Assessment of Minor Injuries and Illness for Advanced Practice

This course is intended to develop your skills in patient consultation, history-taking, and physical assessment of patients who present with a range of undifferentiated and undiagnosed minor injuries and illness, applicable to your own area of practice. You will learn how to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings.

This course can be taken as a stand-alone course, or as part of the MSc Advanced Practice Health & Social Care (MSc APHSC)

Once completed, it is expected (but not mandatory) that you will complete the follow-up course: Management of Minor Injuries and Illness for Advanced Practice (APM051).

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for nurses and healthcare professionals working in acute and unscheduled care settings, such as emergency departments, walk-in clinics, urgent care centres, primary care or other community and first contact settings. This includes, but is not limited to Paramedics, Practice Nurses and Nurse Practitioners.

Timetable

The course consists of five study days, of 6 hours each. As well as this 30 hours of classroom-based teaching, students are also expected to undertake 120 hours of self-directed study.

Study days are on alternate Mondays and the dates are as follows:

• 25th January 2021
• 8th February 2021
• 22nd February 2021
• 8th March 2021
• 22nd March 2021

Benefits

The course aims to contribute to the development of a practitioner who can fulfil the competencies and domains implicit in advanced practice, and so on completion of the course, it is expected that you will be working towards the goal of advanced practice.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

By the end of the course you will be able to demonstrate success in the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding

• Utilise a variety of structured approaches in the assessment of patients presenting with minor injuries and illness
• Competently use diagnostic, interpersonal and clinical examination skills to assess individuals presenting with minor ailments and injuries
• Detect symptoms which suggest significant pathology (red flags) and evaluate physical signs to differentiate between normal and abnormal
• Advance your role beyond previous practice.

Skills

• Elicit an age-appropriate comprehensive health history using skillful consultation with the patient and/or family
• Use a presenting problem to guide your assessment strategy Demonstrate competence in assessment techniques of different systems, including musculo-skeletal, ENT and ophthalmological
• Develop skills in recognising normal and abnormal findings
• Demonstrate safe and effective use of diagnostic equipment.

Values and attitudes

• Demonstrate compassion in care delivery based on empathy, respect and dignity
• Demonstrate professionalism and expertise when working in partnership with clients and colleagues
• Critically reflect on an assessment you have undertaken and respond constructively to feedback.

This course is taught through a variety of methods including lectures and practical sessions..

Assessment is through a 3,000-word critical evaluation of a patient assessment. You must achieve a minimum mark of 50% to pass the course.

Success in the course will result in the award of 15 credits at Level 7, and a certificate of completion.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

Participants should be registered health professionals with a minimum of two years post-qualification experience. You should be working in a healthcare setting where you see patients presenting with minor injury and/or illness. Relevant workplace opportunities and organisational support should be in place to enable you to achieve successful completion of the course.

English requirements

For those students whose first language is not English, the following qualification is also required:

• IELTS: 7.0

• Bickley, L. (2016) Bates Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking. 12th Ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
• Purcell, D. (2010) Minor Injuries: A Clinical Guide for Nurses. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.