Nursing - Critical Care Nursing

Why study nursing and midwifery at RCSI Dublin?
Educating future leaders in healthcare delivery and related research is at the core of the mission of the RCSI School of Nursing & Midwifery. The School aims to develop caring, reflective nursing and midwifery practitioners who can seek out and use research-based knowledge to improve patient care.

We are committed to providing students with outcome-focused curricula shaped by innovative teaching and learning practices. We have a long association with postgraduate nursing and midwifery education and are the largest such school in Ireland.

We aspire to become recognised leaders in the provision of health sciences education, both nationally and internationally. The suite of programmes we offer nurses and midwives in pursuit of postgraduate education is continually evolving in response to the needs within the healthcare service.

Our goal is to empower nurses and midwives to be able to demonstrate the difference they make to practice, and in doing so, to be able to respond accordingly to the leadership and professional challenges that they face every day.

Course details
Delivered in partnership with Beaumont Hospital, the one-year part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Critical Care Nursing offers you the opportunity to enhance your knowledge, experience and clinical expertise in the challenging and dynamic environment that is critical care.

The role of the nurse as clinician, patient advocate, researcher, educator and innovator are all developed to meet the multiple and complex needs of the patient with critical illness.

Learning outcomes
This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to critically:
• Discuss, evaluate and demonstrate the management of patients who require advanced cardiac life support.
• Evaluate the inter facility and inter/intra hospital transportation of critically ill patients.
• Evaluate and demonstrate the holistic assessment of the patient presenting with organ failure
• Explore the aetiology and path physiology of organ failure in critical illness
• Evaluate and demonstrate nursing practice and interventions in the management of critically ill patients.
• Evaluate the nursing management of critically ill patients post major surgery.

Modules
A blended learning approach is utilised in this programme, to promote lifelong learning and professional development for all nursing staff.

The first three modules are delivered in RCSI with the remaining three modules and clinical component delivered in Beaumont Hospital and affiliated sites.

The programme modules are:
Module name Credits Assessment method
Advanced Research Methods 10 Assignment
Advanced Leadership, Professional & Clinical 10 Assignment
Professional Critical Reflexivity and Competence 10 Assignment and clinical portfolio
Core Concepts of Critical Care Nursing 10 Assignment
Care of the Critically Ill Patient with Single and Multi-Organ Dysfunction 10 Examination
Consolidating and Advancing Practice in the Critical Care Setting 10 Assignment

Entry requirements
To be eligible for the programme you must:
• Be an active RGN with the Opens in new windowNMBI.
• Hold a NFQ level 8 qualification such as a BSc or equivalent.
• Be currently working in the speciality area.

Please note:
*If you do not hold a level 8 qualification, you may still be eligible to join the programme through our pathway programme, please contact us for further information on this route.

1 year
Delivery: Part-time