Program Overview
The Graduate Diploma Critical Care Nursing (Children) program is designed for registered nurses seeking specialization in pediatric critical care nursing. It enhances nurses' knowledge and skills to care for infants, children, and young people in critical care settings, preparing them for leadership roles with a focus on continuous clinical progression and professional development. The program offers flexible pathways and incorporates advanced teaching methods, such as IT integration and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Graduate Diploma Critical Care Nursing (Children) is a postgraduate program designed for registered nurses seeking specialization in Paediatric Critical Care Nursing. It aims to enhance the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional values of registered nurses to prepare them for the role of a specialist in this area of care. The program focuses on providing a patient-centered service within healthcare, equipping graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge to care for infants, children, and young people in the critical care setting.
Objectives:
The specific aims of the program are:
- To build upon and advance the student's repertoire of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional values developed during their basic training and clinical practice.
- To provide the student with the requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional values for the advancement of their role in the care of infants, children, young people, and their families in critical care, including critical analysis, creative thinking, decision making, and communication.
- To develop a greater understanding of the theory underpinning critical care practice, including theory in the social and behavioral sciences and theory in the biomedical sciences.
- To provide learning experiences that advance the student's professional development and personal growth and experiences that affirm the student's capacity to be a self-directed learner.
- To advance the student's sense of professional awareness, commitment, and a sense of professional responsibility and accountability in paediatric critical care.
- To enable the student to value learning as a continuous process and as a necessary process in the context of their professional role in paediatric critical care.
Outline:
Program Content:
The curriculum is designed to enhance the student's knowledge and skills with respect to the holistic care of infants, children, young people, and their families.
Program Structure:
The course may be taken over 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time. Assessments are varied (learning pack/student debate/care presentations/clinical case review/discussion board) and occur at intervals throughout and at the end of the trimesters. Core modules are delivered in UCD through blended learning, while specialist and clinical modules are delivered through theory blocks usually at clinical sites. Clinical learning outcomes are completed with a designated clinical assessor during the program.
Course Schedule:
The program is delivered in three trimesters: Autumn, Spring, and Summer.
Individual Modules:
- Core Modules:
- NMHS43270 - Research Methods Applied to Healthcare (Autumn Trimester)
- NMHS43140 Developing Leadership Competency (Spring Trimester)
- Specialist Modules:
- NMHS43700 Fundamental Concepts Children's Critical Care (Autumn Trimester)
- NMHS43720 Advanced Children's Critical Care (Autumn and Spring Trimester)
- NMHS43730 Specialist Considerations in Children's Critical Care (Spring Trimester)
- NMHS42460 - Clinical Practicum: Paediatric Critical Care Nursing (Autumn, Spring, and Summer Trimesters)
Module Descriptions:
- NMHS43270 - Research Methods Applied to Healthcare: This module provides students with the knowledge and skills to conduct research in healthcare settings.
- NMHS43140 Developing Leadership Competency: This module focuses on developing leadership skills in healthcare professionals.
- NMHS43700 Fundamental Concepts Children's Critical Care: This module introduces students to the fundamental concepts of children's critical care.
- NMHS43720 Advanced Children's Critical Care: This module builds upon the fundamental concepts of children's critical care, exploring advanced topics in the field.
- NMHS43730 Specialist Considerations in Children's Critical Care: This module examines specialist considerations in children's critical care, such as ethical issues and cultural sensitivity.
- NMHS42460 - Clinical Practicum: Paediatric Critical Care Nursing: This module provides students with practical experience in paediatric critical care nursing.
Assessment:
Assessment Methods:
The program utilizes a variety of assessment methods, including:
- Learning packs
- Student debates
- Care presentations
- Clinical case reviews
Teaching:
Teaching Methods:
The program utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including:
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Workshops
- Case studies
- Simulations
- Clinical placements
Faculty:
The program is taught by a team of experienced and qualified faculty members, including:
- Registered nurses with expertise in paediatric critical care
- Physicians
- Pharmacists
- Physiotherapists
- Social workers
Unique Approaches:
- The program emphasizes continuous progression of clinical ability and clinical effectiveness through continuous assessment, clinical examinations, and case presentations.
- The program utilizes a flexible pathway, allowing students to complete the program over 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.
- The program makes extensive use of IT in supporting the teaching environment.
- Students have access to excellent facilities for lectures.
Careers:
Potential Career Paths:
The Graduate Diploma in Critical Care Nursing (Children) provides graduates with the comprehensive knowledge and extensive skills required for caring for infants and children in the critical care setting, equipping them to work nationally or internationally.
Opportunities:
- Clinical Practice: Graduates can work as specialist nurses in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in hospitals.
- Education: Graduates can pursue careers in critical care education, teaching and mentoring other nurses.
- Management: Graduates can take on leadership roles as Clinical Nurse Managers or Clinical Nurse Specialists.
- Advanced Practice: Graduates can further their expertise to become Advanced Nurse Practitioners.
Outcomes:
- Completion of the program facilitates progression to advanced practice roles such as CVVH, IPATs, and ECLS.
Other:
- Students will undertake placements in clinical sites in the PICU in either the Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street or Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin.
- Students will rotate on occasion between both hospitals to experience nursing care of a wide spectrum of specialities, which includes care of neonates, care of the child with a thermal injury, cardiac care, care of child post renal transplantation, and care of child with a neurological disorder.
- Lectures are both clinical and university-based and are delivered by a wide range of members of the multidisciplinary team.
- There is a strong emphasis on continuous progression of clinical ability and clinical effectiveness through continuous assessment, clinical examinations, and case presentations.
- The delivery of specialist modules is designed to scaffold learning, commencing with fundamental concepts in children's critical care, then advanced children's critical care, and finally specialist concepts in children's critical care.
- The program offers a flexible pathway, allowing students to complete the program over 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.
- The program makes extensive use of IT in supporting the teaching environment.
- Students have access to excellent facilities for lectures.
GradDip Critical Care Nursing (Children) Full Time EU fee per year - € 10150 nonEU fee per year - € 19400 GradDip Critical Care Nursing (Children) Part Time EU Year 1 - € 5240 nonEU Year 1 - € 9850 EU Year 2 - € 5060 aanonEU Year 2 - € 9540
