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. Absence from a compulsory course element have to be compensated in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator.

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.

The grading scale is Fail/Pass. Grades are assigned by the examiner.

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. 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. An electronic 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.

For a course that has been closed-down or have undergone major changes or where the reading list has been changed considerably two additional tests (excluding regular tests) in the previous literature and the earlier contents should be given during a period of one year from the date of the revision.

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