Strand leader: Ms V Griffiths
The Caroline Chisholm School of Nursing recognises that nurses are constantly being challenged by the complexities and concerns of the health care needs of the critically ill client and significant others. One such challenge is whether critical care nursing with its intellectual and technological achievements allows adequate opportunity for caring to occur in bedside practice.
The philosophy of the critical care strand addresses the need for caring and for expanding knowledge and therapeutic expertise of the critical care nurse. As such, it provides the basis for a holistic approach to care of the person in the critical care setting.
Aims
The course aims to:
* facilitate acquisition and application of knowledge, skills and attitudes required for competent critical care nursing practice;
* take into account the diverging needs of hospital environments, the individual subjects, and clients and learners;
* foster motivating factors appropriate for the individual functioning in the critical care setting, namely recognition, responsibility, advancement, achievement and opportunities for growth and learning.
Objectives
On completion of this course, it is expected that students should have:
* increased their awareness of the application of philosophical issues fundamental to nursing practice;
* examined the critical care ethos from a historical perspective and identified factors related to the current provision of critical care services;
* examined a range of legal and ethical issues related to current critical care nursing practice;
* pursued problem solving methods and ways of knowing pertaining to judgement, decision-making, recording and retrieval of data within critical care practice;
* explored critical care health breakdown and the nursing implications experienced in critical care environments;
* demonstrated competency in the performance of complex clinical skills within the critical care setting.
Course structure
To be advised.