Postgraduate Diploma Advanced Practice Nursing

The aims of the Postgraduate Diploma (Advanced Nursing Practice) programme are to enable experienced registered nurses, who have a related MSc in nursing, to develop an expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills, and clinical competencies for an expanded autonomous scope of practice. The finite characteristics are shaped by the: context in which the individual practices; the needs of patients/clients; and the challenges and developments within the health services.
The programme is designed to prepare the students as autonomous practitioners, who are clinically competent and skilled in the delivery of high quality direct care to a specific patient /client group. In particular, the Advanced Nurse Practitioner will be empowered to promote wellness, offer healthcare interventions and advocate healthy lifestyle choices for patients/clients, their families and carers in a wide variety of settings in collaboration with other healthcare professionals, according to agreed scope of practice guidelines.  

The programme further aims to support the students to develop their role as autonomous members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team within the healthcare organisation and professional leaders in their field of specialist practice. The graduates, equipped with such knowledge and advanced skills will be eligible to apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) for registration as a Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP). 

This broad based 1 year post graduate programme for students who already have a Masters in Nursing related to the advanced nurse/midwife clinical practice area.

The diploma includes modules pertaining to nurse/midwife prescribing, research and the advanced practice role. In addition, there are 2 clinical competency assessment modules – 96 hours pertaining to prescribing and 500 hours of advanced practice clinical mentorship.