Duration
Study one unit across a seven-week study period, allowing you to complete your Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership within 8 months. It's recommended that you spend approximately 20 hours per week on your postgraduate study. Our 100% online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership program allows you to study when it suits you and you are not required to be online at a specific time.
Fees
$11,800 for all 4 units. FEE-HELP is a Commonwealth Government loan scheme that helps eligible full-fee paying students pay all or part of their tuition fees. FEE-HELP is available for this program.
Units
Study one unit each seven-week study period with our multi-award-winning Block Model. Assessments are delivered at the same time each study period, allowing for deep and focused learning.
Study intakes
There are six study periods each year, allowing you to begin your Graduate Certificate at the start of any study period. You will study one unit at a time over the seven-week study period. If required, you are able to skip a study period.
July, Aug, Oct
CSP Available
A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is subsidised by the Australian Government, reducing your total tuition fees from $11,800 (full fee) to $2,368. CSPs are limited and subject to availability. Eligible students may be able to defer their student contribution through a HECS-HELP loan.
Why study the Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership Online?
Your stepping stone to a master's degree
Transition seamlessly into the Master of Nursing with credit.
Gain a competitive edge
Lead innovation with Australia’s first postgraduate degree offering a specialisation in nursing informatics leadership.
1:1 personalised academic support
Receive the support you need when you need it. Connect with academics, facilitators and peers in each unit and benefit from 1:1 personalised support from specialist academics seven days a week, including evenings.
Award-winning VU Block Model®
Accelerate your learning with our postgraduate online Block Model®. Study part-time as you progress through six blocks per year in seven-week study periods – with a break between blocks.
Save up to 75% on your fees*
You may be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) for selected subjects in this course.
*CSP is available to new, eligible students who enrol in and commence selected courses in 2027. Limited places available.
Overview
Our online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership is the first nursing informatics course focusing on this specialist area. Graduate ready to drive innovation and lead improvements in patient outcomes.
Develop specialised skills to advise on implementing nursing informatics systems and practices. You will learn to assess information systems' usability and alignment with nursing workflow, patient safety, and information needs.
On completion of the Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership, you can apply to progress to the Master of Nursing with credit.
Be empowered to lead the way in nursing informatics practices, using innovative techniques to overcome obstacles and improve systems.
The VU Online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership is the first postgraduate program focused on the specialised area of nursing informatics leadership. Build a strong foundation in nursing informatics leadership and graduate ready to create change and deliver superior patient outcomes.
- Informatics Officer
- Clinical Nurse
- Informatics Coordinator
- Health Informatics Officer
What you will study
The Graduate Certificate will set you apart with in-demand nursing informatics leadership skills. Harness the power of technology, leading technology-driven quality and safety innovations to improve patient outcomes. Each unit of study lasts seven weeks, meaning you can earn your qualification in as little as eight months.
The use of digital technologies in nursing supports high-quality patient care in Australia. The sector needs skilled leaders to advance adoption of these technologies and lead improvements in digital literacy amongst nurses. This unit provides a comprehensive overview of the digital healthcare landscape and the adoption of nursing informatics technologies and practices. Students critically examine the role of leadership in the adoption, implementation, and use of nursing informatics. They practice leadership scenarios to develop, implement and assess professional development programs for informatics use in clinical settings and interrogate a range of barriers and enablers to the use of digital technologies in healthcare. Recognising the growing need for nursing informatics to improve complex care coordination and patient outcomes, students will be equipped to lead on and advocate for policies, procedures and practices the maximise the benefits of health informatics.
One of the key performance indicators in management and leadership within nursing is to effectively lead improvement and innovation. In this unit students will determine key safety and quality concerns within the nurse practice environment and their influence on patient outcomes. Students will interrogate contemporary approaches, tools and techniques to improve the safety and quality of patient care. The unit requires students to formulate an approach to quality improvement that enhances an aspect of the nurse practice environment and patient outcomes in a specialised area of nursing practice. Students will also demonstrate the skills required to develop a teaching module to support an implementation strategy and ensure sustainability.
This unit will enable students to take leading roles in digital healthcare to ensure technology is designed and used effectively to enhance their capacity to deliver superior and safer care. Students will learn about and practice health informatics skills to assess the usability of information systems and their alignment to nursing workflow, patient safety and information needs. By developing skills in data analytics and examining the adoption of nursing data standards including interoperability issues, students will analyse complex problems and formulate contextualised responses. Students will also examine issues related to the protection of privacy, confidentiality and security of health information and consider the potential usefulness of social networking tools in communicating health-related information.
Nursing is a global profession that occurs within complex environments. Often nursing managers are responsible for being leaders and change agents within the profession and successfully managing teams. To be a successful leader or manager, students need to understand the challenges that currently impact on healthcare. This unit assists students in developing leadership knowledge and skills to achieve better outcomes for patients and create positive working environments. Unit content explores theories, concepts and leadership styles to help nurses further develop their leadership potential and the skills of motivating, coaching, and mentoring.
Entry requirements
When you apply to study with VU, we’ll take into consideration your prior study, work experience and current skills. If eligible, you can also apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), so you can make your next career move even sooner.
