Medical-Surgical Nursing – Area in Nursing to the Person in Critical Condition

Medical-Surgical Nursing – Area in Nursing to the Person in Critical Condition

Course Type:
Master’s Programme

Programme Introduction

This Master is awarded to the student who demonstrates:

  • Care for people in an emergent critical condition;
  • Manage the administration of treatment protocols;
  • Manage the interpersonal communication that underlies the therapeutic relationship with a person/family regarding the high complexity situation of their health condition;
  • Does the management of differentiated pain and well-being of the person in critical condition;
  • Design, in conjunction with the strategic level, disaster or emergency plans;
  • Plan the specific response to persons in an emergency situation or a multi-victim disaster;
  • Design a prevention and infection control plan;
  • Displays the ability to review and critical analysis, ability to autonomous organization and planning with a view to solving problems in new situations, ability to research and application of concepts to the practice, planning and time management, ability to teamwork,ethical behavior, motivation and initiative.

Programme Coordinator

Maria dos Anjos Coelho Rodrigues Dixe
coord.memc-epsc.ess@ipleiria.pt

School

City

Language

Portuguese

Type

Evening

Length

3 semesters

Vacancies

General and International student contingent: 25

Notice

Edital 2026 (PT Doc-Ret)

DGES certification

Objectives

Programme
  1. Acquire scientific knowledge in the field of nursing for people in critical situations;
  2. Develop specialized nursing interventions for medium and high risk patients, integrating the family in the healthteam;
  3. To take care of the person and the family experiencing complex processes of critical illness and/or organ failure;
  4. Dynamize the response in emergency, exception and catastrophe situations;
  5. Maximize the prevention, intervention and control of infection and antimicrobial resistance in the person in criticalcondition and/or organ failure;
  6. Stimulate the construction and diffusion of knowledge in the area of nursing to the person in critical situation;
  7. Promote the capacity to make ethical decisions;
  8. Stimulate change and innovation processes in the light of scientific knowledge and research;
  9. Know the strategies and the importance in the management of resources in the provision of care;
  10. Develop skills for the organization and evaluation of Nursing care.
1st Year
ID Name Semester ECTS Length
1st Semester 3 30 h

CP1. Conceptual framework of the person in critical condition
1.1. Concepts and evolution 1.2.
1.2 Differentiation criteria
Specificities of the person in critical situation and adequacy of nursing intervention
CP2. Contexts of care
2.1. Physical and structural characteristics of the contexts
2.2. Context and interaction of the various intervenient
CP3. Technology in the intervention to the person in critical situation
3.1. Differentiated care
3.2. Humanization of care

1st Semester 7 96 h

CP1: Complex processes of critical illness and/or organ failure related to:
1.1. airway and respiratory changes;
1.2. cardiovascular abnormalities; 1.3. neurological abnormalities
1.3 neurological alterations
1.4. Musculoskeletal changes;
1.5. Gastrointestinal disorders;
1.6. Genitourinary and nephrological alterations; 1.7;
Endocrine and metabolic alterations; 1.8.
1.8. Hematological disorders
CP2: Anatomy and physiology applied to the critical illness and/or organ failure
CP3: Biophysics and biochemistry applied to the critical illness and/or organ failure processes
CP4: Microbiology and epidemiology applied to the critical illness and/or organ failure processes
CP5: Pharmacology applied to the critical illness and/or organic failure processes
CP6: Nutrition of the high-risk patient.

1st Semester 8 96 h

CP1- Care focused on the person in critical condition (CSP) and organ failure in various contexts
Conceptualization of CSP care
Assessment of CIP and/or organ failure
Management of priorities
Surveillance and monitoring
CP2-BLS and ED
CP3.adult SAV
CP4 Pediatric SAV
CP5 SAVTrauma
Priorities in the initial assessment of the trauma victim
Cranioencephalic, vertebro medullary, thoracic, abdominal trauma and apply the necessary initial care
Burns
Particularity of trauma in pregnant women, pediatric and geriatric
Immobilization techniques and rapid extraction
Land, sea and air transportation
CP6 – Donor maintenance, organ and tissue harvesting and transplantation
Organization of the NTC and donation/transplantation process and Legislation
Brain death
Maintenance of potential donor;organ and tissue procurement and transplantation
Family members and communication of bad news
Ethics and bioethics in organ donation
CP7-Replacement therapies of vital F
CP8-Pain and well-being
CP9-Tissue injuries

