Pediatric Nursing, With Emergency Care Focus, 7.5 credits

The general aims of the course are that the student should on completion of the course be able to apply advanced knowledge in anatomy, pathophysiology, pharmacology, clinical diagnostics, pain physiology and failure in vital bodies and apply these within the framework of specific nursing of critically ill children and youths within paediatric emergency care.

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding
- analyse and explain symptom and treatment at children and youths in different acute diseases,
- identify and analyse nursing needs at the emergency care and triage system,
- show knowledge and understanding about improvement -, development - and current research within the peadiatric emergency care.
- show knowledge of crisis intervention and coping strategies in connection with mental stressful situations for child/youth, parents and staff.

Skills and abilities
- show ability to prioritise, initiate, carry out and evaluate nursing actions at complex/acute diseases considering the patients' developmental stage, family situation, cultural background and genders,
- show ability to integrate the nursing process by analysing assess argue too and handle complex phenomena, issues and situations also with restricted information,
- demonstrate the ability to nursing actions in an intercultural context and ensure patient-safe communication,
- demonstrate scientific precision in analysis and written text.

Judgement and approach
- analyse and reflect around relevant scholarship and best practice, see its relationship and importance for specialist the nursing profession within peadiatric emergency care,
- show ability, within the UN Child Convention and societal- and ethical aspects inherence of a holistic approach in peadiatrics emergency care,
- demonstrate the ability to personal inventory relevant to professional practice, and stand up for the basic values in pediatric healthcare, as well as the basic values of healthcare that follow the Health Care Act, Patient Safety Act, World Health Organization and the UN's Health and Human Rights View.

The contents of the course focus on the emergency medicine knowledge field with a specialisation in care of children and youths. Within the frame of the course, medical, surgical and orthopaedic conditions, trauma and care and treatment at acute failure in vital functions are studied. Furthermore, descriptive anatomy and emergency care in different medical and surgical diseases are treated concerning respiratory system, cardiovascular system, the fluid- electrolyte balance and acid/base, neurology and neurophysiology and pain and pain treatment. In addition, the course makes an overview of specific nursing including ethics, the diversity perspective, and related to scholarship and research within the emergency care. Further is treated the child/the youth/the situation and interaction of the family and communication. Finally so be treated also laws, ordinances and safety precautions occurring in the paediatric emergency care.

The teaching is based on a problem-oriented and collaborative approach to learning in which the tasks provide opportunities for the student to take active responsibility for their learning. The used teaching methods are introductory lectures and student-activating teaching and working methods (individually, in groups and in seminars).
The course is carried out as distance education with a webbased learning management system  as basis.

Working in groups, active participation in seminars and attendance at all scheduled group meetings is mandatory.

The course coordinator decides whether, and if so how, absence from compulsory course elements can be made up. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

The course contains part-examinations and final examination with a collaborative approach with project-groups (peer learning), individual work, and peer review based on patient cases linked to specific issues.

Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five more occasions. Students without approved results after three examinations can be offered to retake the course or parts of it once more; subject to availability. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. Each occasion the student participates in the same test counts as an examination. Submission of a blank exam paper is regarded as an examination. In case a student is registered for an examination but does not attend, this is not regarded as an examination. The webbased examination that has been opened via the learning management system counts as an examination session even if the examination is not submitted. Late submissions of examinations are not accepted. Students who have not submitted on time are referred to re-examination.

Examination will be provided during a period of two years after a close-down of the course. Examination may take place under a previous reading list during a period of one year after the date of the renewal of the reading list.

The course evaluation takes place according to guidelines established by the Board of education.

This course replaces 2QA189.

Language of instruction: Swedish.