Nursing in haematology, 7.5 credits

Nurse degree of 180 HE credits or Bachelor's degree in nursing including a minimum of 180 HE credits. English and Swedish language skills equivalent to English A and Swedish B at Swedish upper secondary school are also required. Alternatively ongoing studies at Study programme in specialist nursing at Karolinska Institutet.

The general aim of the course is that the student should have acquired advanced knowledge and skills to carry out evidence-based nursing in hematologic care.

Learning outcomes Knowledge and understanding
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• explain relationships between nursing need and hematologic diseases and treatment.
• identify and justify choice of evidence-based nursing actions at hematologic disease with a focus on antitumoral treatment and stem cell transplantation.
• account for expected risks as well as preventive measures in connection with antitumoral treatment.

Skills and ability
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• identify and assess nursing need, as well as analyse, plan, carry out and evaluate and document nursing actions and self-care related to hematologic disease with a focus on antitumoral treatment and stem cell transplantation
• be able to apply current laws, regulations, national caring programmes and other control documents in relation to nursing at hematologic care
• together with the interprofessional team analyse and plan measures in hematologic care
• support the patient and relatives psychosocially in a changed living environment in hematologic care

Judgement ability and approach
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• with a reflected ethical attitude be able to protect the patient's autonomy, security, integrity and human rights in the hematologic care
• apply professional attitude vis-à-vis the patient and family as well as staff

• Hematologic physiology and pathophysiology i.e. the hematopoiesis
• Hematologic benign and malignant diseases including symptoms, diagnostics, treatment and side effects of the treatments
• Evidence-based nursing at antitumoral treatment and stem cell transplantation
• Risks for patients and health-care personnel at antitumoral treatment
• Laws, regulations, national caring programmes and other control documents in relation to nursing at hematologic care
• Psychosocial care of patients and relatives with a chronic or acute hematologic disease that can lead to cure or a palliative phase.
• Patient education and self-care in hematologic care

The course is carried out as distance education as half-time studies by means of a web-based learning management system. 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 teaching methods are literature studies, study assignments, virtual group discussions in real time or asynchronous (discussions go on over a long period of time), seminars and lectures. The teaching methods imply high activity of own knowledge acquisition, problem-solving and critical reflection and analysis to integrate clinical knowledge in theory and theoretical knowledge in clinic.

For assessment if the students have reached the intended learning outcomes two examination formats are used:

• An advanced assignment in a nursing aspect at antitumoral treatment or stem cell transplantation that is presented orally for the course participants on a compulsory seminar.
• An individual written assignment that is based on a patient case.

To pass the course, it is required that the intended learning outcomes are fulfilled, which means passed results in all examinations as well as active participation in compulsory seminars.

In case of absence from the mandatory activities, the examiner will decide if and how the absence can be compensated. Final results cannot be reported for students who have not participated in the mandatory activities/examination or compensated for absence according to the examiner's directives.
In case of absence from mandatory activities, the student may not be able to compensate for absence till the next time the course is offered.

Late submission of examination assignments will not be assessed. Students who do not submit their assignments on time will be referred to the next re-examination date. The examiner will decide if a student has special reason for delayed submission. 

Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. This does not apply if the course is no longer offered or has undergone major changes. Students who have not passed an examination three times can be offered to re-do the course or part of the course one more time. This is applicable only if there is available place in the course.

In case of special grounds or need for adaptation for students with functional variation, the examiner may decide to deviate from the regulations of the course syllabus regarding form of examination, number of examination opportunities, possibility of supplementation or exemptions from mandatory moments of the course etc. Content and objectives/learning outcomes of the course and level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or lowered.

In case of cancellation of the course, or if the course had undergone major changes or if the course literature has changed substantially, examination opportunity will be provided three times (in addition to regular) on the earlier content or the earlier course literature respectively. This will be offered during a period of at least one year after the date the change has taken place.

Course evaluation is carried out according to the guidelines that are established by the Committee for Higher Education, basic and advanced level, at Karolinska Institutet.