N8004 Critical and acute Proposed offering
Critical Care Nursing
Anticipate the change before it arrives.
Registered nurses working in, or moving toward, ICU and high-acuity environments.
Overview
Critically ill patients change quickly. This specialty focuses on assessing their nursing needs across clinical settings and on predicting, and responding to, changes in a patient’s condition with knowledge and confidence.
Clinical reasoning and evidence-based specialist knowledge connect critical care theory to the work you already do on shift, so what you study this week can shape how you assess a deteriorating patient next week.
Overview adapted from the official IHM Critical Care Nursing specialisation page.
Topics and themes
Themes highlighted in the published specialisation content. A detailed unit topic schedule is To be confirmed.
- 01
Assessment of nursing needs for critically ill patients
- 02
Anticipating and responding to clinical deterioration
- 03
Clinical reasoning in critical care practice
- 04
Evidence-based specialist critical care nursing
- 05
Role and scope of the critical care nurse
Learning focus and outcomes
Unit learning outcomes: To be confirmed
Verbatim accredited learning outcomes for unit N8004 will be published once confirmed by IHM.
Parent specialisation learning focus
Listed on the official Graduate Certificate Critical Care Nursing page at award-specialisation level. Shown for context only; these are not the unit learning outcomes.
- 1Apply critical thinking processes, problem-solving abilities and effective communication to the evaluation and administration of nursing care delivered to critically ill patients within the critical care healthcare team
- 2Critically review the roles, functions and the scope of practice of the critical care nurse in critical care settings
- 3Demonstrate leadership within a multidisciplinary healthcare team responsible for delivering excellent therapeutic treatment to patients in critical care settings
- 4Perform an assessment of the legal, ethical, social, cultural and political issues that influence the delivery of person-centred healthcare
- 5Recognise, evaluate and use evidence-based nursing strategies while caring for clients in critical care settings
Assessment
Assessment types and weightings for this micro-credential are To be confirmed. Under the proposal, micro-credential learners would complete the same assessment as students in the award unit.
For reference, the official GCAN pages describe assessment that can be completed entirely online, without attending an examination centre.
Duration, volume and delivery
- Duration
- To be confirmed
- Learning hours
- To be confirmed
- Delivery mode
- To be confirmed
The parent Graduate Certificate is delivered online. Course durations and fees published for the full award do not apply to an individual micro-credential.
Eligibility
- Proposed: current registration as a registered nurse.
- Proposed: domestic students and eligible non-student visa holders only. Not CRICOS registered and not available on a student visa.
- Parent-course qualification and English requirements are shown as reference on the requirements page. Standalone admission rules are subject to confirmation.
- Please ask IHM admissions to confirm any clinical access requirements relevant to critical care nursing.
Credit and pathway
This micro-credential is proposed to be the same unit as N8004 Critical Care Nursing in the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing. In the award, this specialty is paired with N8005 Professional Reflection in Critical Care Nursing and the core unit N9001 Professional Issues and Policies in Nursing.
Credit into the parent award is expected to be assessed under the IHM Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning Policy. The formal credit rule and any time limit are To be confirmed.
How to enrol
- 1
Read the common requirements and check the parent-course reference criteria.
- 2
Contact IHM to confirm this micro-credential is open, along with dates, fees and clinical access requirements.
- 3
Only once IHM confirms availability, follow their guidance to apply through the official portal.
This prototype does not submit enquiries or applications. Micro-credential availability must be confirmed with IHM.
Sources
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