Degree Programme in Emergency Care: 18EH

Description

The Degree Programme in Emergency Care includes the the Degree Programme in Nursing. Bachelors of Health Care are authorised by National Supervisory Authority of Welfrare and Health. The degree is comparable with equivalent degrees in other EU countries.

THE CORE VALUE OF EDUCATION
The core values of the Degree Programme in Emergency Care are the respect for individuals, human dignity, confidentiality, responsibility and a high level of professional activity.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING OUTCOMES
Emergency nurse is able to care an acutely ill and emergency patients in hospitals and outside of hospitals. Emergency nurse can support the person´s health, evaluate, exam, take care and advice patient and his family in a holistic way and transport and guide him with further care.

Emergency nursing is based on nursing science and medicine, application of their good practices and other disciplines, such as social and behavioural sciences. Emergency nurse has good cooperation skills (relationship-, leadership- and communication skills). Emergency nurse works client/patient oriented, has extensive and basic technical and operational kwnowledge and skills. She/he is the expert of emergency nursing in different phases of the Emergency patient´s care chain.
Learning of nursing and emergency nursing includes both evaluation of prior knowledge and conduct in a reflective, critical and ethical way, realisation of new ways of action, and processing of personal attitudes. The starting point of learning is the multidimensional reality and knowledge of many levels. Learning rises from the key competence needs of the professional field.

COMPETENCIES PRODUCED BY THE DEGREE PROGRAMME IN EMERGENCY NURSING THROUGHOUT THE STUDY YEARS
After the first year of studies the emergency nursing student knows the basics of caring for patients and their relatives. The student can obey the lawframe, Health and Safety policy and ethical codes concerning health care. The student can identify and predict individual and community health problems. The student is able to monitor basic vital signs, recognises nursing needs, and is able to safely use appropriate nursing methods. The student knows how to carry out medication safely and masters medical calcultions. The student is able to give First Aid in emergency situations. The student is able to consider the meaning of different cultures in nursing.

During the middle phase of the studies the student develops his/her clinical know-how in different areas of nursing and is able to estimate the nursing needs of patients/clients of different ages, and plans, implements and evaluates nursing in cooperation with the patient/client and their families. The student utilises multidisciplinary knowledge as the basis for his/her work. The student is able to guide and support patient /clients in self-care. The student can work in a multi-professional co-operation in the interests of patient/client. The student can use the basic level technology, equipment and instrumentation. The student is able to examine the patient´s basic vital signs, assess and work with basic level equipments. The student knows how to evaluate his/her work critically.

In the optional professional studies towards the end of the programme the know-how of the student strengthens and deepens. As an emergency care student he/she is able to make ethically sound decisions based on evedence and act professionally as a nurse. The student is able to take care of an acutely ill patient in Accident and Emergency and intensive care word. The student can estimate independently the situation of ill or injured person, start and maintain patient´s basic vitals, start the care on addvanced level of emergency care. The student is able to work in accident and to lead emegency situation. The student is able to assis in emergency delivery and take care of the newborn and mother. The student is able to develop his/her professional skills and emergency nursing. The student deepens his/her knowledge in a emergency nursing filed through the Bachelor´s thesis.

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEACHING
The Degree Programme in Emergency Nursing is completed as full-time studies in Finnish. Part of the studies can be done also in English. In adult education the studies can be completed either as full-time or multi-modal studies. The Degree Programme in Emergency Nursing includes 84 credits of clinical training to enhance professional skills.

Internationalisation
Students have the opportunity to deepen their international competence up to 20-30 credits. The studies may consist of English-language theoretical studies in Finland, international student or trainee exchange or other international studies.

Curriculum development and working life cooperation

The Finnish health policies, future challenges, and TAMK strategy have been considered in the curriculum. In addition to the Act on Health Care Professionals (559/1994) and the decree (564/1994), the competence descriptions made by the work group appointed by the Ministry of Education in 2005 on health care education in universities of applied sciences, Rectors' Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences’ competence classifications, and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) have been considered in the curriculum. The education fulfils the EU directive (2013/55/EU) on recognition of professional qualifications.
The Emergency Care Education Foundation has been involved in planning of the curriculum by commenting on the contents and structure. The curriculum was presented in the meeting of the foundation on 31.3.2014.

Further information

Progress of studies

The student’s know-how in nursing expands and deepens throughout the studies. In completion of the studies the following principles are followed:

30 ects of initial stage studies need to be completed
in the beginning of the middle phase studies. The first-year supervised orientation to clinical training and pharmacotherapy and medical calculations are to be completed before proceeding to the first clinical training. .

By the start of the optional professional studies the student must have completed 135 credits. These studies need to include anatomy and physiology as well as the basic level studies in the optional professional studies which the student has chosen.