Graduate Certificate of Emergency Medicine

The employed model program is an exciting initiative through NT Health that supports registered nurses to gain employment, experience and certification in emergency nursing.

Specifically, the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Emergency & Trauma Centre and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) Emergency Department is offering registered nurses paid employment while completing their Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing (1 year full time or 2 years of part time study).

Staff employed under this model of care will be financially supported to complete their Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing through a recognised university course.

Emergency Medicine, Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospital

Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) is the tertiary referral centre for the Top End of the Northern Territory, north-west Western Australia and South-East Asia. RDH provides 24-hour comprehensive emergency and trauma care services to a geographically disperse population. The nearest tertiary referral hospital to RDH is in Denpasar, Indonesia. Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) opened in August 2018 and is 20 minutes by road from RDH. PRH Emergency Department (ED) staff provide and coordinate the code blue response within Palmerston Regional Hospital.

Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Emergency & Trauma Centre and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) Emergency Department sees a combined total of almost 100,000 emergency presentations per year and this number continues to rise. Within these presentations, 54% represent high acuity being triaged as an ATS 1, 2 or 3, 35% are First Nation’s people and 37% of total presentations require an acute hospital admission. The Northern Territory’s population in itself is unique having the lowest average age in Australia of 33. Children under the age of 14 account for 20.1% of the Northern Territory population, while people over the age of 65 account for only 7.7%. While our population is younger than the Australian average, it is heavily impacted by complex chronic disease requiring a high level of both primary health care and emergency care. The young and active population contributes to high rates of traumatic presentations with much lower rates of presentations typically seen in the older populations.

The tropical climate and proximity to South-East Asia has seen infectious and tropical disease experts make Darwin home and assist in managing these unique presentations to Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Emergency & Trauma Centre and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) Emergency Department. Along with the healthy crocodile population, approx. 100,000 representing just under half of the human population, means that ED nursing in the Top End provides challenges for the experienced and novice ED nurse alike!

Professional development program

This professional development program consists of 2 phases.

• Phase 1 is designed to support nurses who are new to emergency nursing, or who have worked in emergency nursing before but not yet to a resuscitation level and experienced emergency nurses who have no prior paediatric nursing experience.
• Phase 2 is for experienced emergency nurses.

Phase 1: Consolidation year

This phase is spent working within Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Emergency & Trauma Centre and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) Emergency Department honing your emergency nursing and assessment skills. In this phase you are introduced to our progression pathway which is supported by learning packages, known as “passports”. These are done through a combination of self-directed learning and support from the Education Service. These passports are designed to ensure you meet the entry level requirements for each progression step (majors, paediatrics and resuscitation). Each progression step is complemented by supernumerary time with a Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE) to provide a supportive learning environment. Other education opportunities provided in the consolidation phase include:

• Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) Advanced Life support (ALS) level 1.
• 3 day Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Emergency & Trauma Centre and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) Emergency Department orientation program + supernumerary clinical shifts.
• Clinical supported shifts in each progression area (Paediatrics & Resuscitation).
• College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA) Trauma Nurse Program (pending course availability).
• Training in mental health and de-escalation techniques.

Once progression to resuscitation has been achieved the consolidation phase has been completed, this is expected to take approximately 1 year.

Phase 2: Post graduate study

This phase sees you complete your graduate certificate through 1 of the universities listed below. The Education Service will support you to complete the clinical requirements of your post graduate program. The additional departmental education opportunities provided are:

• Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) Advanced Life Support (ALS) level 2
• Emergency Triage Education Kit - Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Emergency & Trauma Centre and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH) Emergency Department Emergency Triage Education Kit (ETEK) Training Course (2 days) with clinical supernumerary time at triage with a Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE)
• Neonatal Advanced Life Support Course
• Clinical assessment support (within university guidelines)
• Access to suite of courses offered through the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) including: (pending course availability)
  • MIMMS - Major Incident Medical Management System
  • H-MIMMS - Hospital Major Incident Medical Management System
  • ATTT - Australian Team Trauma Training
  • EMST - Emergency Management of Severe Trauma
  • EMSB - Emergency Management of Severe Burns.

Once you have completed your post graduate year several exciting opportunities are possible including retrieval, rural and remote nursing placements, research and further critical care placements all within the Northern Territory.

Apply for the program

To apply for the program you must:

• Be an Australian citizen or hold a visa allowing ongoing, full-time employment in Australia (a copy of your visa or passport must be supplied with your cover letter and resume).
• Possess at least 12 months recent nursing experience in an acute care setting (including a graduate program).
• Be or plan to be enrolled in a recognised Graduate Certificate of Emergency Nursing for 2022/23.

Conditions of the contract

You will be provided with leave to attend study sessions, however, must be able to work all rostered shifts.

You will be required to successfully complete academic course and clinical practice requirements each semester in order to continue the term of employment.

Fee information

The Division of Emergency Medicine will subsidise 100% of the cost associated with each unit of study (up to $2,000 per subject). Any course cost beyond $2,000 is covered by the employee. Students are advised to consider the personal cost associated with choosing a university course where the cost of study exceeds $2,000 per unit.

University fees are paid for by the student and reimbursed through the organisation at the completion of each semester. To be eligible for reimbursement students need to complete part 1 of By-law 41 at the commencement of each semester and part 2 on completion.

Recognised university providers

The following university graduate certificates are recognised as part of this employed model program:

• Deakin University
• Monash University
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
• Charles Darwin University (CDU).

Assistance in choosing the right university for you can be provided on request.

Positions and locations

The Division of Emergency Medicine is a dual campus single service model, where staff work across the RDH and PRH campuses. Each of these campuses provides a unique setting to provide emergency care to the Top End community.

Clinical requirements

The Post Graduate Employment program aims to support clinicians to acquire the knowledge, skills and capacity to work as a specialist emergency nurse. Theoretical clinical requirements will be provided by the university program chosen by the individual. Clinical experience, practical support and clinical assessments will be completed with the education service.

Departmental progression requirements will need to be met alongside university requirements. Staff must be able to work a rotating 8 and 10 hours clinical roster at a minimum of a 0.84FTE.

Application checklist

This section contains a checklist of compulsory documentation you need to provide with your application through NT Careers in Government Employment Opportunities Online.

• Cover letter (1 page summary)
• Resume (include employment history and existing qualifications)
• Certified copy of passport/birth certificate or visa.

Contact