Graduate Diploma in Nursing Pacific

Summary

Afio mai, Ulu tonu mai. Turou oro! Be supported to become a competent and confident registered nurse with the Nursing Council of New Zealand with this programme. Throughout your learning journey you'll integrate your knowledge of Pacific communities, cultural practices and nursing knowledge to improve health outcomes for Pacific peoples and the wider Aotearoa New Zealand community and overseas.

Programme outline

This programme provides an opportunity for Pacific trained nurses to undertake a nursing education programme that allows them to apply to the NCNZ for registration and a practicing certificate to work in Aotearoa New Zealand as a nurse. The programme is informed by Pacific pedagogies and provides an understanding of the various contexts of Pacific health while supporting learners’ cultural capacity to be effective health professionals within a Nursing context. Additionally, the programme positively contributes to the ongoing demand for Pacific Nurses, to better meet and respond to the health needs of Pacific Peoples and communities who are proportionally overrepresented in poor health outcomes and use of the health services.

This programme contributes to the Government objectives to improve Pacific health and education outcomes.

This is a full-time programme and offers a combination of theory i.e. classroom-based sessions (block delivery) at our Whitireia (Porirua) campus, online learning and supported clinical experience (based where you live), which is practical/hands-on work completed in a variety of community and hospital settings.

Target group of learners:

Pacific Island trained nurses who have been registered and have worked in the health sector in their home country and now have permanent residency in Aotearoa New Zealand.

More detail about this qualification Courses Semester One

Adopts the Tokelau term of Fakavae, which refers to foundation. This foundational concept reflects the need to provide a sound platform to build cultural, academic and professional identity. The second is Pacific Identity, which allows learners to recognise the importance of this, no matter how strong their positioning is within this context. The third theme is the learner’s journey to becoming a nurse and the importance of embedding knowledge, skills and expertise to enable them to ‘Think like a nurse’.

Semester Two

Adopts the Samoan term Faiā, which signifies upholding respectful relationships, which transcend persona, encompassing within and between professional and community connections. This journey is a progression from the Pacific Identity in semester one, to Pacific Heritage and is inclusive of the professional theme ‘Act like a Nurse’, embedded in semester two.

Semester Three

The themes from Semester One and two are built upon, by adopting the Cook Islands Māori term, Turanga Neti, where Neti is nurse and Turanga refers to the positions, status and responsibilities of the nurse profession. This theme is supported by the other two themes of ‘Pacific Leadership’ and ‘Be a Nurse”.

Teaching and learning

A variety of teaching processes are used in the programme including lectures, tutorials, learning packages, workshops, student presentations, online learning and practical sessions in the simulation suites where ‘hands-on’ skills are learnt and practiced. If there are no timetabled classes, students are expected to use this time working in study teams or on independent study. Students will also be required to complete independent study and work on assignments during weekends and term breaks.

You will be required to attend online sessions when you are not based on campus for tutorials, lectures, and exams.

Clinical

To gain this qualification, students must complete a minimum of 895 hours of clinical experience (praxis). We are proud of the excellent working partnerships we have with our clinical providers, which include Te Whatu Ora Hospitals and private, iwi and community organisations. Their assistance enables us to provide students with a variety of high-quality clinical placements, which allows students to experience the range of opportunities available as a registered nurse.

In semester one, students learn clinical skills in our simulation suites (which are set up like hospital wards), as well as attending off-site clinical experiences in rest homes and the community, of 5 weeks (190hrs).

In semester two students will have 8 (300hrs) clinical weeks each semester; these are divided into blocks of between 2-4 weeks. In semester three students will have 9 weeks (405hrs) which will be one 9 week block.

Clinical weeks may include weekends. Hours during clinical blocks will vary according to the clinical placement, i.e. hospital shifts can include mornings 7:00am–3:30pm, afternoons 2:45–11:15pm and overnight. During clinical, students must be available Monday-Friday.

Career options Outcomes

Our Nursing qualificati...