Updated March 2021
There are many Australian courses for nurses in the field of HIV, blood bourne viruses, and sexual and reproductive health.
Short Courses
Australian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM)
Training provided online and face to face at the national level or Queensland, ACT, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and New South Wales.
Subject areas include HIV, HCV, HBV, STIs/BBV, as well as specific nursing and midwifery courses. Offers courses for nurses in the following areas:
- Curing hepatitis C in primary care (online) – nurse practitioners
- HCV in Drug and Alcohol settings (proposed course)
- Corrections webinar: opportunities and solutions for HCV care in custodial settings
- Hepatitis B nursing: addressing the silent epidemic in primary care
- STI and BBV Nursing: an introduction
- STI and BBV Nursing: management and care
- Sexual health in primary care
Huge array of free online courses that nurses can be accessed for FREE!
ASHM/SSHC Clinical Education sessions are held weekly.
Kirby Seminar Talks: webinar access to selected education seminars at the Kirby Institute for 2019.
HIV, HBV, HCV and STI Training ASHM
The courses below are listed by each state and territory, however they may be open to nurses from other jurisdictions.
New South Wales
Albion Street Centre
Offers courses for nurses in the following areas:
- HIV and Hepatitis testing, informed consent and giving results;
- ABC of ARVs – HIV treatment for healthcare workers
- HIV and ageing
- Management of Exposures to Blood Borne Pathogens
The Albion Centre – Education & Development (elearn.net.au)
Family Planning NSW
Offers courses for nurses in the following areas
- Contraceptive implant insertion and removal training
- IUD insertion training
- Reproductive and Sexual Health Clinical Accreditation Program (RSH-CAP) Theory Online
- Reproductive and Sexual Health Professional development for Nurses and Midwives Online
- Masterclass interactive webinar: vulval dermatology, infertility and pre-conception including genetic carrier screening
- Masterclass Webcasts: cervical screening and colposcopy; hormonal IUDs; menopause, Abortion a GPs toolkit
https://www.fpnsw.org.au/education-training/courses
ACON (NSW)
Online courses for a range of service providers:
- LGBTQ Introduction
- Asking questions on gender and sexuality
- LGBTQ inclusive practice
- LGBTQ Inclusive Practice in the aged care sector
- eLearning for GPs: suicide prevention for lesion, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people
https://www.pridetraining.org.au/
Western Australia
Offers a broad range of courses for doctors, nurses, community workers and educators as well as counselling courses.
- Contraceptive implant insertion and removal training
- IUD insertion training
- Reproductive and Sexual Health training – general or cervical screening
- Unplanned pregnancy
- Clinical update session – contraception
- STIs in WA for Primary Care
- STARS – Start Talking About Relationships and Sex with Aboriginal people
- LGBTI+ diversity workplace training
Sexual Health Quarters https://shq.org.au/
Queensland
True Relationships and Reproductive Health provides course online or based in Brisbane
Courses for nurses in the following areas:
- Cervical screening
- Contraceptive implant insertion and removal training
- IUD insertion training
- Introduction to Reproductive and Sexual Health training – with multiple modules
- Migrant and refugee sexual and reproductive health
- Responding to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting/Circumcision
- Unplanned pregnancy
- Genital dermatology
https://www.true.org.au/Education/course-catalogue?2-traversablecategories=9
Central Queensland University (CQU) has short courses related to sexual health
Victoria
Sexual Health Victoria (formerly Family Planning Victoria)
With over 50 years of experience, SHV offers courses dedicated to nurses seeking to upskill in sexual health.
SHV provides training courses, both face to face and online, for nurses in the following areas:
Cervical screening
Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (nursing course)
Contraception
Copper IUD insertion course (for candidates who are already inserting hormonal IUDs)
Implanon NXT insertion and removal training course for registered nurses & midwives
Let’s talk about sex: addressing the needs of young people (nursing)
Unplanned pregnancy
Vulvovaginal health
https://www.shvic.org.au/professional-learning-support/professional-learning/nurses-midwives
The Women’s: The Royal Women’s Hospital in Victoria
https://www.thewomens.org.au/health-professionals/clinical-education-training
Postgraduate courses in sexual health
NSW
Master of Science in Medicine (Sexual and Reproductive Health), University of Sydney https://www.sydney.edu.au/courses/courses/pc/master-of-medicine-sexual-and-reproductive-health.html
Graduate Certificate Science in Medicine (Sexual and Reproductive Health), University of Sydney
Reproductive and Sexual Health Clinical Accreditation Program (RSH-CAP) at Family Planning NSW is affiliated with the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
https://www.fpnsw.org.au/reproductive-and-sexual-health-clinical-accreditation-program-theory-only
Victoria
Graduate Certificate in Sexual Health, University of Melbourne
https://study.unimelb.edu.au/find/courses/graduate/graduate-certificate-in-sexual-health/
Graduate Certificate in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/courses/graduate-certificate-in-sex-health-and-society
Postgraduate qualifications that may be of interest to those working in sexual health
Graduate Diploma in Forensic Medicine is run through Education Centre Against Violence (ECAV) and enables nurses to become a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)
http://www.ecav.health.nsw.gov.au/sexual-assault-courses/
Master of Public Health courses are run in universities in all states and territories. MPH contains courses that are highly relevant to the field of sexual health and HIV and there are often electives in these fields.
The Australian Society for Sexologists provides good information on training to be a sexologist.
https://societyaustraliansexologists.org.au/how-to-become-a-sexologist/
ASHHNA provides a template for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) based on the AHPRA evidence requirements.
Download CPD Form
