This course introduces the emergency nurse to the provision of care in the emergency setting. The concepts of assessment of the emergency department patient and the initial prioritizing of care will be explored. The nursing and medical science related to Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Neurological, Musculoskeletal injuries, and Gastrointestinal emergencies will be discussed in detail. The theoretical concepts and knowledge gained will enable the emergency nurse to engage in discussions regarding the principles of emergency nursing, specifically for those patients presenting with a cardiac or respiratory emergency.
The content will be primarily oriented toward the adult patient. It will have both theoretical and clinical components supported by classroom teaching. Students will also be expected to complete a range of clinical competencies throughout the course. This course contains the theory that supports emergency nursing care. This course is designed to provide the emergency nursing student with a sound understanding of the principles of trauma management, with specific attention paid to significant body systems affected by physical trauma. The semester also branches out into common non-traumatic emergency presentations. Reference will be made to variations across the age continuum as required. This course will build on the knowledge gained from the first semester, with the overall aim to provide the student with recent and comprehensive clinical and theoretical information on emergency medical and nursing care.
The main objectives are:
1. Analyze and plan nursing practice that is specific to the emergency department environment
2. Design, implement, and appraise assessments appropriate for emergency patient presentations.
3. Design implement and evaluate holistic multidisciplinary care delivery for emergency department presentations.
4. Demonstrate a knowledge base complementary to emergency clinical nursing practice
5. Assess and integrate the concepts that make emergency nursing unique
6. Appraise the pathophysiology of diseases to the related topics process resulting in an emergency department patient presentation or impact upon the physiological/ psychosocial status of the patient.
7. Integrate information from current evidence-based guidelines and consensus statements to ensure the delivery of advanced emergency nursing care for patients with respected emergencies.
8. Evaluate the current clinical issues in emergency nursing and consider the implications for your clinical area.
9. Analyze and plan nursing practice specific to the emergency department environment about specific disorders.
