Master of Science in Adult Critical Care Nursing

MSC CRITICAL CARE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Course #

Course Title

Cr Hrs.

0503504

Advanced Adult Critical Care Nursing 1

This course builds on previous theoretical and clinical knowledge to prepare the student to manage culturally diverse patients and families with complex health problems.

This course enables the students to integrate, at an advanced level, pathophysiology, assessment, diagnosis, and current research findings for the collaborative management of adults with life-threatening problems using advanced technology. Content includes pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, and fluid and electrolyte disorders. Emphasis is on prioritizing the care of patients and families with acute and complex health problems.

2

0503505

Advanced Adult Critical Care Nursing- Clinical Practicum 1

This practicum course is a clinical experience in a critical care setting designed to allow the students to apply knowledge gained from the theory in the management of patients with complex problems. Emphasis is on delivering holistic care to critically ill patients and families using a multidisciplinary approach. Students engage in physical assessment, interpretation of medical data, differential diagnoses, development and implementation of management plans, documentation in the medical record, and performing relevant procedures to the critically ill adult- population. The focus is on providing advanced care to clients with complex cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal disorders.

5

0503507

Advanced Adult Critical Care Nursing 2

This course builds on previous theoretical and clinical knowledge to prepare the student in the management of culturally diverse patients and families with complex health problems. This course enables the students to integrate, at an advanced level, pathophysiology, assessment, diagnosis, pharmacotherapeutic concepts and current research findings for the collaborative management of adult with life-threatening problems. Content includes neurological, endocrine, gastrointestinal disorders, multi-organ dysfunction, burn and Trauma. Emphasis is on Utilizing a holistic nursing, and evidence-based framework.

2

0503508

Advanced Adult Critical Care Nursing- Clinical Practicum 2

This course is a clinical experience that builds on prior clinical and theoretical courses to enable the critical care nurse to analyze complex health problems of diverse patients who present to the acute care setting. Critical care nurse students engage in the comprehensive management of patients with a variety of complex critical illnesses and/or chronic disease. Research, patient preferences, and nursing experience are integral to clinical decision making, management, and evaluation of patient-focused clinical outcomes. Emphasis is on providing advanced care to clients with neurological, endocrine, Multi-organ failure, trauma and end-of-life care.

5

0503506

Advanced Nursing Research

This course provides graduate nursing students with advanced knowledge in qualitative and quantitative research methods. Within this course, students will be able to write a research proposal in a critical care area. This course will be distributed into two parts over the fall and spring of the first year of the program. The course is designed to assist in the planning of Master’s theses.

2

0503510

THESIS

This is culmination of the in-depth research activity. During this course, students should design and conduct an empirical study in the field of critical care nursing and present written report called master’s thesis. Scholarly activity demonstrates the student’s advanced level of knowledge, professional competence, critical thinking, and writing skills from conception to completion.

9

0503503

Biostatistics for health care providers

The goal of this course is to help students conduct and interpret statistical analysis for different research studies and designs assisted by the appropriate computer software. Emphasis will be on the nature and characteristics of the most commonly used statistical techniques (descriptive statistics, correlation and linear regression, factor analysis, and elementary hypothesis testing), and their applicability to specific health care problems within the context of nursing.

2

0503502

Pathophysiology for Advanced Critical Care Nursing Practice

This course describes the etiology, pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of specific disease processes and provides the students with knowledge of the mechanisms of disordered physiology that underlie the disease conditions commonly encountered in critical care settings. Knowledge of pathophysiological processes is linked to the clinical manifestations of disease and forms the basis for diagnosis and decision-making regarding therapeutic interventions for complex problems.

2

0503501

Health Assessment for Advanced Critical Care Nursing Practice

This course is designed to help critical care nurses develop advanced clinical assessment skills, focusing on the essential technology and procedures utilized in the management of the critically ill. During laboratory/clinical experiences, psychomotor skills and the use of advanced technologies will be developed , this course also enables the Students to differentiate abnormal from normal findings using advanced assessment techniques such as obtaining appropriate health history and performing physical examinations on adult patients with complex problems in a variety of critical care settings, In addition, the course emphasizes proper documentation of data obtained and the development of appropriate plans of care.

2

0503509

Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Critical Care Nursing Practice

This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to apply the principles of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics to manage common acute and chronic health problems. The course provides an overview of critical care medications commonly used in complex situations and covers the representative drugs of a pharmacologic group, mechanisms of action, indications for use, drug interactions, titration of dose, key adverse effects, contraindications and monitoring of therapy in order to achieve safe and optimal patient outcomes.

2

503511

Advanced Critical Care Concepts

This course is designed to provide students with various advanced intensive care topics. It also focuses on developing students’ competencies in assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients with complex critical illnesses. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based practice in the management of critically ill patients.

3

0503512

Informatics in Health Care

This course orients graduate nursing students to the foundation of health informatics and enhances student’s competency in using information technology to ensure safety and quality care. Electronic Health Records (EHR), health data management, telehealth, and application of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) using information technology will be emphasized.

3

0503513

Healthcare Education

This course introduces the students to the evidence-based theory needed to develop essential skills in learning, teaching, and assessment (LTA). Students develop the skills needed to support positive learning environments in their workplace, which have a direct impact on the quality of care and services for the public. This course provides the students with a range of teaching and assessment strategies. It also addresses innovations in healthcare education and other technology-enhanced learning strategies to develop their educator practice.

3

0503514

Leadership and Management for Quality Health Care

This course will enable students to explore aspects of leadership and various styles of management relevant to critical care nursing practice. Principles of effective multidisciplinary team working will be applied to the critical care setting, Emphasis is on providing the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to function as a member and lead interdisciplinary groups in organizational assessment to identify issues and facilitate changes in practice delivery utilizing quality improvement strategies.

3

0503515

Evidence-Based Practice

The emphasis of this course is on the elements of evidence-based practice. This course will provide the students with tools to develop practice in an area of current practice in the healthcare setting, after critiquing it in relation to the most current evidence in the same area. Utilizing nursing research concepts and methodology, and own clinical judgment, students will appraise practice and research and apply the outcomes of this process to provide the best evidence based nursing practice. Critical thinking is essential in all steps of this process.

3