Introduction to Critical Care provides the underpinning knowledge for beginning practice within Intensive care and enables completion of Step One competencies. You may be able to study this module at Level 6 (BSc level) or Level 7 (MSc level) depending on your academic circumstances.
2 starting dates
Level 7: Introduction to Critical Care (MSc level) Course overview
This is an online module offering a combination of flexible independent study and live online seminar sessions to support your learning.
Key bioscience disciplines, such as anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology will be introduced along with critical care patient management strategies. This provides a strong foundation to support your development within critical care.
Who is it for?
It is suitable for health professionals who are new and wish to extend their skills and knowledge in critical care practice and are currently involved in the care of acutely/critically ill patients.
Timetable
This module will run over a 3 month period.
Online tutorials run in the afternoon, generally from midday to 4pm
(attendance is required and these sessions are recorded)
Term 1
Tutorial 1: 7 November 2022
Tutorial 2: 21 November 2022
Tutorial 3: 16 December 2022
Tutorial 4: 9 January 2023
Tutorial 5: 30 January 2023
Online Examination: 20 February 2023
Term 3
Tutorial 1: 3 April 2023
Tutorial 2: 17 April 2023
Tutorial 3: 5 May 2023
Tutorial 4: 15th May 2023
Tutorial 5: 5 June 2023
Online Examination: 26 June 2023
Benefits
This introductory module will provide an excellent foundation in critical care and permit onward progression for your qualification in Critical Care (CAM001/CA3001).
This module is 15 credits and can be taken as a stand-alone module or contribute to a University degree or award.
What will I learn?
This module will allow you to critically evaluate fundamental concepts for specialist practice with content that reflects the broad nature of Intensive Care practice.
The module syllabus typically includes:
- Patient physical assessment
- Physiology and pathophysiology of:
- Respiratory system
- Cardiovascular system
- Renal System
- Gastrointestinal system
- Neurological system
- Commonly used pharmacology in each system
- Investigations, interpretation, and application of results
- Psychosocial care of the patient and their family
Treatment modalities will be introduced, such as:
- Introduction to advanced respiratory support
- Introduction to cardiovascular monitoring
- Renal replacement therapy
Evidenced based practice
- Tools for searching and selecting evidence from a range of sources
Additionally, related concepts on professionalism, wellbeing and team work will be addressed.
By the end of the course, you will be able to safely contribute towards the care and management of critically ill adult patients.
Assessment and certificates
There is a total of 21 hours online face-to-face sessions in the form of webinars, lectures and online discussion activities.
Self-directed learning using provided online material is in addition to these sessions. We will encourage you to prepare for your sessions and direct you towards key literature and recent research.
Throughout the module, you will participate in a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies, such as:
- Online lectures, both synchronous (participants are engaged at the same time online) and asynchronous (you need to plan time to engage with these, so you are prepared for your synchronous sessions).
- Online seminars in small groups to discuss materials related to your online lectures
- Case based learning via tutorials and independent work
- Guided independent study
- Work-based learning through the support of your clinical mentors
Assessment:
You are required to pass the online open book exam to successfully complete the module. The pass mark for the module is 40% for level 6 students and 50% for level 7 students.
You will be given opportunities to test your knowledge and understanding in mock exams, interactive quizzes and activities, with feedback throughout the module.
Credits
This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.
Eligibility
You must be a registered nurse working within a critical care unit and have the support of your line manager to undertake this module.
English requirements
For those students whose first language is not English the following qualification is also required:
- IELTS: 7.0
Recommended reading
You will be accessing contemporary online critical care journals and literature from nursing, medical and allied health professional sources.
We will also suggest material during the class and provide a comprehensive reading list on Moodle.