PgDip in Orthopaedic Trauma (Nursing)
€6,970
Enhance your career with a specialism that meets your professional ambitions and explore the principles, management strategies, care practice and considerations for service development in the area of orthopaedic trauma nursing.
Postgraduate Diploma
1 year
Hybrid - Part-time
60 ECTS
September 2025
About
Prepare to exercise an advanced level of clinical judgment and practice with the PgDip in Orthopaedic Trauma Nursing from the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery.
You will enhance your knowledge of orthopaedic principles and management strategies while developing problem-solving skills and best practices in creating care plans. As you advance beyond the requirements of a registered general nurse, you will explore taking a leading role in nursing within orthopaedics, considering how to effect policy change in professional practice and health service provision.
This programme is delivered part-time via an active blended learning approach including self-directed learning and live online classes approximately once every week. Further support is provided through the module lead, programme director and regular online drop-in sessions.
Please note that there is an alternative strand of this programme available for staff at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh.
The award title for this course is Postgraduate Diploma Nursing (Orthopaedic Trauma).
Develop advanced clinical judgment and practice
Create comprehensive care plans for orthopaedic interventions
Focus your learning with a specialism in orthopaedic trauma
Suitable for
This programme is designed for registered nurses working in orthopaedic trauma settings.
What you will learn
Faculty highlight
Biography
Dr Sorcha Byrne, Programme Director
Dr Byrne is a lecturer and programme director in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI. She has a BSc in General Nursing from DCU, a professional certificate in Nurse/Midwifery Prescribing from RCSI, and in 2022 she completed her PhD with a focus on tissue viability. She has since contributed to international wound care journals.
Register your interest
If you would like further information about this programme, please contact nursing@rcsi.ie.
Course information
This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of a comprehensive range of knowledge in the specialist area.
- Articulate a critical awareness of the latest evidence-based knowledge in the specialist area.
- Demonstrate a range of research and specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist area of clinical practice.
- Select from a broad range of specialist skills and knowledge in the specialist area.
- Act in a comprehensive and often unpredictable variety of professional and ill-defined contexts in the specialist area.
- Take significant responsibility for the work of individuals and groups and lead and initiate activity in the specialist area.
- Critically self-evaluate professional and personal learning needs and those of others within your specialist area of practice and link to related continuing professional development requirements.
- Present a reflective and questioning approach to specialist practice delivery and exhibit professional application of your knowledge in an accountable, responsible and evidence-based manner.
Graduates of this postgraduate diploma who wish to take a further step may enrol onto the master's programme – the MSc Nursing (Orthopaedic Trauma) – and undertake Year 2 of the full programme, completing a systematic review.
The programme will begin in September each year.
This programme is assessed through a range of assessment modalities.
All Postgraduate Diploma programmes offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery are accredited by RCSI, the National University of Ireland and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Recognition by bodies in other jurisdictions must be determined by individual applicants.
Admissions
- Applicants must hold an NFQ Level 8 qualification. However, applicants who do not hold a Level 8 qualification may still be eligible to join the programme through our supported-entry pathway programme. This is subject to an assessment of prior learning and experience.
- Must have an active registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland or other registration in a country in which they are practicing if international students.
- Must be working in the specialist practice of the programme for the duration of the programme.
- Must provide a Clinical Learning Agreement signed by a director of nursing or designate.
Learning occurs in many contexts including work, involvement in social and community activities, and learning through life experience generally.
Recognition of prior learning (RPL) does not give credit for experience as such – rather, it considers learning that was acquired as a result of the experience. RPL may be used to gain admission to programmes where you may not have obtained the standard entry requirements. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Exemptions from programme modules that duplicate learning already demonstrably acquired through prior learning may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, please contact the School of Nursing and Midwifery:
- Tel: +353 1 402 2445
- Email: nursing@rcsi.ie
English language requirements for Postgraduate programmes are published here.
If you have completed undergraduate/postgraduate full-time studies in the medium of the English language (three or more years cumulatively) or are registered with the NMBI, you are exempt from these requirements.
The fees for this programme are €6,970.
Please note:
- Fees include the €45 NUI fee.
- There is an additional application fee of €50 which is non-refundable.
- Fees are subject to review annually.
- Fees can be paid by bank transfer. Full details on fee payment will be emailed to you before the commencement of your programme.
- You can pay your fees in three instalments – one payment of 40% is due before you commence the programme, while the remaining payments can be paid in two 30% instalments in November and February of your year of study.
- If you meet the criteria for a non-EU student, please contact us for more information on fee payments at tel: +353 1 402 2445 or email: nursing@rcsi.ie.
Sponsored students:
If your study is sponsored by your employer, you will be required to upload written confirmation of your sponsorship when accepting your programme offer. You will be unable to accept your offer until confirmation of sponsorship is received or a payment is made. Please view our Postgraduate fees policy for more information.
How to apply
Applications for this programme are currently cloesd. For guidance or further information please contact nursing@rcsi.ie.