish effective interpersonal relationships with clients, their families/carers and the interdisciplinary health care team
- critically evaluate nursing practice against research and current literature to support the provision of contemporary evidence based nursing care
- reflect on the social, ethical and cultural issues affecting patients and their families, thereby providing safe, holistic and person centred health care
- examine leadership, mentoring and educational skills that contribute to a high standard of nursing care and practice development in the health care setting.
The Graduate Certificate in Stomal Therapy Nursing is a one year course, consisting of four 10-week terms.
Students will need to complete 4 core units. One unit is studied per term.
Approximate hours of study are 12 – 15 hours per week.
Units of study
Unit type | Unit name & pricing | Course codes |
---|---|---|
Term 1 - Core | Advancing Professional Practice (340), Tier 2 | |
Term 2 - Core | Principles of Stoma Care (044)*, Tier 4 | |
Term 3 - Core | Continence Management (045), Tier 2 | |
Term 4 - Core | Wound Management (050), Tier 2 | |
*Principles of Stoma Care (044) requires 40 hours clinical placement. |
ACN offers two intakes per year in January and July. Important dates including start and census dates can be found here.
Flexible intakes in April and October may be available, please contact our Customer Services team (customerservices@acn.edu.au) for further details.
Fees
Tiers | 2024 Member price (10% discount) | 2024 Non-member price | 2025 Member price (10% discount) | 2025 Non-member price |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tier 1 | $2,308.50 | $2,565.00 | $2,403.00 | $2,670.00 |
Tier 2 | $2,632.50 | $2,925.00 | $2,740.50 | $3,045.00 |
Tier 3 | $3,096.00 | $3,440.00 | $3,539.00 | $3,932.00 |
Tier 4 | $3,699.00 | $4,110.00 | $4,166.00 | $4,628.50 |
Fees are subject to change without notice.
ACN offers a flexible payment option allowing students to pay their fees on a term-by-term basis. Each term’s fees are due upfront, prior to term commencement.
FEE-HELP is also available for eligible students. Further information can be found here.
Want to save on course fees?
Being a part of the ACN community allows nurses to be the best they can be and strengthen the voice of nursing through a range of invaluable benefits, including 10% off graduate certificates and other education offerings, exclusive networking events, access to support and advice on ACN’s online engagement platform neo, free online CPD courses and opportunities to be involved in shaping health care policy. Find out more and join our tribe today!
Admission to GC courses is based on academic merit and selection. In addition, applicants must satisfy any prerequisites or additional requirements specified for particular courses, including ACN’s general eligibility criteria.
All applicants seeking admission are required to:
- hold a Bachelor of Nursing or registered nurse* equivalent qualification
- hold current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA); or the equivalent registering authority in your country of origin
- meet the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia English language skills registration standard (nursing and midwifery) – please refer to the AHPRA website to download the standard
- have a minimum of one year of postgraduate experience; and
- be currently employed in the clinical area of specialisation*
*For some GC units of study, consideration may be given for applicants who are not registered nurses on an individual basis.
*The below courses contain a compulsory clinical placement component and do not require applicants to be employed in the clinical area of specialisation:
- Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Health
- Graduate Certificate in Stomal Therapy Nursing
- Graduate Certificate in Dermatology Nursing
Clinical placements
Anyone applying for an ACN course that includes a clinical placement must provide evidence of compliance documents at the time of application.
Applications for enrolment will not be progressed until all relevant documentation has been received by Customer Services.
Each Australian state and territory has its own clinical placement documentation requirements. Further details are available on our Clinical Placement Information page, click on the tab for your particular state or territory for information on specific requirements.
Individual placement providers may need additional documentation. If you are required to provide this then you will be contacted by the Clinical Placement Officer following enrolment.
ACN negotiates with health care facilities to secure clinical placements. ACN will make every effort to secure clinical placements within the timeframe indicated in the course outline, however applicants are advised that provision and location of clinical placements is dependent on the availability of placements within the health facility.
As placements are difficult to secure, once confirmed these cannot be negotiated unless there is unforeseen extenuating circumstances. Applicants are not to arrange their own clinical placements with a clinical facility under any circumstances. ACN reserves the right to change clinical placements if necessary. If you are an offshore overseas student, you are expected to organise your own clinical placement in liaison with the Course Coordinator and the Clinical Placement Officer at ACN.
Elizabeth Moran, Nurse Education – Higher Education
RN, MEd, Cert IV TAE, MACN
e: elizabeth.moran@acn.edu.au
Liz Moran is a nurse educator at the Australian College of Nursing and coordinates the Graduate Certificate in Stomal Therapy Nursing. Liz also contributes to educational delivery across all ACN’s divisions.
Liz has a Master’s degree in Education (health science) obtained in 2011 from the University of Sydney. She is a member of the Australian Nurse Teachers Society and the Diagnostics and Interventional Cardiology Nurses Group. Liz undertook her nurse training in the United Kingdom where she worked in critical care areas. Liz has over 30 years of extensive clinical experience in both public and private health settings as well as remote area nursing in the Kimberly’s, WA. She has also worked in the field of research at St Vincent’s Centre for Applied Medical Research.
Currently she combines her two loves of nursing and education in the role of nurse educator with particular interests in evidence based practice, reflective practice and creating exceptional educational experiences. She believes that education is foundational in advancing nursing leadership.
Please ensure you read all course information, make sure you meet entry requirements and have all clinical placement documentation ready prior to commencing the application form.
Applications for enrolment will not be progressed until all relevant documentation has been received by Customer Services.
We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care professionals to study this course. If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person we encourage you to let us know in your application. If you require assistance with completing your application or support during the course, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Application form will open in a new window. Your privacy is very important to us. To better serve you, the form information you enter is recorded in real time.
Contact us
For general course information:
Customer Services
t: 02 9745 7500
e: customerservices@acn.edu.au