This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare practitioners working in the Emergency Department who wish to develop their knowledge and skills in caring for patients attending the ED. A variety of areas reflecting the diverse nature of emergency care are covered, including trauma; mental health; paediatrics; minor injuries, and contemporary professional issues.

The module learning outcomes, indicative content and assessment strategy are aligned to the Royal College of Nursing / Emergency Care Association (ECA) National Curriculum and Competency Framework (NCCF) (RCN, 2017)1.

 

Aims

The module aims to strengthen and develop competence in emergency care in order to enhance and optimise and lead patient care.

 

What and how you will learn on this module

 

How you will learn:

This module is delivered using a blended learning approach which integrates a variety of on-campus and online activities, supported by Canvas, the University’s virtual learning environment. A complementary range of activities are employed to engage you in the critical exploration of key topic areas, and the completion of formative tasks during the module also helps to keep you on track with the learning and gain feedback on your understanding of the content. A sense of community is developed and maintained with frequent opportunities for peer learning, enabling you to share your practice experiences and to learn from each other. Level 6 and level 7 students taking this module may be taught together.

Academic writing and critical thinking skills are developed through ‘The Critical Thinking Skills Toolkit’ and other academic practice activities embedded within the module, that have been designed to nurture the skills needed to facilitate you to become a thoughtful, objective and reasoned thinker. This will help you tackle the assignment(s) confidently, understand marking criteria, use evidence, take a reasoned approach, make structured arguments and engage with other points of view. 

 

What you will learn:

Organisational developments and professional issues in Emergency Care

• Context of Emergency Care

• Interprofessional working

• Legal and ethical issues

• Accountability

• Decision making

 

Interventions and skills in practice

• Haemodynamic monitoring

• Arterial blood gas analysis

• 12-lead ECG analysis and interpretation

• Rapid sequence intubation

• Care of ventilated patient

• Non-invasive ventilation

• Tracheostomy care

• Wound assessment and closure

• Limb immobilisation

• Primary patient assessment

 

Management of specialist emergencies, including:

• Obstetric and gynaecological emergencies

• Major trauma

• Stroke

• Heart failure and cardiac rhythm disturbances

• Alcohol withdrawal, Liver disease and GI bleed

• Cardiac arrest

• Poisoning

 

Care of sick children in the emergency department

• Physiological differences

• Paediatric assessment

• Management of common presentations

• Child protection issues

 

Mental health

• Risk assessment

• Common mental health disorders

• Suicide and self-harm

• Mental health policy

 

Musculoskeletal injuries

• Anatomy and physiology

• Limb assessment and the role of radiological investigations

• Pathophysiology and classification of fractures

• Immobilisation techniques

 

Wound and burns care

• Wound assessment and classification

• Minor and severe burns

• Wound management including closure and dressings

 

Ophthalmic and ENT emergencies

• Anatomy and physiology

• ENT and eye assessment including visual acuity

• Management of common presentations

 

Academic practice

• Database searching

• Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

• Critical Thinking Skills Toolkit

 

Course length: 10 teaching days

Assessment

Literature review (3000 words) and Competency assessment document