Study Guide

Description

The Bachelor's Degree in Emergency Nursing Care includes the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.
The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health authorises Bachelor of Health Care degrees according to the Act on Health Care Professionals (559/1994).
An emergency nurse is legalised as a registered nurse. The training meets the requirements of EU legislation.

THE CORE VALUE OF EDUCATION
The core values of the Bachelor's Degree in Emergency Nursing Care include respect for individuals, human dignity, confidentiality, responsibility and high-quality professional conduct.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING OUTCOMES
An emergency nurse is able to care for acutely ill and emergency patients both in hospitals and outside of hospitals. An emergency nurse is able to support the person´s health, by evaluating, examining, taking care of and advising the patient and his/her family in a holistic way, as well as transporting and guiding him/her to further care.

The professional competence of an emergency nurse is based on nursing science, medical science and the application of care practices in these disciplines, as well as other disciplines such as social and behavioral sciences. The emergency nurse possesses good co-operation skills (interpersonal, leadership and communication). An emergency nurse is a client/patient-centred specialist with extensive technical and operational knowledge and skills in acute care and emergency care at different phases of the care chain.

Learning in nursing and emergency care involves a reflective, critical and ethical evaluation of previously-acquired knowledge and actions, as well as an insight into the new and the development of one's own attitudes. The starting point for learning is the multi-level reality and the different ways of knowing. Starting points for learning emerge from the core skills needs of the profession.

COMPETENCE GAINED FROM EMERGENCY NURSING EDUCATION IN VARIOUS STUDY YEARS
After the first and second semesters, the emergency nursing student knows the basics of caring for a sick person and his/her significant others. This means that the student is able
• to follow health care legislation, occupational safety guidelines and ethical guidelines in his/her actions;
• to identify and anticipate individual and community health problems;
• to observe the basic vital functions of the human body and identify the patient's nursing needs, safely using appropriate nursing intervention methods;
• to administer medication safely and manage the medication calculation;
• to provide first aid in emergency situations, and
• to take into account the importance of different cultures in nursing.

During the third, fourth and fifth semesters, the student develops clinical knowledge in different areas of nursing and is able to identify, plan, implement and evaluate nursing needs for patients / clients of different ages in collaboration with the patients/clients and their significant others. The student uses his/her knowledge from different disciplines as the basis for his/her own activities. In addition, the student is able
• to guide and support patients/clients in self-care;
• to work in multidisciplinary cooperation for the interest of patients/clients;
• to use basic emergency care technology, equipment and tools;
• to investigate the patient's basic vital functions, make a situation assessment and start the emergency care with basic care tools, and, finally,
• to critically evaluate his/her own work.

In semesters six, seven and eight of the elective professional studies, the student’s competence will be strengthened and deepened.

The student, as an emergency nurse, is able to make ethically sound, evidence-based decisions and act professionally. Moreover, the student is able
• to care for an acutely-ill patient in emergency rooms and in intensive care units;
• to independently assess the condition of a suddenly ill or injured patient, to monitor and maintain a patient’s basic vital functions, and to start advanced level emergency care;
• to work in accident situations and lead in emergency care situations, and
• to assist in emergency childbirth and care for the newborn child and his/her mother.
The student is prepared to develop his/her own professional skills and emergency care nd ultimately advances his/her knowledge of emergency care nursing by writing a bachelor’s thesis.

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEACHING
The Degree Programme in Emergency Nursing is completed as full-time study in Finnish. Some studies can also be undertaken in English. Some of the studies can be completed in international student exchange programmes or in projects. In adult education, full-time or multifaceted studies can be implemented. Emergency nursing education includes 83 ECTS credits in practical training to enhance professional skills.

PROGRESS OF STUDIES
The student’s competence in nursing expands and deepens throughout the studies. Completing the programme involves the following principles:

Fifty credits must be completed in the first and second semester before proceeding to the third semester; these 50 credits must include pharmacotherapy and medication calculation. The first-year supervised orientations to both clinical training and pharmacotherapy and medical calculations are to be completed before proceeding to the first clinical training. In addition, the student needs to participate in theoretical studies and orientation to clinical training of the clinical environment.

By the start of the emergency nursing studies, the student must have completed at least 135 credits. These courses need to include anatomy and physiology, and the basic competence skills of emergency care.

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

Finnish health policies, future challenges, national emergency care competency descriptions and the TAMK strategy have all been considered in establishing the curriculum. In addition, the Act (559/1994) and Decree (564/1994) on Health Care Professionals, the national definition of nursing professional competence, the competence classifications of the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Rectors’ Conference, the common competences of Tampere’s higher education community and the national framework (NQF) of degrees have all been taken into consideration. The emergency nursing education set forth in this curriculum meets the requirements of the European Union Directive (2013/55 / EU) for the recognition of professional qualifications.

The Advisory Board on Emergency Nursing Education has been involved in the curriculum by providing comments on the content and structure of the curriculum. The curriculum was approved by the Higher Education Council on the 5th April, 2019. The completed curriculum was presented at the Advisory Board meeting on the 13th of May, 2019.