| CODE | NUR4426 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Prehospital Emergency Nursing: Core Concepts and Competencies | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Nursing | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit offers a hands-on introduction for nurses looking to apply their existing emergency nursing knowledge and skills to care for patients in the prehospital setting. The study-unit follows a seminar-based format, and includes a variety of prehospital topics, including: - Principles and practices of prehospital emergency nursing - Prehospital life support and resuscitation - Prehospital assessment and management of sudden acute illness, and mental health problems - Prehospital assessment and management of major trauma - Response to serious, multiple casualty, and major incidents The study-unit is highly interactive and practical, incorporating a variety of teaching methods, including brief lectures, group discussions, case studies, skill stations, and simulated scenarios. Study-Unit Aims: - To familiarize students with the core principles and practices of prehospital emergency nursing. - To equip students with essential clinical skills and competencies for prehospital emergency care. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - discuss the key principles and practices of prehospital emergency nursing; - compare and contrast emergency nursing practices as they occur in-hospital to the prehospital environment; - identify the challenges related to communication, safety, and resource availability in prehospital emergency care; - outline the process for conducting an initial (primary) patient assessment and calculating an Early Warning Score in prehospital trauma and non-trauma cases; - discuss the findings that may emerge from the prehospital assessment, in relation to common non/trauma presentations; - discuss the principles of selective spinal motion restriction in prehospital emergency care; - discuss the important considerations when providing care for children, elderly individuals, and those with mental health conditions in the prehospital setting; and - explain the principles of triage in mass casualty situations. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - perform an initial (primary) assessment and calculate an Early Warning Score in the prehospital setting, effectively communicating the findings; - administer prehospital life support, including chest compressions, automated defibrillation, suctioning, the use of simple and supraglottic airway adjuncts, and bag-valve-mask (BVM) and automated ventilation; - manage severe external bleeding through direct pressure, wound packing, and applying an arterial tourniquet; - apply a cervical collar, junctional tourniquet, vented chest seal, pelvic binder, and femoral traction splint; - maintain in-line stabilisation of the spine during spinal motion restriction (incl. log-rolling and extrication); - conduct a 2-person helmet removal; - prepare a patient for transportation by ambulance; and - hand-over the patient to other healthcare professionals using a systematic approach. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Nutbeam, T., Boylan, M., Leech, C. and Bosanko, C. (Eds.). (2023). ABC of Prehospital Emergency Medicine (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. Supplementary Readings: - AACE & JRCALC Clinical Guidelines, available from https://www.classprofessional.co.uk/ems-fire/jrcalc/jrcalc-apps/icpg-the-jrcalc-app-subscriptions/ - Alson, R.L., Han, K. and Campbell, J.E. (2019). International Trauma Life Support for Emergency Care Providers (9th ed.). Pearson. - Greaves, I. and Porter, K. (2021). Oxford Handbook of Pre-hospital Care (2nd.). Oxford University Press. - Pollak, A.N. (Ed.). (2023). Nancy Caroline's Emergency Care in the Streets (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett. - Mistovich, J.J., Werman, H.A., Karren, K.J. and Hafen, B.Q. (2024). Prehospital Emergency Care (12th ed.). Pearson. - National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. (2021). AMLS - Advanced Medical Life Support: An Assessment Based Approach (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett. - National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. (2023). PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett. - Pilbery, R. and Lethbridge, K. (2023). Ambulance Care Clinical Skills. Class Professional Publishing. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: Nurses or nursing students in possession of a valid Basic Life Support certificate (healthcare provider level or equivalent). | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Practical | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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