Why Study / Key Benefits

The Graduate Diploma of Forensic Mental Health Nursing is designed for qualified nurses who want to develop specialised knowledge and skills for working with forensic mental health patients and in forensic environments.

Key benefits include:

• Develop advanced knowledge of forensic mental health nursing.
• Understand legal and correctional systems relevant to nursing practice.
• Develop knowledge of factors that influence offending behaviour.
• Build skills for working with challenging patients and behaviours.
• Develop advanced knowledge of psychopathology and offending behaviour.
• Learn to assess and apply evidence to clinical decision-making.
• Develop communication skills for working with clients, carers and other health professionals.
• Prepare for nursing practice in forensic mental health, correctional and related settings.
• Study through Swinburne's Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science in collaboration with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare).

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The qualification comprises 100 credit points:

• 75 credit points of core units.
• 25 credit points of electives.
• Each standard unit is 12.5 credit points.

Graduate Certificate component:

The first four core units form the Graduate Certificate in Forensic Mental Health Nursing:

• Core Skills in Forensic Practice – FBS80001
• Fundamentals of Criminal Law Process – FBS80002
• Principles of Violence Risk Assessment and Management – FBS80003
• Forensic Mental Health Nursing – FBS80008

Each is worth 12.5 credit points.

Additional Graduate Diploma core units:

• Mental Disorder and Offending – FBS80005 – 12.5 credit points
• Forensic Mental Health Nursing Practice – FBS80016 – 12.5 credit points

Students then select two elective units from the approved list:

• Advanced Violence Risk Assessment and Management – FBS80004
• Trauma and Offending – FBS80009
• Understanding Interpersonal and Other Types of Violent Behaviours – FBS80011
• Working in Corrections and Youth Justice – FBS80013
• Development, Developmental Disability and Offending – FBS80015

Each listed elective is 12.5 credit points.

The broader course page also lists additional elective options that may be available within the programme structure, including:

• Working with Difficult Personalities in the Forensic Context – FBS80006
• Substance Misuse and Offending – FBS80007
• Problem Behaviours 2 – FBS80012

Disciplines / Specialisations

The Graduate Diploma is specifically focused on:

• Forensic mental health nursing
• Forensic behavioural science
• Mental health and offending
• Violence risk assessment and management
• Legal and correctional systems
• Forensic nursing practice
• Psychopathology and offending behaviour
• Corrections and youth justice
• Trauma and offending
• Developmental disability and offending
• Interpersonal violence

Programme Highlights

• 100-credit-point postgraduate qualification.
• Two-year part-time structure.
• Online delivery.
• Specialised preparation for forensic mental health nursing.
• Legal and correctional system content.
• Violence risk assessment and management.
• Mental disorder and offending.
• Forensic Mental Health Nursing Practice.
• Elective flexibility across areas such as trauma, corrections, violence and developmental disability.
• Collaboration with Forensicare through Swinburne's Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science.
• Nested pathway beginning with the Graduate Certificate in Forensic Mental Health Nursing.

Career Outcomes

Swinburne identifies career opportunities including:

• Forensic mental health nurse
• Nurse in a prison setting
• Nurse in a court setting
• General mental health nurse

The handbook explains that forensic mental health nurses may work in settings including:

• Secure hospitals
• Courts
• Prisons
• Correctional settings
• Forensic mental health environments

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

The most important current requirement for international applicants is the delivery and visa restriction:

• The course is online.
• International students studying outside Australia can undertake the programme online.
• International students in Australia holding a Student visa cannot undertake this course.
• Swinburne requires international Student visa holders to study full-time and on campus.

Other important requirements:

• Applicants need a bachelor's degree or equivalent in Nursing or Mental Health Nursing.
• Full-time study is considered case-by-case.
• Previous tertiary study may provide eligibility for academic credit.
• Credit and RPL are assessed individually.
• Maximum academic credit is 50 credit points, normally four units.

The course's stated learning outcomes include the ability to:

• Apply advanced theories and principles to forensic mental health nursing.
• Evaluate complex individual and systemic factors influencing offending.
• Critically appraise evidence.
• Make evidence-informed nursing decisions.
• Communicate complex information with clients, carers and health professionals.
• Adapt nursing knowledge to correctional and mental health settings.
• Develop and implement responses to challenging forensic nursing issues.
• Apply knowledge of psychopathology and offending behaviour to treatment.

International Student Visa Requirements

This programme has a significant visa limitation for international students.

For an international student studying from outside Australia:

• An Australian Student visa is not required simply to study the programme online from the student's home country.
• Swinburne specifically makes the online course available to international students studying outside Australia.

For an international student intending to live in Australia:

• This online course is not available to international students in Australia holding a Student visa.
• International Student visa holders are required by Swinburne to study full-time and on campus.
• Therefore, this Graduate Diploma should not be selected as the basis for an Australian Student visa plan.

If an international student instead chooses an eligible on-campus Swinburne programme requiring a Student visa subclass 500, current Department of Home Affairs requirements include:

• Enrolment in an eligible course and a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
• Financial capacity evidence where required.
• English-language evidence where required.
• Genuine Student requirement.
• Identity and other supporting documents required by Home Affairs.

Current Student visa work condition:

• Student visa holders can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session.
• The exception allowing more than 48 hours applies to students undertaking a master's by research or doctoral degree; it does not apply to this Graduate Diploma.
• Students can generally work unlimited hours when their course is not in session, subject to their visa conditions.

OSHC:

• Student visa applicants must hold adequate OSHC unless an applicable exemption applies.
• The cover must extend for the required duration of the stay in Australia.
• Applicants should ensure there is no gap in required health insurance coverage.

Genuine Student requirement:

• The GS requirement applies to Student visa applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024.
• Applicants must address their current circumstances, reasons for choosing the course and provider, understanding of studying and living in Australia, and the benefits of the course.
• Responses must be in English and are limited to 150 words per question.
• Supporting evidence should be provided where relevant.