Neuroscience Critical Care (Level 7)

The purpose of this 15-credit course is to enable you to effectively apply principles of care to a patient who has been admitted to a critical care setting following neurological trauma or with acute and neurological disease. These patients with acute neuroscience conditions must be expertly assessed and managed.

Once the patient has entered the critical care setting, it is essential that health care practitioners have the necessary knowledge and skills needed to ensure ongoing assessment, identification of problems, the ability to access expert help and to assist the patient on the road to rehabilitation.

This course is offered in collaboration with Barts Health NHS Trust and will be taught on site at the Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU) by leading expert clinicians in neuroscience and intensive care.

This course is taught at level 7 (MSc).

Who is it for?

We have designed this course for registered nurses working in a Critical care unit who wish to develop their knowledge of neuroscience patient management.

Timetable

*Term 1 - 2026/7 (Provisional dates)*

17^th September 2026
1^st October 2026
15^th October 2026
5^th November 2026
19^th November 2026

Benefits

This course is offered in collaboration with Barts Health NHS Trust and will be taught on site at the Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU). Leading Neuro intensive care clinicians and experts are involved in the teaching of the course.

In this course, you will learn about the following;

• Neurophysiology and anatomy
• Neuropharmacology
• Traumatic brain injury and management of raised Intracranial Pressure
• Multimodal monitoring
• Subarachnoid Haemorrhage
• Intracerebral Haemorrhage
• Brain Tumours
• Status Epilepticus
• Central nervous system infections
• Spinal cord injury
• Stroke
• Gullain Barre Syndrome
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Brain stem testing and organ donation
• Service user perspective
• Psychosocial care and rehabilitation

By the end of the course you will able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Critically evaluate and apply knowledge of neurophysiology and pathophysiology to rationalise and evaluate patient changes.
• Critically examine and apply care interventions which are reflective of current research and synthesise how practice can be developed according to the current research/evidence.

Skills:

• Prioritise and critically evaluate immediate, short term and long-term goals to influence neuroscience critical care patient outcome and rehabilitation.
• Through the critical evaluation of patient data and holistic assessment, rationalise key interventions in patient care in respect to current practice recommendations.
• Critically examine psychosocial requirements, including end of life needs, of the patients and their families based on ethical principles.

Values and Attitudes:

• Reflect on the role of neuroscience critical care nurse to promote compassionate, collaborative, patient centred care within the wider multi-disciplinary team.
• Reflect upon personal development needs in relation to knowledge/ skill acquisition including personal resilience and develop strategies to address these.

You will be taught through a variety of methods including lectures, seminars, skill stations, tutorials, student – directed learning and structured group work. You will be taught by neuro intensivist and experts in neuro critical care.

The assessment is a reflective essay and a competency book.

Reflective essay

You will be required to develop a 2500 word easy based on a patient who has a neuroscience condition requiring level 3 critical care in which you will critically evaluate and appraise the evidence based for an aspect of care. You must also synthesise how your learning can influence and develop practice within your clinical area.

Clinical Competency book

You will be assessed on a range of clinical competencies within the Neurological Speciality Competencies designed by National Competency Framework for Registered Nurses in Critical Care, which will incorporate assessment of relevant knowledge and skills. You will be assessed by an experienced critical care practitioner, within a definitive care setting, whilst caring for the critically ill neurological patient.

This course is provided by the School of Health & Medical Sciences.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

You need to be currently working in a critical care setting which cares for patient with neurotrauma or acute neurological disease.

You should also have completed a post registration specialist intensive care nursing programme.

English requirements

If your first language is not English, one of the following is required:

• A first degree from UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City University, London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOFEL 100 overall with 24 in writing, 20 in listening, 19 in reading and 20 in speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

It is expected that students access online journals, medical and nursing literature and allied health professional sources.

• Estomih, M., Greuner, G., Dockery, P., Fitzgerald, M. (2021) Fitzgerald’s Clinical Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience, 8^th ed. Elsevier (Available at Northampton square)
• Hickey, J (2019) Clinical practice of Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing, 8^th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
• Illes,J and Hossain,S.(2017) Neuroethics: Anticipating the future,1^st ed. Oxford University Press. eBook online
• Lee, K (2017) The Neuro ICU book, 2nd edition, New York: McGrew Hill         Professional.
• Roux,P.L, Levine, J and Kofke, W (2013) Monitoring in Neurocritical care, Philadelphia: W.B.Saunders.
• Ryan, D., (2019) Handbook of Neuroscience Nursing: Care of the Neurosurgical Patient, 1^st ed, New York: Thieme
• Woodward, S and Mestecky, A. (2011) Neuroscience Nursing-Evidence Based    Practice. Oxford: Blackwell
• Woodward, S and Waterhouse, C. (2021) Oxford Handbook of Neuroscience    Nursing, 2^nd ed, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Websites:

• After trauma
  http://www.aftertrauma.org
• American Association of Neuroscience Nurses https://www.aacn.org/
• Brain and spine
  https://www.brainandspine.org.uk/
• British Association of Neuroscience Nurses
  http://www.bann.org.uk/
• Headway
  https://www.headway.org.uk/