Pre-registration education: making a difference to critical care?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Critical Care Nursing
• Patient Management

Background:

• High-dependency nursing requires specialized skills for critically ill patients.
• Pre-registration training gaps exist in critical care management.
• Need for enhanced nursing programs to address critical care competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a pre-registration high-dependency nursing program.
• To assess the program's impact on student learning and confidence in managing critically ill patients.
• To explore the effectiveness of the program's content and delivery methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of a two-module program: 'Care of the Acutely Ill Adult' and 'Caring for the Highly Dependant/Critically Ill Adult'.
• Exploration of module content, delivery, advantages, and disadvantages.
• Evaluation of student feedback from 59 nursing students.

Main Results:

• Students reported improved knowledge, assessment skills, and management of critically ill patients.
• Increased identification and referral of critically ill patients by nursing students to outreach teams.
• Acknowledged improvements in critical care nurse recruitment post-program implementation.

Conclusions:

• The developed high-dependency nursing program effectively enhances student preparedness for critical care.
• The program positively influences student confidence and practical skills in managing critically ill patients.
• The initiative contributes to improved patient identification and critical care workforce development.