Providing care for patients in critical conditions and their families is a specialized field with significant challenges in healthcare practice. Critical care nursing is a nursing discipline that focuses on delivering maximum care to patients who require artificial respiration through an endotracheal tube and the administration of intravenous medications following severe injuries, surgeries, or life-threatening illnesses.
Critical care is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The modern concept of critical care was developed in 1952 in response to the devastating polio epidemic in Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately, another pandemic, COVID-19, is looming on the horizon, bringing critical care back to the forefront of the national and international agenda. In the Palestinian context, the expansion of healthcare institutions, along with the pursuit of accreditation standards to enhance healthcare delivery, in addition to rapid scientific and technological advancements, has led to an increased demand for highly qualified nursing professionals in various specialties who can make a positive impact on healthcare for individuals, families, and communities.
The global trend in the nursing profession emphasizes the importance of specialization in nursing at the graduate level. It was necessary to establish a specialized master’s program to prepare professional practitioners with a high level of specialized clinical nursing knowledge and skills, based on advanced theoretical and practical foundations. This is to enable these practitioners to effectively apply scientific and nursing knowledge and theories in the field of clinical nursing care within various subspecialties. This approach aligns with international standards for specialized nursing roles and meets the needs of society as a whole, particularly within the hospital sector.
Preparing graduates to assume responsibilities as specialized clinical nurse specialists, practicing nurses, educators, researchers, and administrators in a wide range of professional settings both nationally and internationally.
Preparing nurses to assume leadership positions in nursing and various healthcare fields as specialists, practitioners, consultants, educators, researchers, administrators, and researchers in diverse environments to meet healthcare priorities and evolving community needs.
The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing with a minimum degree of “good” from a recognized university.
General Rules & Conditions:
General Rules and Conditions:
1. This plan complies with the regulations applicable to graduate programs.
2. Admission requirements for the program:
• The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
• The applicant should have a one year of clinical experience or teaching/training experience in specialty-related fields.
• The applicant should be an active member of the Palestinian Nursing and Midwifery Council and adhere to its professional regulations at all times.
• The applicant should be willing to participate in the national master’s entrance requirements and meet the qualifications set by Palestine Ahliya University procedures.
• The applicant must be mentally and physically fit.
General Abilities:
Communication skills, interview techniques, report preparation, critical thinking, and professional competences in addition to:
1. Nursing concepts and theories.
2. Evidence-based practice.
3. Research methodology in nursing.
4. Statistics for nursing research.
Specific Competencies and Skills (Special Qualifications):
1. Provide professional and evidence-based nursing care and interventions for patients requiring intensive care.
2. Perform non-invasive patient assessments and assist with surgical assessments of patients in critical care units.
3. Interpret and analyze clinical data, whether primary or secondary.
4. Acquire the qualifications necessary to conduct applied research and utilize the results to address nursing challenges in patient care.
Graduates of this program can work in various intensive care departments in both the public and private sectors as direct care providers, researchers, trainers, supervisors, and program managers. They can also work in:
• Neonatal intensive care units.
• Pediatric intensive care units.
• Cardiac intensive care units.
• Surgical intensive care units.
• Intensive care units for burns.
• Emergency departments.
• As teachers in universities.
• As trainers for nursing students.
Upon completing this specialization, students are expected to be able to:
1. Utilize up-to-date knowledge and a comprehensive perspective in advanced critical care nursing management of health and disease states.
2. Demonstrate competence within the area of clinical specialization in critical care nursing by applying nursing knowledge and skills, as well as other sciences, to promote the health of individuals, families, and communities.
3. Practice within the professional, legal, and ethical advanced practice context.
4. Maximize the use of information technology applications to enhance advanced roles in critical care nursing practice, education, and research.
5. Apply research and evidence-based nursing practice to improve nursing practice, the quality of client care, safety, and outcomes.
6. Apply leadership skills and decision-making in providing nursing care and safe care delivery to individuals, populations, or communities across the healthcare delivery system.
7. Demonstrate competencies in communication, collaboration, and consultation skills required in advanced inter-professional teams and healthcare recipients in advanced nursing management of health and disease states.
8. Develop and improve the role of educator in nursing practice within the area of clinical specialization in critical care nursing.
9. Prepare and present an oral presentation to a professional standard.
10. Write a research proposal to a professional standard (for the Comprehensive Exam Track).
11. Write original research to a professional standard that contributes to the development of knowledge in the nursing discipline and related sciences (for the Thesis Track).