Course summary

This is an interprofessional, e-Learning programme, intended for healthcare professionals wishing to specialise in acute care or critical care, and those who teach within such settings. It provides opportunities to explore critical care as a multidimensional phenomenon, through the teaching and module assignments. The MSc in Critical Care is a part-time, distance learning course, which aims to provide the opportunity to explore critical care as a multidimensional phenomenon through the module assignments and through taught components. Critical care is the specialised and comprehensive care of patients whose conditions are life threatening, from pre-hospital assessment through to discharge from critical and acute care environments. The course explores the management of critically ill patients, and the final dissertation requires you to examine in-depth issues related to current practice of the critically ill patient. The course also aims to inform those who teach within the critical care setting at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels to further their knowledge and teach others more effectively. The full MSc course takes two years to complete, although you can choose to exit with a Postgraduate Certificate after nine months or a Postgraduate Diploma after 18 months, if you have fulfilled all the criteria for those awards. The taught component introduces you to the multifaceted nature of caring for a critically ill patient. The modular approach allows you to evaluate care of the acute or critically ill patient from an evidence-based perspective, at any point on the patient’s journey (pre-hospital to discharge), allowing consideration from a multi-professional approach. Professional issues, including interprofessional practice, law, ethics, quality and safety are covered, as well as the psychosocial aspects relevant to caring for critically ill patients. The assessments are structured to allow students to evaluate the topic in relation to their practice and professional base. Approximately 50 places are offered per intake and the majority of students are self-funded; although some obtain awards from charities and trusts. Distinctive features

• Opportunities for health care professionals to critically analyse, reflect upon and synthesise research evidence to inform practice.

• Students will be better able to critically evaluate the care they provide with the aim of improving patient care within a clinical governance framework. It recognises that these intellectual skills, as well as advanced research skills, are needed to perform at Master’s level and to lead innovation in practice.

• These intellectual skills are seen as transferable, key and/or generic and in many health care professions, Master’s level education is required for advanced or senior practice.

• It will also provide the opportunity for interprofessional collaboration, education and practice through discussion and debate (group work, case studies, critical incidences, etc.).

• It aims to facilitate professional and personal growth through promoting lifelong learning and professional awareness both from within the individual student’s profession and from how that profession understands and interacts with other health carers.

• An inter-professional approach to enhance group work, discussion sessions and case-based presentations.