Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Critical Care Nursing

Purpose

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Critical Care Nursing qualification is to develop intellectual and practical skills and professional values and to strengthen and deepen the learners' knowledge and expertise in nursing as a speciality.

Acquiring this qualification will enable the graduate nurse specialist to function as a clinical leader who is clinically focused, competent, independent, service orientated and autonomous with the ability to render comprehensive, scientific nursing care as determined by legislation.

This qualification is aimed at developing specialist nurses for the adult critical care environment that supports the vision of developing a sustainable pipeline of nurses who are competent and knowledgeable to be able to provide nursing care in a specialist unit where patients are vulnerable during the care period.

In addition, this qualification provides career development opportunities for nurses who have completed their undergraduate nursing studies and are compliant with South African Health and Nursing legislation.

Upon completion of the qualification, learners will be able to

• Provide clinical leadership in the care of patient/s throughout the lifespan in a

specialist nursing/midwifery field.

• Provide comprehensive evidence-based nursing/midwifery care including

technology for patients in a specialist nursing/midwifery field.

• Practice within an ethical-legal framework.
• Evaluate health care outcomes and make innovative suggestions to improve quality care and safety.
• Provide professional support for personnel, patients, families, and groups to promote independence and behavioural change.
• Explore and improve current practices to meet the changing needs of patients and communities.
• Demonstrate accountability and moral reasoning for independent clinical

decisions made.

• Participate in research activities such as fieldwork and publication of clinical findings.

Rationale

This qualification is required to meet the South African Nursing Council's (SANC) competency profile for the adult critical care specialist nurse. Nurses trained to the undergraduate level have limited exposure to the critical care unit. Since the phase-out of the legacy non-HEQSF Diploma in Medical and Surgical Nursing (Critical Care Nursing Science), there has been a paucity of training of specialist nurses for all specialist areas including the critical care unit. Specialist units such as the critical care unit require specially trained nurses who have undergone quality education and exposure to the institution's world-class facilities for clinical learning to provide safe patient care.

The SANC published a position paper dated 25/2/2021 stating that a specialist nurse should manage specialist units, should have a shift leader who is a specialist nurse and that non-specialist nurses in training require supervision from a specialist nurse. In line with the vision and the mission of the institution, this qualification seeks to train nurse specialists, that will address, in the immediate, the needs of specialised critical care for its patients and that of Human Resources for Health in South Africa.

The target candidate profile for admission to this qualification should have

Registration with the SANC as a Professional Nurse and Midwife (NQF level 8).

or

Registration with the SANC as a General Nurse with a Midwifery qualification (NQF level 7).

In addition, two years' experience after registration as a Professional Nurse and Midwife or General Nurse and Midwife which includes at least one year of experience in the field of the speciality within the last five years, but this excludes the Community Service year.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL for access

At this stage, there is no anticipated RPL for access.

The SANC's Education and Training Guideline for Postgraduate Diplomas is specific with regard to the minimum requirements for admission:

• Proof of current registration as a Professional Nurse and Midwife or a General Nurse with a Midwifery qualification. Considering this requirement, it is challenging for a higher education institution to accommodate applicants via the route of RPL for access. The future possibility of RPL for access may be an implementable option in the case of:

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Advanced Diploma in Critical Care Nursing, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Trauma and Emergency Nursing, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Nursing Science, NQF Level 7.

And

• Registration with the SANC as a Professional Nurse and Midwife.

or

Registration with the SANC as a General Nurse with a Midwifery.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory modules, Level 8, 120 Credits

• Advanced nursing practice, 16 Credits.
• Research for practice development, 8 Credits.
• Advanced critical care nursing science, 92 Credits.
• Healthcare policy development, 4 Credits.

