Respiratory Care in Nursing Practice

PgDip
Nursing and midwifery

Course details

The Postgraduate Diploma in Respiratory Care in Nursing Practice is a fully accredited one-year part-time programme aimed at healthcare professionals – from the fields of nursing, medicine, pharmacy, podiatry and the pharmaceutical industry – who wish to advance their academic and professional knowledge and skills within respiratory care.

The programme will provide you with an advanced level of theoretical knowledge deemed relevant to enhancing practice and is designed to expand your questioning approach to knowledge development and professional issues pertinent to leading respiratory patient care.

As part of your study, you will develop in-depth knowledge of the respiratory systems and associated conditions which will in turn enhance your clinical practice. 

Course code: C10781

Learning outcomes 

This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to critically:

  • Appraise the management and care of populations with respiratory conditions in the context of population health.
  • Evaluate respiratory anatomy, physiology, ventilation, lung function, blood flow and metabolism and the relationship between ventilation and perfusion.
  • Explore theories that inform care with reference to biological and behavioural sciences.
  • Evaluate alternate approaches to planning and implementing health education and promotion interventions, policies and strategies to promote respiratory health, care and management.
  • Discuss current understandings of immunology with specific reference to the respiratory system.
  • Discuss the concepts of health and wellbeing in the context of respiratory health, care and management.

Modules

A blended learning approach is utilised in this programme, to promote lifelong learning and professional development for all nursing staff caring for patients with respiratory conditions.

The programme is run over two academic semesters; three modules are completed in the first semester and three modules in the second semester. Semester 1 is from September – December; Semester 2 begins in January.

You will have classes approximately once a week alternating between online and RCSI-based sessions.

The programme modules are:

Module name Credits Assessment method
Advanced Research Methods 10 Assignment
Advanced Leadership - Professional & Clinical 10 Assignment

Professional Critical Reflexivity and Competence

 10 Assignment
Biological Science and Patient Assessment in Respiratory Care 10 Examination

Enhanced Care of the Respiratory Patient

 10 Assignment
Health Promotion and Behavioral Science in Respiratory Care
 10 Assignment and development of a health promotion brochure