Developing postgraduate awards for critical care.
This report outlines a qualitative study that explored the academics' perceptions of postgraduate education for critical care. A framework was generated using models of curriculum design. Focus groups and interviews were undertaken to explore four areas within this framework - taught theory/professional practice, advanced practice skills, assessment and delivery. The findings revealed that ethical and legal aspects of role, research, physiology decision-making and practice skills such as defibrillation, first line treatment and patient assessment were considered extremely relevant to such a programme. Practice assessment was considered essential to ensure clinical credibility of the programme and the practitioner. Frameworks were generated to define the nature of advanced critical care practice. As such, work-based learning and interprofessional supervision were seen as key elements of the programme. Finally areas for further research were identified.
Saggs
Pauline
P
Department of Clinical Health Interventions, Critical Care, Anglia Polytechnic University, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1SQ, UK. p.saggs@apu.ac.uk
D001363:Awards and Prizes; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003479:Curriculum; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D017145:Models, Educational; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education; D015402:Nursing Education Research / Q000379:methods; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards; D036301:Qualitative Research; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D006113:United Kingdom