1. Practice and facilitate specialist nursing within the ethical-legal parameters of the profession.
2. Appraise and develop self, peers and nurse specialist learners by facilitating self-directedness or leadership and lifelong learning to maintain competence.
3. Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patients, families and communities.
4. Engage in planning, commissioning and managing a specialist unit.
5. Utilise, manage and communicate data to support decision-making and research.
6. Engage in scholarly activities to inform evidence-based practice.
7. Render and co-ordinate patient-centred specialist nursing practice within a continuum of care using the scientific approach, integrating biomedical and psychosocial sciences including advanced pharmacology.
8. Mobilise appropriate resources to implement standards of practice relevant to the area of specialization to ensure quality patient care and safety.
9. Collaborate within the inter and intra-professional team by engaging in health dialogue, shared leadership, decision-making and sound clinical judgment
10. Develop and implement institutional policies, protocols, and guidelines in specialization, utilising the process of change management in the improvement of quality of care.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Demonstrate conformity to the relevant code of ethics in the practice of specialist nursing.
• Account for own professional judgment, actions, outcomes of care and continued competence is demonstrated.
• Apply and identify relevant latest legislation, policies, regulations and guidelines pertaining to specialist practice are identified and applied.
• Document care activities accurately, comprehensively and timeously considering the legal requirements for record keeping.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate leadership skills through application of appropriate leadership styles, principles and theories.
• Utilise feedback gained from self-reflection, peers, learners and management to improve effectiveness in the specialist role.
• Facilitate Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for self and others effectively for lifelong learning by creating a positive learning climate in the workplace through the processes of mentorship, preceptorship, supervision, and performance appraisal.
• Engage in performance appraisal and illustrate an understanding of the purpose and processes of the performance management and development system.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patients, families and communities.
• Illustrate understanding of the purpose of the advocacy role for a specialist nurse.
• Apply advocacy principles to advocate for safe and quality care in healthcare institutions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Engage in planning, commissioning and managing a specialist unit.
• Illustrate an understanding of levels and/or classification of the respective specialist units.
• Commission tasks considering the burden of diseases and priority services as determined by current events.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Utilise, manage and communicate data to support decision-making and research.
• Document all data or information gathered in the context of the specialist practice for utilisation and storage in accordance with the set standards.
• Identify problems, diagnoses and opportunities for improvement based on gathered and critically analysed assessment data from the patients or clients, families, communities, learners or employees including current scientific evidence.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Practice in the respective specialisations with knowledge of appropriate search engines and databases for review of the literature to inform evidence-based practice.
• Apply appropriate methods to generate evidence for utilisation in specialist practice (e.g.: research, systematic reviews).
• Illustrate awareness of the peer-reviewed journals to use for sharing of evidence.
• Actively participate in inter-professional dialogues, debates, and discourses in quality improvement.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Render and co-ordinate patient-centred specialist nursing practice within a continuum of care using the scientific approach, integrating biomedical and psychosocial sciences including advanced pharmacology
• Illustrate understanding of the position of own specialist service within the health care system.
• Render specialist care and integrate promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care in a continuum.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Mobilise appropriate resources to implement standards of practice relevant to the specialisation, to ensure quality patient care and safety.
• Illustrate understanding of the infrastructure and equipment needed in the specific area of specialisation.
• Render care with an understanding of operating and monitoring the equipment used in the specialist area.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9

• Consult and provide appropriate and timely provision of holistic care in a continuum through awareness of one's competence.
• Carry out patient referrals appropriately and timeously as dictated by the patient's condition and in accordance with the referral guidelines.
• Engage in the inter-professional team and be recognised by the members of the team.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10

• Apply the process of change and illustrate knowledge of the process and or steps of development of policies, standards, guidelines and protocols.
• Involve the relevant and pre-determined stakeholders in the development of policies, standards, protocols and guidelines.
• Apply the appropriate methods in the development and evaluation or testing of guidelines and protocols such as systematic or scoping reviews to inform development, and guidelines to the specialist area to demonstrate understanding and application of the change process.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

Formative and summative assessment during the qualification takes place through a process of evaluation to promote assessment for learning using feedback as a means of supporting learner development and informing teaching and learning practices.

The assessment plan is guided by the intention to assess the achievement of the respective exit level learning outcomes listed for an NQF level 8 qualification together with the desired graduate attributes that reflect higher-order thinking and critical cross-field outcomes.

Formative assessments

All assessments must include relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes related to the module.

Ten percent (10%) of learners in a particular programme will have their formative assessments conducted by the Specialist Educator.

The remaining 90% will be conducted by the relevant Clinical Training Specialist (CTS).

Formative clinical assessments must be conducted by two assessors, with at least the lead assessor being a registered assessor with the SANC.

A pass mark for formative clinical assessments is 50% or more.

Summative clinical assessments

The Subject Coordinator will compile the summative clinical assessment tool, student instructions and assessor instructions for the speciality clinical module using the relevant format and style for assessment tools as determined by the College.