Master of Mental Health Nursing

2024 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2024 course information
Award granted	Master of Mental Health Nursing
Deakin course code	H779
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	This course is only offered Online
Online	Yes
Duration	3 years part-time Note this course is only available part-time
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2024: Coursework stream Thesis stream Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Help shape the future of psychiatric and mental health Nursing in Australia with Deakin’s Master of Mental Health Nursing. With around 42% of Australians* experiencing a mental health condition at some time in their life, there is significant government and industry focus on growing and fostering the mental health workforce. You’ll develop the advanced practical skills and knowledge to expand your practice in mental health as a senior clinician, step into a leadership capacity, or innovate through research.

Developed in consultation with our key industry partners, you’ll gain the comprehensive theoretical and advanced practical skills needed to work with carers and supporters in any setting where mental health intervention occurs. You’ll graduate with an advanced understanding of holistic nursing assessment, major mental health conditions, person-centred approaches, therapeutic and pharmacological interventions.

Are you ready to play a leading role in the future of mental health nursing?

Help deliver the care that an increasing number of Australians need each year. With Deakin’s Master of Mental Health Nursing you’ll understand the core, foundational, and consumer-centric mental health concepts necessary to work within the multidisciplinary teams supporting consumers, carers and supporters.

In this three-year part-time course delivered on Deakin’s premium interactive learning platform you will have the opportunity to undertake either a thesis stream where you can inform current nursing practice by undertaking a research project in mental health nursing; or, choose a course work stream where you can curate your focus with a choice of course and university-wide electives.

During your first year you’ll gain an advanced understanding of comprehensive nursing assessment and the fundamental role that it plays in mental health nursing. You will learn to recognise the biological, psychological, social and spiritual components of an individual’s life, and how these can positively and negatively influence their mental health. Build on your existing skills with course content and assessments designed to facilitate advanced recognition and response to altered mental states and clinical presentation; develop comprehensive understanding of the experiences of vulnerable populations while also exploring high and low prevalence mental health conditions including, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders.

Expanding on these foundations you’ll examine and learn how to apply contemporary and effective person-centred therapeutic interventions; working with consumers, carers and supporters on their recovery journey. Students will explore trauma-informed care, principles of recovery-oriented nursing practice and the role of peers, carers and families in supporting consumers with mental health challenges. Contemporary mental health treatment calls for a combination of nursing interventions that treat symptoms, manage psychological distress and support and foster consumer wellbeing and resilience. You’ll gain a deep understanding of both pharmacologic and talk therapies that underpin current mental health nursing practices, including the quality use of psychotropic medications such as antipsychotic, antimanic, anxiolytic, and antidepressant medications; as well as person-centred approaches to talk therapy, such as cognitive behaviour therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy.

In the second year you’ll gain an advanced understanding and knowledge of the physical health issues associated with mental illness and its treatments, such as common complications experienced by those consumers taking psychotropic medications, including metabolic syndrome and other conditions caused by medication-induced obesity.

In order to support consumers living with mental health challenges, psychiatric/mental health nurses must be resilient and able to thrive in spite of the demands and stress of working in this challenging environment. You’ll enhance and support your nursing practice to manage the dynamic and challenging experiences of working in the mental healthcare environment; safeguarding your personal mental health through recognising, navigating and preventing burnout.

Course work stream:

You’ll have the opportunity to explore a personal area of interest, or add further specialised knowledge and skills to your CV with the inclusion of three course and two free electives. You can tailor your degree and your career outcomes by choosing from a wide range of areas including vulnerable communities, counselling, diabetes education and management, or leadership and education in nursing, or from elsewhere in the university.

Thesis stream:

The thesis stream sets you up to pursue a research pathway upon graduation, with four dedicated thesis units and two course elective units. Supported by a research supervision team and our expert staff you’ll create an individual research thesis. In order to undertake the thesis stream, students must have a WAM>65 from 8 credit points of study.

As a graduate of the Master of Mental Health Nursing you’ll have the skills and knowledge to enhance your mental health nursing career as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN), senior clinician or step into a leadership role across a range of community and inpatient settings, or innovate the industry through further research.

*(People aged 16–85 years) National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020-2022

Indicative student workload

As an online student in the Faculty of Health you will be expected to spend 11-13 hours every week studying, interacting online and completing assessment tasks for each unit in your course. Refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information.

Professional recognition

Nurses employed in a health service with mental health postgraduate qualifications, may be eligible for a higher duties allowance relevant to their practice.

Career opportunities

As government and industry continue to focus on building and securing the mental health workforce, registered nurses with specialised postgraduate qualifications in mental health nursing are in strong demand, and in many services are a minimum requirement to work in the setting following an undergraduate nursing degree.

Deakin’s outstanding employment rate for postgraduate nursing means you can be confident in taking the next step in your career. As a graduate of the Master of Mental Health Nursing you’ll have the skills and knowledge to enhance your mental health nursing career as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN), senior clinician, or step into a leadership role across a range of community and inpatient settings.

Upon graduation, you may find work in:

acute public mental health/psychiatry
aged care services
child and adolescent mental health/psychiatry
forensic services
mother and baby services
community mental health
drug and alcohol services
private mental health

Nurses who successfully complete the Master of Mental Health Nursing, and who undertake the thesis stream, may be able to extend their research career by undertaking a PhD to continue to help shape the future of mental health nursing.

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Pathways

This course can provide a pathway option to higher degree by research courses.

We offer a Graduate Certificate and a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing.

Nurses who successfully complete the Master of Mental Health Nursing, and who undertake the thesis stream, may be able to extend their research career by undertaking a PhD if desired.

Alternative exits

Graduate Certificate of Mental Health Nursing (H579)
Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing (H679)

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Critically analyse and apply theories and evidence informed practice to facilitate recovery-oriented, trauma informed and consumer-centred advanced mental health nursing care.
Communication	Critically employ advanced therapeutic nursing communication skills and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to promote the advocacy, agency and self determination of mental health consumers, families, and carers.
Digital literacy	Maintain, evaluate and advance mental health nursing knowledge and practice through the critical analysis, production and dissemination of mental health research using digital technologies.
Critical thinking	Apply advanced critical thinking nursing skills through the analysis, evaluation, and critique of complex evidence-based sources to inform clinical decision making.
Problem solving	Assess, plan, and deliver complex mental health nursing care to diverse consumers with multifaceted mental health needs.
Self-management	Practice autonomously demonstrating accountability, professionalism and personal responsibility, whilst reflecting on nursing practice.
Teamwork	Lead and collaborate in the multidisciplinary team while partnering and advocating for mental health consumers to optimise outcomes and engagement.
Global citizenship	Establish and maintain professional and ethical standards of nursing practice whilst promoting diverse cultural and community perspectives.

Course rules

To complete the Master of Mental Health Nursing students must attain 12 credit points of units, chosen from a suite of units. Students may choose to complete the Master of Mental Health Nursing by coursework or include a thesis.

Students completing the coursework stream must complete 7 core units (compulsory), plus 5 credit points of elective units, of which 3 credit points must be from the course electives. The remaining 2 can be from any level 7 electives from anywhere in the university.

Students completing the thesis stream must complete 6 core units (compulsory), 4 credit points of thesis (Research) units, plus 2 credit points of course electives.

Students must have a WAM>65 from 8-credit points of study comprising of postgraduate level 7 units to complete the thesis units.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0 credit point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.