To apply for the online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership, you are required to have:
- Completed an AQF Level 7 Bachelor of Nursing, or equivalent qualification, AND
- Current registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
OR
- Applicants without an AQF 7 bachelor degree in nursing (or equivalent qualification) who hold current registration as a Registered Nurse (Division 1) with the Australian Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) and one year of full-time (or part-time equivalent) clinical work experience will be considered for the Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership.
Fees & FEE-HELP
A Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership from VU Online costs $2,950 per unit*, taking the total for 4 units to $11,800*.
This depends on the number of units you study and whether you are eligible for Advanced Standing, which is assessed after you submit your application.
10% discount for alumni
If you’ve previously completed a qualification with us (and didn't apply through an agent), you may be eligible for a 10% discount.
Note that you may be eligible for the Australian Government’s loan scheme, FEE-HELP. The loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying students with the cost of a university program. It can be used for all or part of the tuition. To determine your eligibility, visit the FEE-HELP website.
*2027 student fees are shown and are subject to change.
For more information on fees and student support, download a brochure.
Want to learn more about this course?
What our students say
I am receiving a lot of support from my facilitators and my Student Success Advisor, who boosts my confidence and self-esteem.
What our students say
It was personally satisfying connecting and collaborating with a range of industry professionals. Many have become valuable work contacts, some even lifelong friends and career mentors.
What our students say
The flexibility, relevance and opportunity that VU Online brings to higher education are testaments to excellence in teaching and learning.
Frequently asked questions
Nursing informatics plays a critical role in implementing systems and practices that align with nursing workflow and empower nurses to deliver safer and superior patient care.
This course will enable you to harness the power of technology to improve patent outcomes. You’ll understand the latest trends in digital healthcare, formulating and leading technology-driven quality and safety innovations to enhance patient-centred care.
Studying a Graduate Certificate In Nursing informatics Leadership will empower you to lead the way in nursing informatics practices, using innovative techniques to overcome obstacles and improve systems.
VU Online's Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership can be completed in a minimum of 8 months, studying part-time. On completion of the graduate certificate, you can apply to progress to the Master of Nursing with credit.
Yes, the course is designed for APHRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) registered nurses with a bachelors degree or equivalent.
When you study with VU Online, you will receive four layers of personalised academic and non-academic support including:
- Weekly online office hours and seminars from your unit coordinator
- 1:1 personalised academic support via phone, SMS or email from your online facilitator in the evening and on weekends
- Non-academic and study support from your success advisor
- IT, library, literacy, numeracy and counselling support.
Becoming a nurse informatics specialist in Australia typically involves completing a recognised nursing qualification, gaining clinical experience, and then building specialised skills in health informatics, data analysis and management, and leadership. Nursing informatics blends clinical practice with digital healthcare systems to improve patient outcomes, workflow efficiency, and technology adoption in healthcare settings. Many professionals start with postgraduate education focused on informatics, quality improvement, and digital health, which can be completed online.
The Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership at VU Online offers a structured pathway for registered nurses to develop these specialist skills. Delivered fully online in an eight‑month, part‑time format, it enables nurses to study digital health systems, data analytics and management, clinical workflow design, and leadership in nursing informatics while continuing to work. Upon completion, students are prepared to lead innovation, support digital transformation, and influence quality and safety improvements in healthcare practice.
Yes, nursing informatics has become an increasingly important discipline in healthcare as digital systems, electronic records, and health information technologies become central to patient care, safety, and quality improvement. Professionals with expertise in nursing informatics play a vital role in optimising clinical workflows, ensuring technology aligns with nursing practice, and supporting data‑driven decision‑making. This need continues to grow as healthcare organisations invest in digital transformation and leverage data to improve outcomes.
Completing a specialised postgraduate program in nursing informatics, like VU Online’s Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership, equips nurses to meet this demand by building skills in information systems evaluation, clinical data management, and leadership strategies to enhance digital care delivery.
Nursing informatics is a specialised field that integrates nursing science with information technology and data analytics to enhance healthcare delivery. It focuses on the effective use of digital systems, such as electronic health records, decision‑support tools, and health data platforms, to improve patient safety, documentation accuracy, clinical communication, and workflow efficiency. Nursing informatics professionals also work on developing, implementing, and evaluating health information systems that support best practice in clinical settings.
Specialised coursework in nursing informatics covers topics such as usability of information systems, alignment with clinical workflows, data standards, privacy and security, and the strategic use of technology to support quality care.
To work as a nurse informaticist, you need to be a registered nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Many nurse informaticist roles also expect postgraduate study in informatics, digital health, leadership, or related areas to develop the specialist expertise required for advanced roles.
The Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership Online at VU Online is designed for registered nurses who already hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. This postgraduate credential builds specialised knowledge in nursing informatics and leadership, preparing graduates for roles where they can guide digital transformation and system implementation in clinical environments.
The future of nursing informatics is strong and expanding, driven by ongoing digital transformation in healthcare, the increasing use of electronic health records, telehealth platforms, data analytics, and patient safety technologies. As healthcare services integrate more complex information systems, the need for professionals who can bridge clinical practice with technology strategy and data‑driven decision‑making continues to rise. Informatics nurses are positioned to lead innovation, improve quality and safety outcomes, and support workforce development in digital literacy.
Dedicated postgraduate programs, such as VU Online’s Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics Leadership, prepare nurses to take on these evolving roles by combining clinical insight with digital health expertise, setting the foundation for leadership in tomorrow’s healthcare landscape.
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