The Graduate Certificate in Remote Health Practice is an 18-unit program which is offered by the College of Medicine and Public Health. The program is only available on a part-time basis.
The course articulates with the Graduate Diploma in Remote Health Practice and the Master of Remote and Indigenous Health and the sequentially developed topics allow progression through the three awards.
Students in the programs undertake two core topics and are then able to select a specialty stream in either Ageing and Disability, Allied Health, Management, Medical or Nursing.
The program was developed in collaboration with the Council of Remote Area Nurses and is offered on an external basis through the Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs.
Admission requirements
Applicants must normally hold an approved degree or equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution in a health related field.
Applicants undertaking the Nursing stream must have a minimum of one year post-registration experience and must be currently registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as a Registered Nurse with no restrictions on practice.
Applicants undertaking the Medical stream must be either concurrently enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine at Flinders University or currently registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as a Medical Practitioner.
However, the Dean (Education) may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.
Course aims
This Graduate Certificate in Remote Health Practice aims to prepare health professionals new to remote contexts to work with the people and professionals of Remote Areas to keep remote and Indigenous people well and manage ill-health.
It aims to provide education at a foundational level across three major content areas that underpin practice within the discipline of Remote Health locally, nationally and internationally.
These content areas are:
- the remote context – an inseparable work and living environment characterised by unique cultural, linguistic, social, economic, geographical, and climatic conditions
- public health – a population based framework for planning, developing, managing and evaluating initiatives and programs to promote health and prevent disease
- application to practice – the inter-professional and profession specific skills, knowledge and attributes required for competent, confident, accountable remote and Indigenous Health practice within a Primary Health Care framework.
Learning outcomes
At the completion of the course students are expected to be able to:
- apply their knowledge of the remote context, disciplinary specific specialty practice, and foundational knowledge of social determinants and public health to extend their undergraduate health professional skills
- apply their new skills to implement Health Care services as beginning Remote Health practitioners within a framework of cultural safety and Primary Health Care
- communicate effectively within the diverse cultural and linguistic context of remote and Indigenous Health practice locally, nationally and internationally
- take responsibility for, and be self-reliant in their learning and their work
- work cooperatively, productively and with integrity within the Primary Health Care team towards a common outcome of improving the health outcomes of remote, isolated, marginalised and Indigenous people worldwide
- engage positively with the diverse range of people within the local, national and international context of remote and Indigenous Health practice.
Program of study
To qualify for The Graduate Certificate in Remote Health Practice, a student must complete 18 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study
Core - Year 1 topics
9 units comprising:
REMH8001 Context of Remote & Indigenous Health (4.5 units)
REMH8002 Remote & Indigenous Primary Health Care (4.5 units)
Plus 9 units from one of the following specialty streams:
Stream - Ageing and Disability
REMH8025 Recognising and Responding to Dementia in Indigenous Communities (4.5 units)
REMH8026 Working with People with Disability in Remote and Indigenous Communities (4.5 units)
Stream - Allied Health
REMH8003 Fundamentals of Remote Allied Health Practice (4.5 units)
Plus a 4.5 unit topic selected from the Option list below
Stream - Management
REMH8016 Remote Health Services Management in Practice (4.5 units)
REMH9017 Remote Health Services: Strategic Management (4.5 units)
Stream - Medical
REMH8004 Remote and Indigenous Family Medicine (4.5 units)
Plus either
REMH8005 Remote and Indigenous Complex Chronic Disease (4.5 units)
Or a 4.5 unit topic selected from the Option topics below.
Stream - Nursing
REMH8006 Remote Advanced Nursing Practice & Pharmacotherapeutics 1A (4.5 units)
REMH8021 Chronic Disease in Remote and Indigenous Primary Health Care (4.5 units)
Or 9 units from the Option topics.
Option - Year 1 topics
REMH8003 Fundamentals of Remote Allied Health Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8012 Project Management (4.5 units)
REMH8013 Public Health Principles for Remote & Indigenous practice (4.5 units)
REMH8014 Ethics, Power and Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8015 Research and Evidence Based Decision Making (4.5 units)
REMH8016 Remote Health Services Management in Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8021 Chronic Disease in Remote and Indigenous Primary Health Care (4.5 units)
REMH8025 Recognising and Responding to Dementia in Indigenous Communities (4.5 units)
REMH8026 Working with People with Disability in Remote and Indigenous Communities (4.5 units)
REMH9017 Remote Health Services: Strategic Management (4.5 units)
PHCA9504 Critical Practice in Indigenous Health (4.5 units)
PHCA9507 Health Promotion in Public Health (4.5 units)
Other topics may be selected from other programs within Flinders University and from other universities with approval of the Course Coordinator.
Except with permission of the Dean (Education) no topic may be attempted more than twice.
The award of a grade of Fail (F) in 9 or more units may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University Policy on Student Progress.
