Continuing professional education

Urgent and emergency care pathway

This pathway is designed to develop the knowledge and skills of health care professionals providing urgent and emergency care in whichever care setting the patient presents.

The key features which differentiate urgent and emergency care from all other areas of healthcare are that it is unscheduled, for any health care condition, and for any age group. The modules are suitable for nurses and practitioners working in a range of care settings - GP surgeries, walk-in-centres, minor injuries units, urgent treatment centres, urgent care centres, assessment units and traditional A&E departments.

The content of the modules encompasses a wide range of clinical conditions of illness and injury, and is designed to meet the needs of health care practitioners working in urgent and emergency care settings. The modules offer students the flexibility to choose whichever is most appropriate to enhance their knowledge and skills for the area they currently work in, and also to be able to diversify and enhance their knowledge in other areas of urgent and emergency care.

Completion of a clinical pathway will enable practitioners to develop towards enhanced career status. The majority of practitioners who undertake these pathways continue to work in the chosen area of practice after completion.

Students complete a clinical pathway of 60 credits comprising core clinical modules from the Urgent and Emergency Care Pathway and optional clinical modules from the SNM portfolio of modules available in the Acute Clinical Practice BSc(Hons) award. The aim of the pathway is to foster lifelong learning by encouraging practitioners to study a collection of modules pertinent to their learning needs rather than to study a pre-determined route which may not suit their clinical focus or personal development plan.

Modules cover the specificity of assessment and management for the relevant care setting and conditions which present. These include comprehensive system assessment, cardiac, respiratory, abdominal, musculoskeletal, neurological, mental health, ear nose and throat, ophthalmology, wound care, burns, maxillo-facial. The taught clinical components are enhanced by the addition of a range of generic professional components essential in urgent and emergency care - accountability, ethical and legal issues, history taking and documentation, clinical decision-making, protection of vulnerable adults and children, psychological and social assessment, requesting and interpretation of clinical investigations, and referral to specialist health care practitioners.

Extensive - 15 study days for 30 credit modules, and 10 study days for 20 credit modules attended as one day per week during the semester of study.

Previous students are now working in a variety of roles in clinical practice including; primary care practice nurses, primary care specialist roles, emergency care sisters and charge nurses, emergency nurse practitioners, emergency care practitioners, and emergency care matrons.

• Urgent Care First Contact - 20 credits
  The assessment and management of minor injuries and illnesses in Primary Care and Community Practice
• Emergency Care Admissions - 30 credits
  The assessment and management of undifferentiated, undiagnosed acute+/- chronic deteriorating emergency illness/disease/conditions which require emergency admission to hospital.
• Emergency Care Trauma - 30 credits
  The assessment, prioritisation, planning, implementation and evaluation of emergency care for patients attending with acute minor to major/multiple injury trauma presentations.
• Emergency Care Developing Autonomous Practice - 30 credits
  The development of autonomous practice for effective management of a specified range of minor injuries and illnesses within an emergency care area of practice.
• Physical Assessment of Adults - 20 credits
  The development of knowledge and skills in the process of physical assessment of patients/ clients in the student's specialist area of practice using appropriate knowledge, assessment methods and interpersonal skills.

For an information pack, including application form please contact the CPE admissions team on namcpeadmissions@brighton.ac.uk or 01273 644016.

For an informal discussion contact the Pathway Leader:

Christine Crawford
01273 644058
cc46@brighton.ac.uk