Course Description and Objectives: This course will provide a blend of theory and practice within the emergency department. Specific emergency presentations related to Ophthalmological, ENT, Maxillofacial, dental emergencies, endocrine and metabolic, Overdose and poisoning, Skin, and Mental health emergencies will be discussed, as well as the broader concepts of care coordination throughout the emergency department, and self and staff support. The current clinical issues that face emergency nurses will be explored, encourage the student to develop strategies for dealing with issues in a dynamic and busy environment. This part of the semester will broadly focus on developing the student’s confidence in leading teams, identifying and addressing psychosocial issues experienced by patients, relatives/ significant others and staff, and addressing issues that are unique to the emergency context.
Course objectives
• Demonstrate the provision of patient-focused culturally competent and integrated holistic care across a range of emergency department patient presentations.
• Integrate advanced theoretical and clinical knowledge required for the coordination of care delivery throughout the emergency department environment.
• Demonstrate the ability to work as leaders/ role models in advanced practice roles within a collaborative multidisciplinary team – including triage.
• Evaluate and integrates the use of analytical enquiry and critical reflection into nursing practice, through contemporary issues, i.e. current evidence-based guidelines, and consensus statements, in emergency nursing.
• Integrate advanced theoretical and clinical knowledge in order to undertake assessment and implement nursing care for specific patient presentations, Ophthalmological, ENT, and Maxillofacial, dental emergencies, endocrine and metabolic, Overdose and poisoning, Skin, and Mental health emergencies will be discussed.
Course contents: Anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, nursing actions related to: Ophthalmological, ENT, and Maxillofacial, dental emergencies, endocrine and metabolic, Overdose and poisoning, Skin, and Mental health emergencies.
Text Books and References:
Crouch, R., Charters, A., Dawood, M., & Bennett, P. (2017). Oxford handbook of emergency nursing (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Curtis, K., Ramsden, C., Fry, M., Shaban, R. Z., & Considine, J. (2019). Emergency and trauma care for nurses and paramedics (3rd ed.). Elsevier.
Lax, P. (Ed.). (2022). Textbook of acute trauma care. Springer.
ENA. (2017). Emergency nursing core curriculum. Saunders.
