Critical Care (Taught)

The care of critically ill patients is a challenging and highly specialised area of health care practice. The polio pandemic in the 1950s led to the birth of the modern Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Another pandemic (Covid-19) has seen the term ‘ICU’ rise to prominence once again as the area in hospital where the most severely ill patients are cared for. Critical Care is a term that is repeated daily in the media. It is the specialty we practice and are passionate about, and the area of health care we are dedicated to teaching at the University of Glasgow.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

-Top 10 in the UK for Medicine - The Complete University guide 2021

-Experience the opportunity to obtain a postgraduate degree in this developing and exciting clinical field.

-Areas covered include hot topics such as; sepsis, multi-organ failure and critical care governance.

T-aught at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) which has the largest critical care facilities in Scotland and one of the largest in the UK. The hospital itself was opened in 2015 and is one of the biggest in Europe.

-Learning opportunities are delivered by experts in the field of critical care using a multimodal teaching approach which includes lectures, seminars, simulated cases and ward rounds.

-The work and assignments during the course are tailored in order for students to reflect on implementing knowledge and skills in their own workplace in the UK or internationally.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The programme is delivered at the University of Glasgow and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on campus in Glasgow.

The MSc in Critical Care has three components:

Three taught courses in the first semester (3 months full time)
Three taught courses in the second semester (3 months full time)
Dissertation or project report in the summer semester (6 months full time)

On a part-time basis, the taught courses could be taken over 12 months and the dissertation/project could be completed over 12 months. Part-time students have the flexibility of choosing the three courses during each year of study, as long as course 1 (research and scientific writing) is chosen first.The combination will be agreed before study is commenced.

The programme is delivered mainly at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and at the University Teaching and Learning Centre on campus.

The learning and teaching approach is varied and includes lectures and tutorials, seminars, set exercises, simulated clinical scenarios, and simulated ward round at the critical care floor at the QEUH.

There will be emphasis, for some of the assignments, on reflection, leadership and specific application of new knowledge within the students’ own working environments giving them a unique and bespoke learning opportunity.

For the MSc component, students can either choose a topic that is related to critical care or write a report on a project carried out during the year. It is expected that this work is presented at national and international conferences as well as submitted for publication.

The programme is suitable for both UK and International students. n.b. part time study is possible for international students who are in the UK on a work visa and will continue to be employed throughout their period of study.

CORE COURSES

RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC WRITING SKILLS
CAUSES OF MULTI-ORGAN FAILURE
EVIDENCE-BASED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
MANAGEMENT OF MULTI-ORGAN FAILURE
SEPSIS
CRITICAL CARE GOVERNANCE
CRITICAL CARE: DISSERTATION

CAREER PROSPECTS

The aim is for graduates to be highly effective clinical leaders in their field and place of work.

Open to doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals and ultimately leads to a masters degree.

The clinical components as well as the leadership qualities acquired and attained during this programme make graduates very desirable for prospective employers.