Program Overview

Adult Acute Care

Overview

Make safety and quality of care an essential part of your clinical practice. Improve your ability to continually re-evaluate and enhance care and learning strategies, supporting improvements in acute care practice.

Full Description

As a registered clinical practitioner, such as a nurse, paramedic or a midwife, who participates in the care of critically and acutely ill patients, you will want to study this course in order to:

• build on your understanding of the importance of patient care
• explore the concept of quality critical care (Department of Health 2005), and recognise that individuals have the right to specialist care, regardless of location or speciality
• learn how to care for highly dependent and acutely ill patients in a way that maps directly to NICE’s clinical guideline: 50 Acutely ill Patients in Hospital (2007), guided by the Department of Health (2009) competencies for acutely ill adults
• develop strategies for helping to improve acute care practice, so that safety and quality of care become embedded within your clinical practice.

How You’ll Learn

You’ll attend lectures and participate in skills workshops and scenario-based workshops. You’ll have opportunities to apply your new knowledge and skills within your specialty.

Assessment

You'll write an analysis of care relating to a patient scenario, take an OSCE examination and submit a practice portfolio evidencing a series of related clinical competencies relevant to your level of study.

Study Options

Take this module at level 6 as part of our BSc (Hons) Acute Care Top-up.

Who Should Attend?

This course is intended for registered clinical practitioners, such as a nurse, operating department practitioner, paramedic or a midwife, who participates in the care of critically and acutely ill patients.

Dates

Please note dates are currently provisional and may be subject to change.

Cambridge

• Trimester 1 - 2025
  • 22, 29 September
  • 6, 13, 20 October
  • 3, 10, 17, 24 November
  • 1 December
• Trimester 2 - 2026
  • 26 January
  • 2, 9, 23 February
  • 2, 9, 16, 23 March
  • 13 April
• Trimester 3 - 2026
  • 11, 18 May
  • 1, 8, 16, 22, 29 June
  • 6, 13, 20 July

Chelmsford

• Trimester 1 - 2025
  • 22, 29 September
  • 6, 13, 20 October
  • 3, 10, 17, 24 November
  • 1 December
• Trimester 2 - 2026
  • 26 January
  • 2, 9, 23 February
  • 2, 9, 16, 23 March
  • 13 April
• Trimester 3 - 2026
  • 11, 18 May
  • 1, 8, 16, 22, 29 June
  • 6, 13, 20 July

Where You’ll Study

Your Faculty

The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care at ARU is primed to meet the demand for healthcare professionals, doctors, scientists and social workers in the East of England.

We've been training undergraduates for professional roles for over 25 years, with a reputation for quality, dedication and ambition balanced with student satisfaction.

We know that our students want the very best experiential learning, and we've invested heavily in purpose-built simulated wards, science labs and skills spaces, to support your learning every step of the way.

Where Can I Study?

• Chelmsford
• Blended learning
• Cambridge

Fees & Funding

Course Fees

• 30 credits (Level 6) for courses starting in 2025/26: £2,312.50
• 30 Credits (Level 7) for courses starting in 2025/26: £1,850

Funding for CPD

Please ask your manager or Education Lead about available funding before you apply.

Entry Requirements

To Access This Course at Level 6 You Must:

• be a registered nurse or other healthcare practitioner who participates in the care of critically and acutely ill patients
• have six months' experience working in an acute or critical care setting, and will come to the programme with an appropriate understanding of this environment.

To Access This Course at Level 7 You Must:

• be a registered nurse or other healthcare practitioner who participates in the care of critically and acutely ill patients
• have a BSc (Hons) in a related subject at 2:2 or above (or UK equivalent)
• have six months' experience working in an acute or critical care setting, and will come to the programme with an appropriate understanding of this environment.

No Degree?

Non-graduates with extensive relevant, practical and continuing professional development experience will be considered for entry onto this module.