Emergency Care and High Dependency Nursing (5 ECTS)

Objective

Students
- are familiar with legislation related to emergency care and high dependency nursing and understand nurses’ responsibilities and obligations in relation to the patients of emergency care and high dependency nursing
- understand the significant aspects of emergency care and high dependency nursing and the importance of multiprofessional collaboration from the perspective of patient’s overall care
- are familiar with nurses’ key competence areas in nursing of emergency care and high dependency patients
- understand the importance of needs assessment of emergency care patients as part of patient safety
- can implement patient triage categories
- are able to use diagnostic methods for patients in emergency care
- understand the importance of emergency care and high dependency care as part of the acute care patient’s clinical pathway
- can provide information on medical, work-related and population-level exposure to radiation in general terms and interpret radiation risks
- can inform about the quality and extent of exposure to radiation in daily work tasks
- understand the general principles of radiation protection and can apply them to practice

Content

- legislation, significant aspects and nurses’ competence areas in emergency care
- emergency care in primary health care and specialized health care, joint emergency departments
- emergency care and high dependency units, staffing structure, multiprofessional collaboration
- needs assessment of emergency care patients
- triage categories
- laboratory tests, minor procedures (pleural puncture and pleural drain, lumbar puncture)
- nursing care of epidural/spinal anaesthesia patients
- monitoring and care of emergency surgery patients
- radiation safety
- basics of radiation physics and biology and their significance to the use of medical radiation
- effective legislation on the use of medical radiation
- major technical and physical factors affecting radiation safety and procedures related to them in medical situations involving exposure to radiation at work

Location and time

Autumn 2025

Materials

To be announced in the orientation

Teaching methods

Interactive lectures
Guided assignments
Laboration
Simulation
Independent e-learning
Exam

Exam schedules

Exam studio (The dates will be announced in the orientation)
1. re-exam
2. re-exam

Completion alternatives

Student can enroll to the course together with the Finnish-speaking group, if fluent in Finnish.

Student workload

5cr = 135h
Emergency care and high dependency nursing (2,5cr = 67,5h)
Lectures: 4 x 4h = 16h
Lab + simulation 2 x 4h
Independent studying and assignments 40h
Exam 2h

Surgical and perioperative nursing (1,5cr = 40,5h)
Surg/periop simulations 2 x 2h = 4h
Independent studies for the simulation 8h
Article assignment 28,5h

Radiation safety (1cr = 27h)
Lectures 4h
Independent studying 23h

Content scheduling

Opintojakson tarkempi aikataulutus löytyy lukujärjestyksistä.

HUOM! Orientaatiossa, laboraatioissa, simulaatioissa ja työpajassa on pakollinen läsnäolo. Orientaatio on pakollinen myös silloin, jos suoritat vain jotain kurssin osaa.

Further information

Prerequisites:
Medical Nursing Competence. Basic knowledge of Pharmacotherapy.
Students must confirm their attendance for a course implementation by being present when tuition begins or in another manner agreed with the lecturer; for example, by returning the first course assignment. Students who are unable to attend the first teaching session due to illness may also confirm their attendance by informing the lecturer of this in advance.

The approved performance of the radiation safety component entitles the holder to work in an environment where ionizing radiation is used in connection with a medical procedure.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

See the attachment "Framework for evaluation criteria of competence"

Assessment methods and criteria

Exam 1-5, failed
Simulations and laboratories passed-failed

Qualifications

Medical Nursing Competence.
Surgical nursing Competence.