University College Dublin

Emergency Medical Science - Immediate Care

Course Features
Develops knowledge and skills in Immediate Care with an emphasis on the assessment, diagnosis and management of both trauma and medical emergencies in adult and paediatric patients.

Multidisciplinary student groups: medical practitioners, nurses and advanced paramedics.

Delivered over two years, this course uses a variety of learning strategies in recognition of the time constraints associated with full-time clinical practice.

Course Overview

This modular MSc is open to doctors, nurse and advanced paramedics with experience of working in the pre-hospital care environment. All participants will build on and contribute their existing clinical expertise and experience to the development of an effective inter-professional approach to patient care.

This course is aimed at healthcare professionals whose role may involve pre-hospital emergency care; general practitioners and nurses, advanced paramedics, and other doctors and nurses who may work in this environment. Paramedics with a relevant primary degree may apply and will be considered on a case by case basis.

Entry requirements

Medical practitioners currently registered with the Medical Council and in possession of medical indemnity insurance for the purposes of the course

Nurses currently registered with An Bord Altranais and in possession of medical indemnity insurance for the purposes of the course

Advanced Paramedics currently registered with the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council and in possession of indemnity insurance for the purposes of the course.

International applicants should contact the academic programme director for a full list of entry requirements.

Duration

24 Months

Further enquiries

Programme Administrator
Ms Eileen Bradish,
UCD Centre for Emergency Medical Science, Health Sciences Centre,
University College Dublin
Belfield, Dublin 4
Tel: +353 1 716 6641
Email: centre.ems@ucd.ie

Subjects taught

Modules

The course is divided into four modules – Total ECTS Credits: 90

Year 1
Cardiac & Trauma care (10 credits)
Module 2: Pre-Hospital Emergency care – Special circumstances (10 credits)
Module 3: Core Emergency Medical Science: Therapeutics (5 credits)
Module 4: Core Clinical Placement (5 credits)

Year 2
Pre-Hospital Care Skills (10 credits)
EMS Placement (20 credits)
Minor Thesis (30 credits)

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge
Core A&P in health and disease
The challenges of professional practice in healthcare
Core therapeutics and pharmacology for advanced pre-hospital care
All PHECC CPGs, CPG-As, CPG-Ms, formulariesBasic and advanced emergency care in illness and injury (Adults & Paediatrics)
Knowledge of the healthcare system and the factors which affect the interfaces between services
Major incident management
Important influences on healthcare delivery in society
Core research methods (MSc group)
Transfer and retrieval medicine

Applying Knowledge
Integrating clinical assessments with available treatment options to select the appropriate care strategy
Ensuring that the highest ethical and professional standards are adhered to
Collecting accurate data for continuous personal and service audit purposes
Ensuring that patient care is at all times the primary objective of the service provided
Competence in all relevant skill sets
Completion of a research dissertation (MSc group)

Judgements
Clinical assessment of patients of all ages and backgrounds in urgent care settings
Initial decision making on every problem presented
Selection of appropriate pharmacologic, interventional and other care strategies relevant to Advanced Paramedic practice
Recognising personal and professional limits

Communication Skills
Excellent consultation skills
Ability to work competently under pressure
Team work and leadership ability
Team work in unfamiliar settings and groups
Interaction with other healthcare agencies and emergency services
Provision of mentorship and support to colleagues

Learning
Commitment to continuous professional development.
Commitment to clinical audit systems
Understanding the crucial role of research in healthcare
Integrating new science and healthcare developments to the field
Clinical supervision of colleagues in certain circumstances

Assessment method

Assessment
Continuous and end of Module assessments will involve MCQ, short answer, OSCE and Project components
In year 2, assessment will include supervised clinical practice and submission of a minor thesis by primary research.

Application date

Applications are processed via www.ucd.ie/apply
Once online, the first step is to create a user account. Then select "Graduate Taught Courses" as your application type and from the list of programme choices you can select MSc in EMS (Immediate Care).

Course fee

Fees for the Professional Diploma: €2940

EU students:
Year 1: €4,410
Year 2: €4,410*

*Fees are for guidance only. Students on a multi-year programme should note that their fees are subject to change from year to year. The fees for other EU programmes have seen increases of approximately 4% year on year.

International students:

Students entering Year 1 in academic year 2019/20: €24,800

Please check the UCD Fees website for further information.