General provisions

The course is included in the degree programme in specialist nursing education in health/nursing care for children and adolescents and consists of 7.5 credits, including 6 practical education credits in pediatrics. The theoretical section consists of 0.5 credits in pediatrics intensive care and 1 credit in nursing of children in intensive care. The course contains 5 credits in health sciences and 2.5 credits in medical science and the course can be taken within the framework of an international exchange programme.

Entry requirements

Professional status qualification issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare as Registered Nurse and Degree of Bachelor of Nursing/Caring sciences of 120 credits/180 credits, including at least 60 credits/90 credits within the main field of study: health sciences, health/caring sciences with specialisation in nursing, nursing, or the equivalent foreign degree.

Furthermore, professional experience of work as registered nurse corresponding to a minimum of 12 months of full time working hours.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should have the capacity to:

• account for the disease panorama occurring in children and adolescents requiring nursing care in anaesthesia and intensive care, related to aetiology, pathophysiology, symptomatology, diagnostics and treatment, and related nursing care, with a special focus on diseases in the respiratory and the circulatory organs
• in consultation with children and parents/close of kin observe, assess and identify the requirement of nursing care in children and adolescents in intensive care, establish a plan for the nursing care, plan, lead, perform and evaluate measures taken, involve parents in their children’s care, and provide the pertaining documentation
• account for how the nursing process is applied to be in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly regarding the right of children and adolescents to obtain information, participate in decisions, and maintain their relations and activities in daily life during their hospitalisation
• account for advanced knowledge and professional skills in pharmacology, drug processing and drug dosage in the care of children and adolescents
• account for the nursing care of children treated with invasive or non-invasive ventilation
• evaluate her/his level of knowledge and draw a plan for continued knowledge development in specific fields of knowledge

Content

Physiology of the healthy child, age 0-7 years

Pathophysiology and failure in vital functions

Ethics and view of man within pediatrics

Human rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Infectious diseases

Nursing in connection with invasive and non-invasive respiratory support of children

Pharmacology, drug processing and drug dosage, with special focus on sedation and pain alleviation and inotrope drugs

Care in the final stage of life

Theories relevant to health care for children and adolescents, such as family, crisis, and coping theories

Instruction

Theoretical studies: Lectures, literature studies, seminars, web based reflection.

The course is partly web based with four to six course days at the study venue. The student must have access to a computer with a high quality web camera and access to Internet.

Clinical Placement: Training of proficiency in clinical skills and simulated situations, participant observation, literature studies, ethical analysis, documentation of nursing activities, pain assessment, calculation of drug dosage, web based reflection.

The period of clinical practice commences with joint planning by the clinical supervisor, the student and the teacher, during which the student formulates her/his individual goals.

Clinical supervision is performed by a registered nurse with specialist education in pediatric nursing, together with a clinical university lecturer/clinical senior lecturer/university assistant professor (with a PhD degree).

Compulsory components

Introduction to the course, seminars, proficiency training in clinical procedures, clinical placement, study assignments accounted for by written or oral presentations. Presence at a certain number of key lectures.

Assessment

Theoretical studies: Examination of the course objectives is arranged on a continuous basis throughout the course as oral and written assignments and examinations, individually and in groups. At a group examination the student must participate actively, demonstrating knowledge and reflection.

Clinical placement: Examination of the course includes assessment of knowledge, skills and attitudes according to formulated learning outcomes, the AssCE-form at second cycle level, study assignments and clinical examinations related to the aims of the course.

Other directives

A student who has failed an examination has the right to undergo renewed examination 4 more times (= total examination). After 5 failed examinations, the student can lose his place in the programme. However if special circumstances apply, the Undergraduate Education Committee can permit an additional examination. Each occasion when the student participates in an examination is considered an examination attempt. Submission of a so called "blank" exam is considered an examination. The student has the right to request another examiner after 2 failed examinations.

A student who did not pass the clinical placement has the right to a renewed clinical placement once.

Premature interruption of clinical placement

A student may fail and be forced to interrupt the clinical placement prematurely if there is a noticeable risk that the student, due to incompetence, may do harm to another individual or valuable property if he or she continues the clinical placement.

An individual plan should be laid down for the student and be given to him/her in writing. This plan, to be laid down by the programme committee, must specify the inadequacy in knowledge and skills at hand, the support the student can receive from the department , and also state how and when the assessment will take place, and describe the methods for examination that will be applied. A student is entitled to a maximum of two control occasions, however no more than once a year.

The student is not allowed to participate in the clinical placement again, until the programme committee has controlled and confirmed that the student has reached the required knowledge and skills.