1st Semester 3 30 h

CP1 – Evidence Based Practice (EBP)
1.1 EBP and Decision Making
1.2 Methodologies for evidence synthesis
1.3 Systematic literature review
1.4 Methodological quality assessment
1.5 Review protocols
CP2 – Research designs and their stages
2.1 Paradigms of scientific research in nursing
2.2 Stages of Research
2.3 Techniques/Instruments of data collection
2.4 Psychometric study of instruments
2.5 Ethics in Research
CP3 – Methods of data analysis
3.1 Descriptive/inferential statistics
3.2 Presentation, analysis and evaluation of quantitative data
3.3 Assumptions of data analysis in qualitative research
3.4 Programs for qualitative data analysis
3.5 Analysis/interpretation of the findings of qualitative studies
CP4 – Principles of constructing a research project and report
CP5 – Communication of research results
5.1 Scientific writing and dissemination of results

1st Semester 3 30 h

CP1. Management and organization of nursing care
1.1 The several levels of nursing care management
1.2 The integrality of care and the care centered in the client
1.3 Patient safety and risk management
CP2. Management and Leadership of People
2.1 Leadership processes and conflict management in clinical context
2.2 Delegation
2.3 Safety in Nursing
2.4 Supervision
2.5 Professional Performance and Performance Evaluation
CP3. Jurisprudence, Policies and Health Systems
3.1 Specificities of Health Care Organizations
3.2 Health System Reforms
CP4. Clinical governance and quality management in health
4.1 Quality and Development of Health Services
4.2 Concepts, models and tools for management and quality in health
4.3 Health outcomes: Indicators for a better nursing Practice

1st Semester 4 36 h

CP1. Conceptual framework of nursing care
1.1 Development of nursing: discipline and profession
1.2 Characterization and Standards of knowledge in nursing
1.3 Quality Standards of Specialized Nursing Care
CP2. Nursing and advanced practice
Concepts and evolution of advanced practice
2.2 Professional development
Applicability of knowledge in advanced practice
2.4 Models of advanced practice
CP3. Nursing and Law
CP4. Care centered in the client, groups and communities
4.1. practices and nursing models applied to advanced specialized nursing
CP5. language classified for the practice of medical-surgical nursing in the area of nursing the Person in a CriticalCondition
5.1 Nursing diagnoses
5.2 Sensitive indicators to the specialized nursing care
CP6. Results and visibility of nursing care
6.1 Information systems in nursing
6.2 Taxonomy in medical-surgical nursing in the area of specialization to the Person in a Critical Condition

1st Semester 2 20 h

CP1 – Ethical Principles in Health Care
CP1.1 Rationale of Clinical Ethics. Bioethical principles. Ethical, ontological and legal issues of praxis.
CP2 – Ethical Decision Making
CP2.1 Decision making process in nursing in the resolution of problems associated with situations of specializedpractice.
CP3 -The deontological code of nursing and the regulation of professional practice in the context of specializednursing practice. The ethical values and legal aspects inherent in nursing practice.
CP4 – Ethical, deontological and legal issues of specialized practice in Medical-Surgical Nursing, with emphasis onnursing care to the person in critical condition

2nd Semester 4 62 h

CP1.Interpersonal relationship in health
Basics of Interpersonal Relationship/Therapeutic Relationship
CP2. Therapeutic relationship
The therapeutic relationship with the PSC /family:
CP3-. Communication in health
Me and the others
The communication in contexts of crisis / emergency
CP4. Therapeutic Communication Interpersonal communication
Communication techniques with the person and family in critical situation
CP5.Crisis intervention
CP6Team work in the response to clients’ critical situations The CISM model
Communicating bad news:Communication of bad news. Death notification protocol
CP7.Emotion management
Training of specific situations: Active listening and non-anxious listening
CP 8. conflict management in critical care situations
CP 9 – Team work
CP 10. The family and caregiver as partners in the care of the person in critical situation
The relationship with family and the role of informal caregiver in critical situation

2nd Semester 4 32 h

CP1. Epistemology of prevention and control of HAI
CP2. National and Institutional Organization for the prevention and control of HAI
CP3. National Plan for Prevention and Control of HAI
CP4. Strategies for individual and collective protection
CP5. Waste sorting and conditioning, circuits and treatment
CP6. Disinfectants, antiseptics and sterilization policies

