Intensive Care Ventilation Module Descriptor
s
Field name
Comments/notes
Title
Intensive Care Ventilation
Code
NH3142
Level
6
Credit rating
20
Pre-requisites

Type of module
Aims
Learning outcomes/objectives
Content
BSc (Hons) Acute Clinical Practice course admission criteria
apply
 Complete a minimum of 150 hours clinical time during the
time period of the module in an area with patients who are
mechanically ventilated
Extensive
The aim of the module is to enable students to:
 Develop specialist intensive care knowledge, skills, and
awareness of the assessment and therapeutic
management of patients with acute respiratory failure
 Develop specialist intensive care knowledge, skills, and
awareness of current issues in preventing hospital
acquired infections
 Explore the role of research and evidence based
practice in intensive care
By the end of the module the students will be able to:
 Explain the pathophysiology of common
illnesses/injuries causing acute respiratory failure in the
intensive care setting and critically analyse their
management
 Accurately assess the respiratory function of intensive
care patients (physical assessment, arterial blood gas
analysis, respiratory laboratory results and response to
respiratory therapies), critically analyse abnormal
assessment findings and rationalize appropriate actions
 Critically analyse and demonstrate specialist intensive
care skills for invasive and non-invasive modes of
mechanical ventilation, weaning patients off mechanical
ventilation and sedation, analgesia and paralysis
 Critically explore the prevention and management of
intensive care infections and demonstrate interventions
for preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
 Evaluate the role of research in intensive care and
critically analyse strategies for evidence-based intensive
care practice
 Critically reflect on the care and support required by
mechanically ventilated patients and demonstrate an
ability to critique and apply current specialist intensive
care research findings to clinical practice
Respiratory pathophysiology related to the intensive care setting
Invasive and non-invasive modes of mechanical ventilation
Care of mechanically ventilated patients
Teaching and learning
strategies
Learning support
Complications of mechanical ventilation
Weaning patients off of mechanical ventilation
Psychological care of ventilated patients
Overview of care of the child requiring mechanical ventilation
Respiratory physical assessment
Interpretation of chest X-rays
Interpretation of blood gases
Interpretation of respiratory laboratory results
Pharmacology related to ventilated patients
Sedation, analgesia, and paralysis in intensive care
Hospital acquired infections and infection control in intensive
care
Prevention of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
Patient positioning
Frameworks for reflection and analysis of evidence-based
practice
Research and audit in intensive care
Hours: 200 total
 60 tutor directed
 70 private study
 70 clinical linked learning activities
Teaching and learning will be facilitated via lectures, discussion
and seminar work in the classroom and by demonstration and
discussion in the clinical area. In addition to faculty lecturers,
other clinical experts will be used to provide specialist in put (e.g.
physiotherapists, clinical nurse specialists, nurse consultants,
medical consultants and pharmacists). Student Central will be
used for electronic learning materials and to promote further
communication and learning outside of the classroom.
Each student will have a tutor counsellor (normally the module
leader) and a clinical mentor. Mentors will be responsible for
supervision of assessment of clinical competence and
overseeing the progress of the student’s clinical progress within
the module. The tutor will assist the student with their theoretical
work and liaise with the clinical mentor
Reading list
Adam, S.K. and S. Osborne. 2005. Critical care nursing: Science
and practice. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dikeman, K.J. and M.S. Kazandjian. 2003. Communication and
swallowing management of tracheostomized and ventilatordependent adults. 2nd ed. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar
Learning.
Irwin, R.S. and J.M. Rippe, eds. 2007. Manual of intensive care
medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Marino, P.L. and K.M. Sutin. 2006. The ICU book. 3rd ed.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
McConachie, I. 2006. Handbook of ICU therapy. 2nd ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Morton, P.G. et al. 2005. Critical care nursing: A holistic
approach. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Sole, M.L., D.G. Klein and M.J. Moseley. 2005. Introduction to
critical care nursing 4th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.
Woodrow, P. 2006. Intensive care nursing: A framework for
practice. 2nd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
Suggested Journals
Nursing in Critical Care
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Care of the Critically Ill
Critical Care
Current Opinion in Critical Care
Websites
http://www.ccmtutorials.com/rs/mv/page3.htm
http://ccforum.com/
Assessment tasks
Brief description of module
content and/or aims
(maximum 80 words)
Area examination board to
Students will undertake two assessment tasks: theory 75% and
practice 25%. Both assessment tasks must be passed in order
to pass the module overall.
Theory – 75%
 Written Assignment
o 2500 word case study about a patient requiring
mechanical ventilation
Practice - 25%
 Skills Inventory
o 4 skills assessed in practice by a
mentor/assessor
 OSCE
o 2 skills assessed at the University through
simulation
This module will normally be the first for students undertaking the
Intensive Care Pathway. This module prepares students to
develop the specialist knowledge and skills necessary for caring
for ventilated patients. Students from areas other than an
intensive care unit may also take the module but must
demonstrate 200 hours of contact time with ventilated patients
during the course of the module (to be confirmed by the clinical
mentor).
BSc (Hons) Acute Clinical Practice
which module relates
Module team/authors/
coordinator
Semester offered, where
appropriate
Site where delivered
Date of first approval
Date of last revision
Date of approval of this
version
Version number
Replacement for previous
module
Field for which module is
acceptable and status in that
field
Course(s) for which module is
Module Leader - Heather Baid
Intensive Care Pathway Board
1 or 2
Falmer
November 1998
June 2008
Nov 2010
5
N/A
Undergraduate continuing professional education, School of
Nursing and Midwifery
Mandatory module for Level 6 Intensive Care Pathway
School home
Optional/mandatory module for BSc (Hons) in Acute Clinical
Practice
Optional/mandatory module for BSc (Hons) in Professional
Practice
Optional/Mandatory for BSc Professional Clinical Practice
School of Nursing and Midwifery
External examiner
Tina Moore (2008-2012)
NHS Knowledge & Skills
Framework
Core Dimensions 1-5
Health and Wellbeing 1-8
Information and Knowledge 1-3
acceptable and status in
course