Further Education in Ultrasound-guided injection therapy for Manual Therapists Programme description

The Advanced Programme in Paediatric Nursing is based on the national curriculum for further education in paediatric nursing and the regulations relating to the national curriculum for further education in paediatric nursing adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research on 1 December 2005 and meets the requirements stipulated in these documents. The programme has a scope of 90 credits, and is taken as a full-time course of study over one and a half years. After completing the programme, the students will have action competence in the field of paediatric nursing; see the requirements set out in the national curriculum for further education in paediatric nursing with pertaining regulations.

Paediatric nursingPaediatric nursing is special expertise in nursing acutely and/or critically ill children. By ¿children¿ is meant persons under 18 years of age. Children are not 'little adults', and special expertise is required to care for this patient group. Children depend on their caregivers, and paediatric nurses address the family perspective by including caregivers as equal partners when nursing children.

Paediatric nursing entails assessing acute situations, prioritising and implementing measures to maintain or restore vital functions, or facilitating dying with dignity. Paediatric nursing also entails limiting suffering, pain and traumatic experiences, preventing developmental damage and promoting normal development in children. The preventive, therapeutic, pain-relieving and stress-relieving, health promoting and rehabilitative and habilitative aspects of paediatric nursing inform all assessments and activities.

The patient group comprises children who:

• are premature
• have congenital diseases or developmental anomalies
• have had an accident
• suffer from acute and/or critical illness
• are under assessment for or are suffering an exacerbation of a long-term or chronic illness
• have a disability
• are living under conditions that cause physical, mental or social developmental disorders and/or damage

Paediatric nursing¿s target group also includes caregivers, siblings and other family members.

Relevance to working life

The Advanced Programme in Paediatric Nursing is intended to help to cover society¿s increasing need for specialist nursing skills, primarily in the specialist health service, but also in the municipal health service.

Paediatric nurses are in high demand, as they are key personnel in the specialist health service when it comes to providing professionally sound healthcare to acutely and critically ill children. The specialist health service increasingly demands specialisation, and seeks paediatric nurses who practise their profession in a sound manner and on a scientific basis. Today, we can treat many diseases and injuries that could not be treated in the past, including many premature babies. The children treated by the specialist health service today are sicker than they used to be. This development makes new and stricter requirements of paediatric nurses.

They are also required to work in an evidence-based manner where their nursing practice is based on knowledge gained from research and experience, in addition to patient knowledge. Paediatric nurses shall be capable of analysing and taking a critical approach to existing theories and methods in advanced medical treatment and paediatric nursing. Moreover, they shall be able to contribute to new ideas and innovation processes in their own practice, and make independent use of relevant methods for quality-related work (professional development, quality assurance or quality control work) in the field of paediatric nursing. Paediatric nurses are qualified to take greater responsibility for evidence-based paediatric nursing of acutely and/or critically ill patients in and outside a hospital setting.

Paediatric nurses primarily work in paediatric medicine departments, paediatric surgery departments, intermediate care units for children, neonatal and paediatric intensive care units, children's emergency care units, outpatient clinics and adult departments with children's beds. Their expertise is also relevant for work in habilitation units and child and adolescent psychiatry departments.

The municipal health service is also experiencing a growing need for specialist nursing skills. The Act relating to Municipal Health and Care Services, etc. (the Health and Care Services Act) has given the municipalities a role in the treatment of acute-onset illness, exacerbation of chronic illness and in follow-up care for patients whose hospital treatment is finished. Therefore, nurses with specialist skills in nursing acutely and/or critically ill children will also be in demand in the municipal health service.

Relevance to further studies

Candidates who have completed the Master¿s Programme in Paediatric Nursing can apply for admission to PhD programmes in health sciences and nursing science, among other things.