Click here to edit using the old editor

PgC - Critical and/or Acute Care: Practice Development

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

Critical and/or Acute Care: Practice Development cover image

Course Overview

On this course, you can choose between two distinct pathways: Adult Acute Care and Adult Critical Care. Your chosen pathway will enhance your ability to complete a detailed assessment of the deteriorating or critically ill adult and equip you with the appropriate knowledge base to anticipate problems, enhancing your ability to manage the patient accordingly. Level 6 and level 7 students will be taught together to enhance skills across different levels, however level 7 students will be expected to develop a great mastery of the subject through wider reading and critical thinking.

As you develop within the course you will gain the skills and expertise to critically analyse situations and clinical presentations, approaching the patient holistically and meeting the needs of their family and significant others.

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 your knowledge and understanding of altered pathophysiology in the event of deterioration and/or critical illness to inform decisions and management plans.
Develop in line with workforce needs, which supports the progression of staff in accordance with the standards set by professional, statutory and regulatory bodies.

Apply Now

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
Course LocationOnline
Institute: Institute of Health
Delivery StyleBlended Learning
Course Duration Part-time: 2 Years
Course Start PointJanuary 2024
September 2024
AwardPgC
Open DaysAll

Minimum entry requirements

Applicants must have at least 6 months experience in an acute health care setting.

Tuition fees

£2,460

UK | Per 60 Credit Award

N/A

International | Per 60 Credit Award

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

Foundations for Practice
Develop your skills around patient assessment, monitoring, and management.
Acute Care Contemporary Issues
The content of this module will be negotiated between you and the module leader. They will assist you in identifying key learning resources and strategies relating to the learning outcomes.
Optional module chosen from the CPD programme.

Pathway modules

Critical care Pathway

Core Assessment and Monitoring 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.
Work based learning module
The work based learning module supports the completion of your Step competencies in practice and underpinned by the theoretical content of the other two modules. This module runs for 2 semesters.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

You will learn through multiple methods of teaching, experiences, and the use of available resources to support independent learning. Within your workplace you will require a Practice supervisor (mentor) and a practice assessor to support application of theory to practice and sign off your agreed competencies to support the end assessment.

Each pathway is delivered slightly differently. Any sessions delivered will be recorded to enable students to access these sessions at an alternative time.

The Acute Care pathway is delivered predominantly online asynchronously, using activities and feedback to develop your knowledge, and understanding of the acutely ill patient. There are with some synchronised sessions to support a learning community and interaction with your peers.

The Critical Care Pathway is delivered online to support the geographical location of students, with occasional face to face teaching. Predominantly there are synchronised (live) sessions, using technology within Blackboard (a virtual learning platform), providing opportunity for keynote lectures with discussion and time for questions, group work, live discussion, and interaction with other students from similar critical care environments. Creating a shared learning environment and community.

Each pathway has a comprehensive reading list and resources available to the student to promote their learning experience. There will be an expectation of the students to participate in the activities providing peer feedback as requested to enhance the shared learning model. The delivery of the course content is by experienced lectures with extensive experience in acute and critical care environments.

How you will be assessed

The process of assessment is clear and transparent across both pathways, using rubric marking grids to support the student in understanding the distribution of their grades. The process is moderated by secondary marking and external examiner review, before being processed and confirmed by the University Assessment Board.

To support progression to summative assessment all students will have opportunity for a formative assessment, unmarked but supported with comprehensive feedback from the module lead and at times peer feedback as part of this process of development towards assessment. Submission dates are clear and marked as per university regulations time frame.

The Acute Care pathway uses multiple methods of assessment, including interactive poster presentations and written assignments, based on agreed learning contracts which are specific to their optional module choice.

The Critical Care Pathway builds on the essential presentation and oral communication skills required for health care staff working in critical care environments. The Oral poster presentation is used in the initial modules, enabling the student to develop these skills and improve their grade going forwards.

The Completion of the Step 2 & 3 competencies as directed by the National Framework for Nurse Education in Critical Care is an essential element of assessment in practice for this pathway. Supported by a short written reflective account of their progression and development during the completion of their competencies.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

2024 - 2025

£2,460 - UK

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

Funding

For 2022-3, the 60 credit award fee is based on start and completion within a single academic year and a module fee rate of £820 per 20 credit module. As part-time students are invoiced on a module-by-module basis, modules commencing within a subsequent academic year attract the subsequent academic year fee rate and therefore the total cost of the course may be higher, depending on start date.

The Critical Care Pathway is currently funded from Jan 22 – Jan 23 by Health Education England for nurses with settled status, working in critical care environments in England. This funding may continue. Support from your NHS Trust employer is still required.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

There will be some additional costs associated with the course including stationery, textbooks, field trips and membership fees although some of these features are optional.

Books are reviewed annually and are therefore subject to change, course welcome information will provide you with an indicative list for the year.

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

PgC - Critical and/or Acute Care: Practice Development