Click here to edit using the old editor
{"available": "entirely", "availability": {"status": {"Recruiting Status 25/26":"RP 25/26","Recruiting Status 26/27":"RP 26/27","Recruiting Status 24/25":"RP 24/25"}, "dates": [{"name":"April 2025","month":"April","year":2025},{"name":"April 2026","month":"April","year":2026},{"name":"April 2024","month":"April","year":2024},{"name":"January 2025","month":"January","year":2025},{"name":"January 2026","month":"January","year":2026},{"name":"January 2024","month":"January","year":2024},{"name":"September 2025","month":"September","year":2025},{"name":"September 2026","month":"September","year":2026},{"name":"September 2024","month":"September","year":2024}]}}

PgC - Practice Development: Critical And/Or Acute Care

You are passionate about the deteriorating patient or the assessment and management of the critically ill adult. This course supports self-development whilst meeting the demands of the services in which you practice and national standards.

The health care team supporting deteriorating acutely or critically ill adult in either the pre or in-hospital environment study this course to develop their practice and improve the service they provide to these complex vulnerable patients/service users.

Apply Now


Practice Development: Critical And/Or Acute Care cover image

Course Overview

Our long-established Practice Development Framework comprises tailor-made continuing professional development (CPD) for all healthcare professionals including nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers, paramedics as well as unregistered staff working in the health, wellbeing and social care sector. Your programme of study has been designed to meet your needs and interest in developing your professional and personal knowledge and expertise to develop excellence in practice within community, workplace and health and social care settings.

Studying with us you will be offered the opportunity of tailoring your own programme of study. Delivery is flexible online distance learning (some closed cohorts may involve on site/or on campus study). There may be opportunity to APL credits from other programmes you have studied into the programme and there are flexible funding options available, with the option to pay on a module-by-module basis or via a student loan where appropriate.

On this course you will...

  • Advance your academic and professional development through self-reflection and reflexivity.
  • Develop complex, specialised knowledge and a critical awareness of issues at the forefront of your field of practice.
  • Develop conceptual knowledge and advanced understanding of how techniques of enquiry enable the critical and objective analysis, interpretation and application of research and evidence within your sphere of influence
  • Develop a mastery of complex and specialised knowledge and a critical awareness of issues at the forefront of your field of practice
Apply Now

Course Structure

What you will learn

Within your chosen pathway, you will develop your knowledge and understanding to support competent practice in patient assessment, monitoring, and management. The course explores the initial effects of acute deterioration and critical illness on body systems, exploring altered pathophysiology, while providing a degree of flexibility for you to meet their own learning needs and interests. You will complete specialist competencies to meet the needs of the appropriate patient group.

The Critical Care Pathway aims to work within the National standards for Critical Care Nurse Education, which will underpin the content of the course appropriate for registered nurses working in a critical care environment as defined by the Intensive Care Society (2009) and completion of the Step 2&3 competencies. Each module will be underpinned by the relevant evidence base to inform your development and the legal, ethical, and professional issues related to this complex group of patients.

Modules

According to your work environment you will be advised to follow a specific pathway that will best suit your learning, experience and expected achievement. The pathways contain different modules to best suit the knowledge and understanding required according to your clinical environment.

Pathway modules

Acute Care Pathway

  • Acute and Critical Care: Foundations for Practice
    Develop your skills around patient assessment, monitoring, and management.
  • Acute Care: Initial Assessment and Management of the Acutely Ill Adult
  • Optional module chosen from the CPD programme.
Pathway modules

Critical care Pathway

  • Core Assessment and Management of the Critically Ill Adult
    Explore applied pathophysiology, assessment and monitoring of the critically ill adult and associated pharmacology, recovery from critical illness and support of patient and their families.
  • Critical Care: Contemporary Issues
    Develop your theoretical knowledge and skills, following on from the completion of your Step 2 to Step 3 competencies to assess, manage and care for the complex critically ill adult. There are a number of specialist learning pathways available.
  • Optional module chosen from the CPD programme.
  • Image from the campus
Controls for the spotlight carousel

  • Location

    Online Learning

    Online learning at the University of Cumbria is an interactive experience that makes use of a range of technologies and media types to provide a rich learning environment.

    Find out more

Find out more about studying with us

Attend an Open Day at Cumbria

An Open Day is your opportunity to explore one of 5 campuses, meet your lecturers, and find out how the University of Cumbria could become your new home.

Take the next step towards achieving your dreams.
Book Now
A student stands in front of a wall splattered with paint.