2nd Semester 4 40 h

CP1. Conceptualization of health care in emergency, exception and catastrophe situations
CP2. Ethical and legal aspects
CP3. Management of emergency, exception and catastrophe situations
CP4. Conceptualization of emergency and catastrophe plans
CP5. Principles of triage and action
CP6. Removal, stabilization and evacuation of victims (including situations of incidents with nuclear, biological,radiological and chemical agents)
CP7. Violence, Maltreatment and Neglect
CP8. Evidence collection, preservation and documentation, ensuring chain of custody

2nd Semester 3 32 h

CP1. Clinical supervision in nursing
1.1. Nature and concepts of clinical supervision in nursing
1.2 Models of clinical supervision in nursing and adequacy to the context of care of the CSP
CP2. Clinical supervision in the development of competences
2.1 Clinical supervision and training modalities.
2.2 Process of clinical supervision in nursing: problems
2.3 Strategies of clinical supervision in nursing specialized in CCP
2.4 Supervision of the caregiver in the intervention to the CSF
CP3. Supervision and promotion of quality
3.1. The quality standards of nursing care in CSP 3.2.
Leadership, clinical supervision and quality of care 3.3.
3.3 Quality indicators and strategies of clinical supervision in nursing specialized in contexts of care to the PPC

2nd Semester 15
  • Critical Condition Nursing Internship (with report) I
    CP1- Caring for the person in critical situation, having in mind the common competences of the specialist nurse andthe specific competences of the nurse specialist in Medical Surgical Nursing in the area of Nursing to the person inCritical Situation
    CP2- Reflection on Clinical Practice
  • Research Project
    CP1- Dissertation project and methodological options;
    CP2- Stages and strategies for the development of dissertation projects.
  • Project Work -Module I
    CP1. Diagnosis of the situation: identification of problems in different contexts of medical-surgical nursing
    1.1. Definition of the problem to be investigated;
    CP2. Methodological planning
    2.1 Theoretical/conceptual framework;
    2.2. Methodological framework;
2nd Year
ID Name Semester ECTS Length
3rd Semester 30
  • Critical Condition Nursing Internship (with report) II
    CP1. Specialized nursing care to the person in critical condition
    1.1 Design, organization, delivery and supervision of nursing care to the person in critical situation and family in thecontext of intensive care and clinical teaching option, with mobilization of theoretical references of nursing, scientificevidence, and all the programmatic content covered in the remaining course
    CP2. Reflection about the practice in clinical context
    2.1 Writing a critical-reflective report for the specialized nursing care to the person in critical situation carried out inthree clinical contexts: emergency, intensive care and option

  • Project Work- Module II
    CP1.) Interdisciplinary coordinated planning of interventions defined in the project work unit
    CP2. Implementation of the intervention project;
    CP3.) Evaluation of the effectiveness of problem solving
    CP4. Preparation of the final project report;
    CP5. Dissemination of the research developed through scientific communication.
    CP6. Presentation and discussion of the report.

  • Dissertation
    It is intended that the research to be developed is born from a concrete need in practice, so it should be based on thework already developed and on the knowledge of the field throughout the course.
    Students are encouraged to integrate the structuring research areas already under development in the institution andin the CiTechCare research unit.
    The contents correspond to the stages of preparation of the dissertation:
    CP1. Expediting to answer the necessary ethical questions (obtaining formal opinions).
    CP2. Research development.
    CP3. Preparation of dissertation report.
    CP4. Dissemination of the research developed.
    CP5. Presentation and discussion of the dissertation report.

Entry Requirements

Entry and admission requirements:

  • Holders of a bachelor’s degree in nursing, or legal equivalent;
  • The holders of the foreign higher academic degree, conferred following a 1st cycle of studies in Nursing, organized according to the principles of the Bologna process by a state that adheres to this process;
  • Holders of a foreign higher academic degree or those with a scientific or professional curriculum who have their respective degree/curriculum previously recognized by the ESSLei’s (School of health Sciences-Polytechinc of leiria) Technical-Scientific Council (according to the terms of Article 17.º of Decree-Law N.º 74/2006, of March 24, asamended). This recognition is only valid for the access to the study cycle leading to the master’s degree, and does notgrant the holder the equivalence to the degree of first degree course or the recognition of that degree.

Accreditation

State: Accredited
Number of years of accreditation: 6
Publication date: 20/05/2022

A3ES Accreditation

More Information

Contacts

E-mail: studywithus@ipleiria.pt

Online Application

Use the button bellow to start your application.

Application Fee

60€

Enrolment Fee

General contingent: 50 €
International student contingent: 100 €

Tuition Fee

General contingent 2.000 €
International student contingen 3.000 €