Master of Nursing

Due to the global effects of population growth and the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people living with chronic conditions is on the rise. As a result, the demand for nurses in all specialised fields is expected to rapidly increase.
La Trobe's Master of Nursing lets you match your study to your career aspirations. Enhance your knowledge and skills in specialist areas by choosing from a range of clinical and non-clinical subjects.
If you're a registered nurse working in Australia, you'll have access to a wide variety of specialisations. Enjoy a flexible, blended learning approach that combines face-to-face workshops with online study that you can fit around your work commitments and access from anywhere. For a clinical specialisation you will also undertake advanced clinical training in your own hospital's relevant work setting.
If you're looking to pursue a career as nursing educator, academic or manager, you'll have access to our online non-clinical specialisations. Develop advanced knowledge of nursing research along with the critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills you need to thrive as a nursing researcher, educator or leader.
You'll graduate ready to effectively plan, implement and evaluate practice in your specialised context, make high-level independent judgements, and function effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
Our clinical specialisations include:
Acute care Learn how to recognise, respond to, and manage patients with acute conditions and evaluate care delivery to improve patient outcomes.
Cardiac care Gain the skills to care for cardiac patients, while exploring topics like electrocardiography, acute respiratory failure, and the assessment and management of arrhythmia and acute coronary syndromes.
Critical care Examine nursing requirements for critically ill patients across a range of clinical settings and understand how to anticipate and respond to changes in your patient's condition.
Emergency care Learn how to develop a plan of care for emergency patients, employ appropriate nursing interventions based on identified clinical priorities, and evaluate patients' response to treatment.
Intensive care Discover how to care for patients with life-threatening conditions, observe and assess their physical and mental functions, and carry out specific medical treatments.
Medical imaging Understand patient care in the context of medical imaging and explore the procedural considerations regarding imaging modalities, airway management, conscious sedation, and potential complications encountered with medical imaging.
Neonatal care Gain the skills and knowledge to care for low- and high-risk neonates and their families in settings such as neonatal intensive care units.
Neonatal special care Learn how to care for patients in neonatal special care. Understand how to conduct comprehensive assessments in time-critical environments and develop appropriate nursing care plans for complex scenarios.
Perioperative practices Develop the skills and knowledge to ensure a safe surgical and anaesthetic experience for patients in pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative environments.

Our non-clinical specialisations include:
Public health Understand the complexity of health care systems around the world and consider the connection between health and politics, economics and social structures.
Leadership Develop your leadership skills and prepare to take on roles across both clinical and management positions. Develop your abilities as a facilitator, teacher, mentor and clinical supervisor.
Health administration Understand the role of epidemiology and biostatistics in public health and explore the function of human resource management. Understand contemporary approaches to quality and safety in health care and evaluate the success of different health service organisations.