Graduate Diploma Gerontological Nursing

The Graduate Diploma in Gerontological Nursing is designed for nurses who are involved in the care of older persons in acute, community or long-term care settings.

The UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems provides graduate programmes to prepare nurses and midwives to excel as caregivers and as leaders. Many of the School’s graduates have gone on to assume key clinical and leadership positions in their discipline, both nationally and internationally. This programme will provide you with an opportunity to develop, enhance and maintain the specialist skills that are required to care for older persons.

The Graduate Diploma in Gerontological Nursing aims to provide students with the requisite knowledge and discipline-specific skills for their specialist role in gerontological nursing in a range of care settings. The Programme will build on students’ prior knowledge and experience in either older person’s care services or in tertiary care. The Programme will:

• provide an advanced educational experience which will develop the student’s capacity for independent judgement and problem-solving skills.
• provide an educational framework to support the development of analytical and critical skills for an enquiring and creative approach to the theory and practice of gerontological nursing.
• develop the student’s capacity to respond to changing needs in gerontological nursing.
• develop the student’s capacity to identify and integrate best evidence into gerontological nursing practice.

The Graduate Diploma in Gerontological Nursing will be awarded to students who have completed six ten-credit modules providing them with the knowledge and skills to act as clinical nurse specialists in gerontological nursing:

• NMHS44040: Ageing And Health (10 ECTS)
• NMHS43980: Advanced Health Assessment (10 ECTS)
• NMHS44050: Reablement of the Frail Older Person (10 ECTS)
• NMHS43270: Research Methods Applied To Healthcare (10 ECTS)
• NMHS44060: Integrated Care – Leading and Developing Quality Services (10 ECTS)
• NMHS44070: Clinical Practicum In Gerontological Nursing (10 ECTS)

How will I benefit?

It is essential that you have access to a personal computer as Brightspace, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that supports students’ online learning and teaching, is used extensively.

We use a range of teaching methods including lectures, workshops and seminars. A blended model of teaching and learning is a deliberate part of the programme to facilitate flexibility and accessibility. Clinical teaching is undertaken by specialists in the clinical area with particular emphasis on assisting students in applying theory to practice.

The Graduate Diploma in Gerontological Nursing consists of 6 modules. If you decide to apply for the one year full-time progrmme (X914) you will complete all six modules in one academic year.

If you wish to apply for the two year part-time programme (X915) you will complete three modules each year (see details below).

Core Modules:

• NMHS43980- Advanced health assessment (Spring Trimester) (Year 1 part-time programme)
• NMHS43270 - Research methods applied to healthcare (Spring Trimester) (Year 1 part-time programme)

Specialist Modules:

• NMHS44040 - Ageing and health (Autumn Trimester) (Year 1 part-time programme)
• NMHS44050 - Reablement of the frail older person (Autumn Trimester) (Year 2 part-time programme)
• NMHS44060 - Integrated care – leading and developing quality services (Spring Trimester) (Year 2 part-time programme)
• NMHS44070 - Clinical practicum in gerontological nursing (Autumn & Spring Trimester) (Year 2 part-time programme)

Specific requirements:

• Hold a minimum of a BSc honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline. Applicants not holding an honours bachelor’s degree may apply for Recognition of Prior Learning.
• Be currently registered in one of the following divisions of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI): General Nursing; Psychiatric Nursing; Intellectual Disability Nursing
• Have a minimum of twelve months’ post-registration experience
• Be currently employed in an older persons’ care setting, such as an older person’s clinical department in a hospital, the community setting, a residential care setting or a day hospital and provide written evidence that they will be supported in completing the minimum required hours of practice, including the clinical practicum
• Applicants not currently employed in an older persons’ care setting may apply; however, they will be required to be employed in an older persons’ care setting upon commencing the programme.
• Applicants must be employed for a minimum of 19.5 hours per week or 0.5 FTE.

• Original transcript(s) including date and grading of degree award (non UCD Graduates only) & notarised English translations where relevant
• A current photocopy of NMBI registration
• Copy of Birth Certificate or Personal Page of Passport
• Professional Reference Form(original form)
• Declaration Form
• Clinical Competence Assessor Nomination Form
• Evidence of proficiency in English language (applicants whose first language is not English)

Applications are made online through UCD Applications. 

Please note that all applicants are required to pay a €60 application fee. Your application cannot be processed fully unless the application fee has been paid.

(opens in a new window)Apply online

The fees for your programme can be found at the links below. Search using your major code (the four-digit code beginning with 'X' which can be found in the key information box on this page).

EU fees information

Non-EU fees information

Please note that UCD fees are subject to change annually. The fees shown include the student centre levy which must be paid by all students. 

Funding:

If the fees for your programme are being paid by a third party (full or partial), please ensure your funding organisation/sponsor/hospital contacts (opens in a new window)student.payments@ucd.ie. Please note this is not a student facing email address.

Student Queries:

If you have any queries about your fees, please contact the Student Desk:

www.ucd.ie/askus

https://www.ucd.ie/students/studentdesk/

Application Fee:

Please note that all applicants are required to pay the €60 application fee. Your application cannot be processed fully unless the application fee has been paid.

More information about fees is available on the UCD website at the link below:

• General information about UCD Fees

Prospective students applying to complete the 60-credit Graduate Diploma in Gerontological Nursing will be awarded up to 30 credits in recognition of prior learning which may have been accrued through:

• the successful completion of prior accredited learning from a higher education institution or from a diploma or certificate awarded by bodies other than universities (e.g. professional bodies, industry, the HSE, workplace-based continuing professional development) AND / OR
• professional and clinical practice, as evidenced by submission of a professional practice portfolio

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) applications must be submitted online through your SISWeb account.

There are two instances in which you can apply to have recognised prior learning taken into account when applying for a programme in UCD.

1. RPL for admission to a UCD programme

If you are a prospective student seeking admission to UCD and you do not meet the required admissions criteria as set down for a particular programme of study in UCD, you may apply to be admitted based on prior learning.

2. RPL for exemption from a module or modules on a UCD programme

If you have been accepted onto a UCD programme and wish to have credit transferred towards the requirements of the UCD programme of study, you may apply for RPL from a module or modules.

When applying for RPL, please note the following:

• You must submit your application for RPL as early as possible and preferably before you commence the relevant module/stage/programme.
• An application for RPL relating to a particular module should be submitted before the third week of the trimester in which it is offered. Applications made after this date will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances.
• Your application will be reviewed by the Taught Graduate Standing Committee and Programme Board. You can expect to hear of the outcome or status of your application typically within four to six weeks of submitting it (depending on committee schedules).
• Please note that in some cases your application may not be successful or you may not receive RPL for the amount of credit for which you applied, therefore you must register for, attend and participate in the module or modules until you have been informed of the decision of the School Programme Board.
• If your application is not successful, you are responsible for all assessments associated with the module.

TO APPLY FOR RPL PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:  (opens in a new window)https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=APPLY

Please read the UCD Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning at this link: UCD Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning