Graduate Certificate in Registered Nurse Prescribing
Course code O23
Why study at ECU?
-
A great student experience
As an ECU postgraduate, you can expect the best overall student experience of any public universities in Western Australia. More about QILT.
-
A 5-star postgrad experience
Our postgraduate students have rated us 5 stars for their overall experience in the latest Good Universities Guide. More 5-star ratings included: skills development, student support and teaching quality.
-
One of the world's young guns
We're ranked one of the world's best universities under 50 years old, and we've already established a global reputation for such a young institution.
Toggle between study options for Domestic or International students
Important
This course is not offered for study on-campus in Australia to international students with a student visa.
Want to look for another option?
To help our students with a career direction, we group similar fields of work into study areas.
Within each study area below you can choose an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. And within most degree courses, you can choose your speciality, or major subject.
About this Course
This online course is designed for experienced registered nurses ready to extend their scope of practice.
The course develops the knowledge and confidence needed to prescribe medications or renew prescriptions in partnership with an authorised independent prescriber, such as a doctor or nurse practitioner. It responds directly to a growing gap in care, where timely access to prescribers is limited and delays can have real impacts on patients.
Students build advanced capability in pathophysiology, comprehensive health assessment and diagnostic testing, alongside advanced pharmacology and therapeutics to support safe, evidence based prescribing. While the benefits are particularly strong in regional, rural, and community settings such as aged care and community clinics, the course is relevant to registered nurses working across a wide range of healthcare contexts.
On completion, graduates may apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia for endorsement as a Registered Nurse Prescriber and progress to the required six month mentored practice period.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level
This course has been accredited by ECU as an AQF Level 8 Graduate Certificate Award.
Course code
O23Entry requirements
ECU admission and English language requirements apply.
See Course Entry for further information.
Admissions
Fees
Commonwealth supported - estimated 1st year indicative fee AUD $2,400
See Fees and Scholarships for further information.
Duration
This course is offered part-time over 12 months
See Course Details for further information.
Availability & Campus
| Location | Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
|---|---|---|
| City Campus | ||
| Joondalup | ||
| South West | ||
| Sri Lanka | ||
| Online | PT |
Course Entry
Admission requirements you'll need to meet for this course.
-
Academic admission requirements (Band 6) may be satisfied through completion of one of the following:
- Bachelor degree; or
- Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.
Requirements from 01-JUL-2026:
All applicants are required to have general registration as an RN in Australia with no conditions or undertakings relevant to this endorsement. Applicants must also have the equivalent of three years' full-time post initial registration clinical experience (5,000 hours) within the past six years, from the date when the complete application seeking endorsement as a designated RN prescriber is received by the NMBA.
-
In addition to satisfying ECU minimum English standard requirements for this course, all applicants must also demonstrate English language proficiency as specified in the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) English language skills registration standard. (https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-Standards/English-language-skills)
These requirements are as follows:
- IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 7.0 in each of the three components of listening, reading, and speaking, and a minimum score of 6.5 in the writing component. This includes IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR).
Note: Test results must be from one test sitting or two test sittings in a 12-month period. Score requirements apply to all test dates (including tests taken from 23 April 2026). When using two test sittings, no score in any component of the test(s) for either test sitting can be below 6.5, or
- Pearson English Test (PTE) Academic^
- Occupational English Test (OET)^
- TOEFL iBT for Australia^
- Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency^
^Please refer to the School of Nursing and Midwifery Band 5 English Proficiency Band requirements for details of the required individual test scores and test validity periods at https://www.ecu.edu.au/future-students/course-entry/english-proficiency-bands.
Alternatively, if English is your primary language and you have completed education in English in a recognised country, this may be accepted. Please refer to the School of Nursing and Midwifery Band 5 English Proficiency Band requirements for details of the approved combined prior education pathways and recognised countries at https://www.ecu.edu.au/future-students/course-entry/english-proficiency-bands.
ECU’s minimum English standard requirements for this course may be satisfied with one of the following:
- Bachelor degree from an approved country;
- Successfully completed 0.375 EFTSL of study at postgraduate level or higher at an Australian higher education provider (or equivalent); or
- Where accepted, equivalent prior learning, including at least five years relevant professional experience.
- IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 7.0 in each of the three components of listening, reading, and speaking, and a minimum score of 6.5 in the writing component. This includes IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR).
Course Details
Semester availability
Semester 2: Study part-time Online
Course Structure
O23|1
For more detailed unit information for this course take a look at our Handbook. To organise your life for next semester visit the Teaching timetable.
Student handbookCourse notes
Important course notes
-
Students will need to graduate to be eligible to register with the Australasian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). Registration with the Australasian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) is required to practice in the profession.
Completion of this course will allow students to apply for endorsement with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as a registered nurse prescriber.
Course learning outcomes
- Integrate specialist knowledge and skills to demonstrate advanced nursing assessment and diagnostic interpretation for RN prescriber practice.
- Initiate, plan, implement and evaluate diagnostic and prescribing methods to review, analyse and synthesise information gathered to manage complex presentations in nursing practice.
- Critically evaluate RN prescribing practice by demonstrating ethical conduct, personal autonomy and professional accountability to provide collaborative and safe care.
- Apply independent professional judgment in the quality use of medicines to communicate prescribing information to a variety of audiences.
Professional Recognition
CourseAccredited by: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)
Fees and Scholarships
Fees
- AUD $2,400 - Commonwealth supported estimated 1st year indicative fee 1
Note
1 The 'estimated 1st year indicative fee' is provided as a guide only, based on a typical enrolment of students undertaking the first year of this course. At ECU, you pay for the individual units you enrol in, not an overall course fee, so the total cost of your course will vary, depending on what units you choose. An indicative fee will be provided with your course offer, however you can use our Course Fee Calculator to estimate the actual amount you'll need to pay. ECU fees are adjusted annually.
Domestic Students who commence this course in Semester 2, 2026 may be eligible for Commonwealth support towards their fees. Commonwealth Supported Places for 2027 are yet to be approved. Domestic students commencing this course in 2027 will be offered Domestic Fee-paying places while the University confirms availability of Commonwealth Supported Places for 2027. Applicants will be advised of any updates to support informed study decisions. Further information can be found on the Commonwealth Supported Places information page.
Some units require the payment of a fee for incidental goods or services required to complete those units. For more information and the full list of incidental fees for courses and units, visit What are Incidental Fees.
Scholarships
ECU has a scholarship program that provides many opportunities each year to students undertaking studies here.
Find a scholarshipCareer Opportunities
This course is designed for experienced registered nurses to develop their knowledge and skills to expand their role to safely prescribe within their scope of practice. Graduates can consider roles in primary care, rural, and remote care as a registered nurse prescriber.
Possible future job titles
Registered Nurse Prescriber
Need some help deciding what to study?
Our future student events include a mix of on-campus and online sessions designed to help you decide what to study at ECU.
Creative thinkers start here
Quick guide to uni-speak
-
-
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national regulator of qualifications in the Australian education and training system. The AQF defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the different types of qualifications issued across the higher education systems in Australia.
-
ATAR is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate university courses in Australia. The ATAR is a percentile score which denotes a student's ranking relative to their state-wide peers upon completion of their secondary education.
-
CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A CRICOS code is allocated to education institutions (like ECU) who are approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education to overseas students. Courses with a CRICOS code are available to international students who meet the entry requirements.
-
A major, or unit set, is your chosen area of in-depth study in an undergraduate course. It usually involves 8 units of study, or one-third of the units in a 3-year degree. Talk to your Student Information Office if you need help choosing a major subject.
-
Minors include between 4 and 6 study units in a specific discipline. Not all courses require you to complete a minor. Your minor subject doesn't appear on your printed degree (parchment), but is part of your academic transcript.
-
If you're enrolled in 3 or more units in a semester this is considered full-time study. To complete most 3-year degrees studying full-time you'll need to complete 4 units per semester, i.e. 24 units over 3 years.
-
-
-
If a course is available to study part-time you can generally expect it to take twice as long to complete as it would in full-time mode. Part-time students are enrolled in 1 or 2 units maximum per semester.
Note: International students who hold a student visa can only choose the full-time study option for our courses. This is to ensure the course is completed within the duration of the student visa.
-
Most courses start in Semester 1 each year, usually in the last week of February. Some courses can be started in Semester 2 (we call this mid-year). There's a week of Orientation before each semester to help you get used to uni life.
-
A lot of our courses start in Semester 2 each year, usually in the last week of July. We call this mid-year. There's a week of Orientation beforehand to help you get used to uni life.
-
We use a points system to make it easier for you to understand your study progress. Most Bachelors degree study units are allocated 15 credit points. If you're studying a 3-year full-time degree you'll need to successfully complete 360 credit points - that's 24 units x 15 points per unit.
-
These are compulsory units you have to successfully complete as part of your course.
-
An elective is a unit you choose to study that counts towards your course requirements, but isn't compulsory. For some courses we recommend elective units. In some situations, a course coordinator may approve an elective unit as a replacement for a compulsory one.
-
Do you have any questions about the Graduate Certificate in Registered Nurse Prescribing?
The Important Things
Things you should know about if you're thinking about studying here.
Course Entry
There's more than one admission pathway into an ECU course. It depends on what you've studied already, or your work or life experience.
Fees & Scholarships
Course tuition fees can change, but we can give you an estimate of your costs. If you're eligible, a scholarship or student loan can help too.
Applying
Applying for a course is a fairly simple process, especially if you have scanned copies of qualifications, your resume or other paperwork, ready to upload.
ECU Experience
Starting a course is an exciting and sometimes daunting time, so we make a massive effort to ensure you get all the support you need to have a positive experience.