Nursing - Trauma & Emergency Nursing

Course Outline
This MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Trauma & Emergency Nursing is offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery at University College Cork. The nursing programme provides Emergency nurses with the opportunity to enhance their careers on a professional and personal level.

The Diploma in Trauma & Emergency Nursing is a one-year course offered in partnership with health service providers, with the possibility of taking a Master's programme in Year 2.

Our teaching methods range from lectures to seminars to small group work as well as assessments and simulations conducted within the Clinical Skills Simulation Resource Centre (CSSRC).

Programme Details

The MSc in Nursing programme, comprising seven clinical pathways, is structured into two parts and will typically be completed over two years from the date of first registration for the programme (60 credits in Part I and 30 credits in Part II).

All students will be registered for a Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing in Year 1 and will be registered for an MSc in Year 2. Students who opt to exit at the end of the first year will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Trauma & Emergency Nursing upon successful completion and passing modules to the value of 60 credits (applicable to all pathways).

Course Practicalities
The Diploma programme consists of 46 weeks of clinical placements in a variety of Emergency Departments including your own.

You will be expected to attend lectures for four block weeks (three in Semester 1 and one in Semester 2) for specialist modules and seven separate days (five in Semester 1 and two in Semester 2) for core modules.

Lectures take place from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday on block weeks. Core modules will be delivered by blended learning via online and direct contact. As a guide 10-credit core modules (200 hours learning) involve 184 hours of online learning and 16 hours of direct contact time and 5-credit core modules (100 hours learning) involve 92 hours of online learning and eight hours of direct contact time.

Specialist modules will continue to be delivered mainly through direct contact. You will have 34 hours of direct contact on 10-credit modules and 16 hours of direct contact on 5-credit modules.

Within the four block weeks and seven separate days of theory in UCC, specialists from clinical practice, as well as UCC staff, will facilitate you to become a more knowledgeable and skilled practitioner within the emergency care environment. The course helps you to improve your assessment and to become proficient in implementing research-based practice in the emergency care environment. You will also have access to our state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Simulation Resource Centre (CSSRC).

Programme Pathways

There are 7 clinical pathways to the degree of Masters in Nursing, all of which have an exit route available for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing. Trauma & Emergency Nursing is Pathway 1 and comprises theory modules and clinical practice modules as follows:

Trauma and Emergency Nursing (Pathway 1)

Year 1 (60 credits)

Theory modules

NU6005 Evidence-Based Practice for Healthcare Professionals (10 credits)
NU6027 Trauma Nursing (10 credits)
NU6028 Medical and Special Population Emergency Nursing (10 credits)
NU6053 Professional, Ethical, and Legal Decision-making in Specialist Practice (5 credits)
NU6070 Clinical Leadership in Practice Enhancement for Nursing and Midwifery (10 credits)
NU6126 Physical Assessment for Nursing Practice (5 credits)
Clinical Practice/Practicum modules

NU6130 Clinical Practice in Specialist Nursing 1 (5 credits)
NU6131 Clinical Practice in Specialist Nursing 2 (5 credits)

See the Academic Calendar (Dip/MSc Nursing) for more information on course content.

Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

There are 7 clinical pathways to the degree of Masters in Nursing, all of which have an exit route available for the award of a postgraduate Diploma in Nursing. The pathways to degree of Masters including Postgraduate Diploma exit route are all available to view in the College Calendar.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Pathway 1 - Trauma & Emergency Nursing

Applicants for this MSc in Nursing, including the postgraduate Diploma exit route, should normally:

1. Hold active registration on a division of the professional register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland or be eligible for such registration as required for individual pathways. For the Trauma and Emergency Nursing Pathway, applicants must be Registered General Nurses;

2. Have clinical practice experience (and support structures, if applicable) as required for individual pathways. For the Trauma and Emergency Nursing Pathway, applicants must have a minimum of six months of post-registration experience (excluding courses) and at least six months experience in the speciality pathway applied for;

3. Applicants must be certified in Basic Life Support (BLS);

4. Applicants must provide written evidence of support from their Director of Nursing/equivalent authorised nurse manager stating:

The applicant will be working in the relevant specialist area for the duration of the programme for a minimum of 18.75 hours a week;
They will be released from practice to attend the programme requirements;

A clinical preceptor and/or clinical facilitator can support learning in the specialist area of practice for the duration of the programme.
Note: In exceptional circumstances, applicants who do not fulfill the entry requirements may be recommended for entry to the programme under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) following a review of their individual qualifications and experience by the programme committee.
Such applicants may be invited for an interview to satisfy the selection committee of their suitability for the programme. Admission of such applicants will be subject to the approval of the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 2 June 2023

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.
Deferrals: Deferrals are not permitted on this course.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.

Please upload certification of current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).

Please upload evidence of Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification.

All applicants must also submit a signed Declaration Form, to be completed by the Director of Nursing/Midwifery/Equivalent Authorised Manager. This form is downloadable here: 2023 Declaration Form PGDip Nursing pathways

Additional Information
For students who have exited this programme with the award of Postgraduate Diploma and wish to return to complete the Masters within 5 years, please apply for CKX13, MSc in Nursing Studies Direct Entry Year 2.

Core and Specialist modules are assessed through continuous assessment. The 10-credit modules may have two separate assessments. The latter normally involves the submission of an academic assignment but can also include an in-class test or both, depending on whether the module is 10 or 5 credits.

One 10-credit module assessment involves a clinical audit and a poster presentation of the audit results. The exception is the Clinical Practicum Modules (5 credits). Assessment of clinical competence is continuous and obtained through acquisition of core competencies and reflection on clinical practice experience, all of which is recorded in the student Competency Booklet during scheduled clinical placements.

2 Years - PG Diploma (Year 1, Full-time); Masters (Year 2, Part-time).

Start Date Late August 2020.
Closing Date 10 June 2020.

Skills and Careers Information
This course facilitates the enhancement of your assessment and the management of emergency situations.

On successful completion of this MSc /Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing – Trauma and Emergency Nursing Pathway, you will have the necessary academic qualification (PG Diploma Nursing) required for Clinical Nurse Specialist posts within emergency nursing.