Mental Health Nursing 

Overview

The online Master of Mental Health Nursing at La Trobe University is designed for registered nurses. Developed in collaboration with Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA), this course covers the skills you need to meet and exceed the national standards in mental health services set by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare. 

Choose the only mental health nursing course with regional and rural perspectives.

You'll graduate confident in your ability to provide recovery-focused services, make independent clinical judgments in mental health practice and develop clinical plans.

We value the ongoing upskilling you'll need to do as a nurse, so we give you effective strategies to remain up to date with the latest knowledge and skills. 

You'll learn the current therapeutic skills, pharmacology, mental health assessment and diagnosis, and considerations in treatment, recovery and service delivery – to name a few. Take advantage of opportunities to explore projects or research. 

Throughout the course, you'll learn to communicate effectively with your colleagues, the public and those who access mental health services. 

Upon graduation, you’ll be ready to specialise as a mental health nurse or clinician. Work in clinical practice, projects, policy or research. You could establish your future career in private and public health service organisations; acute, community, rehabilitation and long-term care settings; mental health research; or higher education.

Once you graduate, you’ll be able to:

• make independent clinical judgements and apply specialised skills

• assess clients and develop suitable clinical plans

• utilise critical skills in problem-solving, planning and evaluation

• communicate effectively and sensitively with your colleagues, the public and people accessing mental health services

• perform independently and as a team leader or influential member in mental health settings

• recognise the need for ongoing learning and use effective learning strategies for professional practice

• undertake effective reflective practice, both independently and as a member or leader of teams in multidisciplinary work environments.