fIntensive Care Specialities Module Descriptor
s
Field name
Comments/notes
Title
Code
Level
Credit rating
Pre-requisites
Intensive Care Specialities
NH3144
6
20
 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 intensive care unit
Extensive
The aim of the module is to enable students to:
 To develop specialist intensive care knowledge, skills
and awareness of the assessment and therapeutic
management of patients with acute gastrointestinal,
renal and neurological dysfunction
 To develop specialist intensive care knowledge skills
and awareness of management and educational
issues in intensive care
 To explore ethical dilemmas and end of life care in
intensive care
By the end of the module the students will be able to:
 Explain the pathophysiology of common illness/injuries
causing failure of the gastrointestinal, renal and
neurological systems in the intensive care setting and
critically analyse their management
 Accurately assess the gastrointestinal, renal and
neurological function of intensive care patients
(physical assessment,
renal/gastrointestinal/neurological laboratory results
and response to renal/gastrointestinal/neurological
therapies), critically analyse abnormal findings and
rationalize appropriate actions
 Critically analyse and demonstrate specialist intensive
care skills for managing nutrition (enteral and
parenteral), head injuries, patients in or at risk of acute
renal failure, transfer of critically ill patients, and
teaching in intensive care
 Critically evaluate the principles and management of
renal replacement therapies, burns, and intra-cranial
pressure monitoring as well as demonstrate specialist
intensive care skills for one of these 3 topics
 Explore specialist intensive care management of
diabetic ketoacidosis, liver failure, pancreatitis, wound
care, trauma, poisoning, and response to major
incidents
 Critically analyse organ donation, end of life issues,
ethical dilemmas and the patient’s experience in
intensive care
 Explore intensive care follow-up and ‘Critical Care
Without Walls’
Type of module
Aims
Learning outcomes/objectives

Content
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning support
Reflect on the care of patients with acute renal,
gastrointestinal, and neurological failure and
demonstrate an ability to critique and apply current
specialist intensive care research findings to clinical
practice
Renal, gastrointestinal and neurological pathophysiology
related to the intensive care setting
Physical assessment: abdominal and neurological
Management of acute and chronic renal failure, burns, acute
and chronic liver failure, pancreatitis, diabetic ketoacidosis,
trauma, and poisoning
Principles and management of renal replacement therapies
Administration and management of parenteral and enteral
nutrition
Management of patients with neurological dysfunction, head
injuries, and intra-cranial pressure monitoring
Current issues in wound care
Education in intensive care
Management and shift-leading in intensive care
Response to major incidents
Transfer of the critically ill patient
Critical Care Without Walls – management of the critically ill
patient outside of the intensive care unit
Intensive care follow-up
Organ donation
End of life issues and ethical dilemmas in intensive care
The patient’s experience 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 and other
assessors.
Reading List
Adam, S.K. and S. Osborne. 2005. Critical care nursing:
Science and practice. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Griffiths, R.D. and C. Jones. 2002. Intensive care aftercare.
Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
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.
Melia, K.M. 2004. Health care ethics : Lessons from intensive
care. London: Sage.
Morton, P.G. et al. 2005. Critical care nursing: A holistic
approach. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Scholes, J. 2006. Developing expertise in critical care nursing.
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
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://ccforum.com/
http://www.kidneyatlas.org/
http://www.crrtonline.com/01_edu_lectures.php
Assessment tasks
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
 Poster Presentation 75%
o Construction of a poster to provide education
on a subject relating to the module
o Viva based on subject of poster presentation
Practice
 Skills Inventory 25%
o 6 skills assessed in practice by a
mentor/assessor
Brief description of module content
and/or aims (maximum 80 words)
Area examination board to which
module relates
Module team/authors/ coordinator
Semester offered, where
appropriate
Site where delivered
Date of first approval
Date of last revision
This module will normally be the third for students undertaking
the Intensive Care Pathway. The module prepares students to
develop the specialist knowledge and skills for monitoring and
providing interventions for patients with gastro-intestinal,
neurological, and renal dysfunction. Management and teaching
issues within intensive care will also be explored. Students
must demonstrate 200 hours of contact time with intensive care
patients during the course of the module (to be confirmed by
the clinical mentor).
BSc (Hons) Acute Clinical Practice
Module Leader - Heather Baid
Intensive Care Pathway Board
1 or 2
Falmer
November 1998
June 2008
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
acceptable and status in course
School home
External examiner
NHS Knowledge & Skills
Framework
April 2010
4
N/A
Undergraduate continuing professional education, School of
Nursing and Midwifery
Mandatory module for Level 3 Intensive Care Pathway
Optional/mandatory module for BSc (Hons) in Acute Clinical
Practice
Optional/mandatory module for BSc (Hons) in Professional
Practice
Optional/mandatory module for BSc (Hons) in Professional
Clinical Practice
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Tina Moore (2008-2012)
Core Dimensions 1-5
Health and Wellbeing 1-8
Information and Knowledge 1-3
General 1