Course summary

This course aims to facilitate the registered adult nurse in developing a critical, holistic, and systematic understanding of and approach to adult critical care, which describes when patients need 24-hour care. This is also sometimes called intensive care unit nursing, or ICU nursing. This course covers care of the individual critically ill adult; the wider implications of care interventions for the critical care unit; their own professional development within adult critical care; and principles of service improvement and advanced research within the context of the provision adult critical care services. You will develop your applied knowledge and understanding of a range of topics relevant to caring for the critically ill adult patient. This will include consideration of the relevant anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, aetiology, assessment, therapeutic interventions, psychological implications and nursing care.