Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

The Postgraduate Diploma in Orthopaedic Nursing will prepare you to exercise an advanced level of clinical judgment and practice – beyond what is required of a registered general nurse (RGN) – in your specialist area of orthopaedics.


The programme aims to assist you in taking a leading role in advancing and developing nursing and midwifery in this area, and effecting policy change in professional practice and health service provision.


The programme is delivered part-time over one-year; with an option to complete the programme over a period of up to three years if necessary. Once you have successfully completed this postgraduate diploma you may decide to progress to Year 2 of the Masters in Science (MSc) Nursing, in your chosen specialist area.


Learning outcomes


This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:


•Explore problem-solving skills in the area of planned orthopaedic nursing.


•Prepare a comprehensive care plan using advanced problem solving skills for a patient undergoing elective interventions for orthopaedic problems.


•Critically discuss the principles associated with the management of common orthopaedic traumatic injuries.


•Explore problem-solving skills in the area of orthopaedic trauma nursing.


•Consolidate knowledge in relation to the development of bone, its composition, development of muscle, fracture healing, the terminology used in musculoskeletal assessment, musculoskeletal anatomy and the implications for patients of specific investigations performed to evaluate a musculoskeletal condition or injury.


•Examine the role of the nurse with reference to planning care for patients with physical/intellectual disabilities, for patients of different ages and to recognise the psychological and sociological effects of orthopaedic conditions.


Why study nursing and midwifery at RCSI Dublin?


Educating future leaders in healthcare delivery and related research is at the core of the mission of the RCSI School of Nursing & Midwifery. The School aims to develop caring, reflective nursing and midwifery practitioners who can seek out and use research-based knowledge to improve patient care.


We are committed to providing students with outcome-focused curricula shaped by innovative teaching and learning practices. We have a long association with postgraduate nursing and midwifery education and are the largest such school in Ireland.


We aspire to become recognised leaders in the provision of health sciences education, both nationally and internationally. The suite of programmes we offer nurses and midwives in pursuit of postgraduate education is continually evolving in response to the needs within the healthcare service.


Our goal is to empower nurses and midwives to be able to demonstrate the difference they make to practice, and in doing so, to be able to respond accordingly to the leadership and professional challenges that they face every day.