Critical Care (Online Learning) MSc, PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev

1. You will be able to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge covering the main areas of critical care medicine.
2. You will be able to apply clinical reasoning and integrate knowledge with practice in a wide, and often unpredictable, variety of clinical contexts.
3. You will be able to demonstrate criticality, creativity and problem-solving in the areas of academic and clinical critical care.
4. You will be able to summarise and communicate complex information using a variety of methods and with a range of audiences.
5. You will be able to demonstrate substantial autonomy and take responsibility for your work.

The programme will enhance your understanding and clinical knowledge in Critical Care, and improve your academic capabilities, providing opportunities to develop your career.

As a graduate of the programme, whether you are a nurse, doctor, paramedic or allied health professional your professional and career development will be enhanced in the following areas:

• Advanced clinical practice
• Clinical leadership
• Research
• Training and Education

By combining academic excellence with the University of Edinburgh’s world-class reputation, graduates from our programme are well placed to continue and advance their clinical careers within the NHS or other health services, pursue advanced academic study, or work in industry. Equally, graduates can expect to be academically confident and may choose to pursue academic careers in related fields.

You will experience detailed coverage of the essentials of the clinical management of critically unwell adults through the compulsory elements of the programme.

At the same time, you will develop expertise in accessing, interpreting, and integrating the findings of clinical research into clinical care.

You will study core clinical subjects including, but not limited to:

• Recognition and resuscitation of the critically unwell adult
• Daily management of the critical care patient
• Advanced organ support
• Trauma
• Toxicology
• Burns
• Neurological critical care
• Sepsis

You will have the opportunity to customise your experience by selecting from a wide range of elective courses based on “Edinburgh Strengths”. These currently include:

• Neurological Critical Care
• Maternal Critical Care
• Cardiac Critical Care (for emergency and elective patients)
• Perioperative Critical Care
• Cutting Edge Critical Care: Research and Clinical Practice in a Changing World
• Core Clinical Practice in Emergency Medicine
• Transplant Critical Care
• Critical Care Recovery
• Leading Change in the Acute Healthcare Setting

The MSc in Critical Care is a part-time, online programme taught over 3 years.

You can exit the programme after year 1 with a postgraduate certificate, year 2 with a postgraduate diploma or year 3 with a Master in Science.

Under the PPD scheme, you can study single or multiple courses in the same block as it would run for the PGCert, PGDip, or MSc route.

Year 1 - Postgraduate Certificate

Students will take six core courses.

Year 1 compulsory courses:

• Fundamentals of Organ Failure
• Unlocking the Literature: Clinical Trials
• Core Clinical Practice in Critical Care
• Trauma, Toxicology and Temperature
• Sepsis and Infection
• Human Factors in Critical Care

Year 2 - Postgraduate Diploma

You will take three core courses and two elective courses.

Year 2 compulsory courses:

• Advanced Critical Care
• Unlocking the Literature: Evidence to Practice

Year 2 elective courses include:

• Neurological Critical Care
• Maternal Critical Care
• Cardiac Critical Care
• Transplant Critical Care
• Core Clinical Practice in Emergency Medicine
• Cutting Edge Critical Care: Research and Clinical Practice in a Changing World
• Critical Care Recovery
• Leading Change in the Acute Healthcare Setting

Year 3 - MSc

To attain the MSc award, you will complete a Masters dissertation.

There are two options available for students:

1. Complete a supervised dissertation (systematic review, primary research project, comprehensive clinical guideline, or quality improvement project) OR
2. Select up to four relevant elective courses and conduct a Critical Care related independent project.

This programme is 100% online, allowing you to study at times that suit you. You can study for 15-20 hours per week, enabling you to balance study with work and family commitments.

Our online learning technology is fully interactive, and award-winning and enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from your own home or working environment.

Our online students not only have access to the University’s excellent resources but also become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students and tutors from around the world.