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PGCert

Critical Care

The course will provide opportunity for healthcare professionals to be forward thinking practitioners who are armed with ability to utilise current evidence-based practice and to problem solve in a more autonomous manner. When healthcare practitioners are more knowledgeable, they can challenge practice in order to advance patient care.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

The course will allow students to grow and develop as questioning and autonomous practitioners. This course is designed to develop your knowledge and understanding and ability to demonstrate application and clinical competence which will be evidenced through Critical Care Steps 2 competencies and Critical Care Steps 3 competencies.

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

Lecturer and students taking part in a practical session
A lecturer using a stethoscope on a patient in a simulated practical session.
Three student nurses performing CPR on a mannequin in a simulated hospital environment.
Student nurse treating a patient in the clinical simulation centre with a lecturer overseeing

Module Overview

Course content will include the application of a range of real examples (scenarios) that the student would likely meet whilst working in critical care. These will range from simple to complex in order to reflect the type of scenarios the students will meet in practice. These will include moral, legal, ethical and professional issues, as well as the debating the differing ranges of therapeutic interventions that may be needed for particular condition/disease processes. Additionally, relationships with patients and relatives, physical assessment, managing the complexity of physiological changes, leadership and evaluating and facilitating change in service delivery will also be considered.

Applied science to the assessment of the critically ill patient

The aim of this module is to enable students to explore the impact disease has on the critically ill patient by exploring and critically analysing the pathophysiology of ill health.  This module will take a system-based approach to explore the physiology and pathophysiology related to disease processes.

Advancing Assessment and Management of the Critically Ill

The aim of this module is to enable students, to develop advanced health assessment knowledge and skills to underpin current practice roles. This module is patient focused and explores the underpinning evidence base for assessment and monitoring techniques utilised to prioritise patient care delivery.

Contemporary Issues in Critical Care 

The aim of the module is for the student to acquire the theoretical understanding of a range of themes to inform contemporary critical care. The aim is to explore effective coordination of care with a focus on rehabilitation, ethics as well as psychosocial aspects relevant to caring for critically ill patients.

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

A range of teaching, assessment and learning activities will be used as a means of offering appropriately real life challenging learning opportunities, allowing flexibility and a range of resources that encourage engagement. Learning will be scaffolded week on week to build on and develop knowledge which can then be demonstrated in clinical practice. The course modules will be delivered in a flexible manner through a mixture of on campus and online virtual learning environment settings.

Modules will be sequential to avoid assessment bunching and a range of different assessment types will be adopted as requested by clinicians and to meet Steps 2 and Steps 3 competencies.

Facilities

We have a fully equipped Emergency Department, ambulance and ITU room. The use of much of this equipment will require specific digital skills and the ability to trouble- shoot and problem solve. The equipment used by our students is very advanced and we will enhance their experiences and knowledge in a safe environment, including using their digital fluency within their roles as healthcare professionals.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

Applicants must have a relevant degree.

Applicants must be currently employed within a critical care environment and remain in that employment throughout the duration of the course.

The Course Leader will use discretion to accept applications based on previous experience aligned to Step 1 and Step 2 competencies confirmed by line manager or education lead from the named Health Board. Applicants can only study this course with the permission and support of their employers.

Applicants must hold a professional registration with the NMC or HCPC and be active on that said register and must have completed Step 1 competencies.

Applicants will normally have 18 months critical care experience. Applicants with a minimum of 12 months experience will be considered if appropriate evidence of professional development is provided (e.g. completion of Step 1 competencies).

Applicants whose first language is not English are normally required to have IELTS 6.5 (preferably with a high mark in the written component). This course is not open to the international market but is available to international nurses already settled in the UK and working within one of the Health Board.

Additional Requirements:

Applicants must be currently employed within a critical care environment and remain in that employment throughout the duration of the course. Their employment must nominate them and support them for the duration of the course.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Part-time Fee

£1,200

per 20 credits*
UK Part-time Fee

£1,200

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment. 

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University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
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Pontypridd Campus, Glyntaff
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How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Next Steps

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