Pediatric Nursing Specialty (Anesthesia Care Option)

An introduction to the nursing specialty of pediatric nursing, this course focuses on characteristics of children and families which influence how they interpret and respond to life events and to their environments, and shapes how nurses respond to and interact with them. The overall intent of this course is to provide opportunity for you to increase your understanding of pediatric nursing practice as you consider some critical issues related to children and childhood, factors that influence children’s health, pediatric assessment and delivery of health care to children. Along with a focus on developmental assessment we will also look at medication safety, nutrition, prevention of infectious diseases within the context of these developmental stages. This course introduces you to the concept of oxygen supply and demand and the significance of this knowledge for the provision on optimal care. Finally this course also introduces the process of comprehensive pediatric assessment as a means of understanding the patients experience and the meaning they attach to these experiences.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This second required theory course in the Pediatric Nursing Specialty builds on NSPE 7100: Pediatric Nursing Theory 1. In NSPE 7100 you were introduced to the concept of comprehensive pediatric assessment. In this course you will build on what you learned and will have the opportunity to apply the concepts to patient based case studies, further enhancing your ability to think critically about your assessment findings. As well as a comprehensive assessment, each case study will focus on a particular body system. You will have the opportunity to complete focused assessments based on the presenting health challenges in the case study. Specifically, these modules address; fever and sepsis, dehydration, shock, respiratory distress, developmental delay and autism, UTI, neurological concerns, cardiac defects and concerns, orthopaedics, pain management, mental health, bullying, nutrition, aboriginal health and dermatology. Each case explores developmental, family and assessment issues. You will also have the opportunity to incorporate the oxygen supply and demand framework into your assessment. Additionally this course will provide you with the opportunity incorporate the concepts of; partnership with families, growth and development, social determinants of health, and the effects of stress on children and families. The children in the modules of this course face health challenges that bring them into contact with nurses. We will use the information about these health challenges to examine the effects on the child, and the role of the nurse in the care of the child and family.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSPE 7100

In this 3 week preceptorship course, students develop and begin to enact their role in pediatric nursing by exploring the pediatric environment and assessing influences pertaining to pediatric patient and family health. Students will focus on applying and integrating theory and frameworks from the preceding courses, developing comprehensive assessment skills and applying this knowledge in the care of pediatric patients and their families. Students will use this knowledge to provide nursing care for pediatric patients experiencing selected health problems such as respiratory distress, cardiac failure, acute gastrointestinal illness, neurological illnesses and mental health challenges. In this experience students focus on applying theory related to oxygen supply and demand, comprehensive assessment, monitoring skills and clinical decision making. Working in partnership with patients, students have an opportunity to develop an understanding of patients' experiences of illness. Students will work with preceptors to promote safe, competent, and ethical nursing care. In addition, students will develop and foster collaborative relationships with patients, families, colleagues, instructors, and other health care providers. The core concepts of family-centred care and relational practice are threaded throughout pediatric course.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSPE 7200
• Registration with the Provincial Nursing Regulatory College and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Level C or Level Health Care Provider (HCP).

​This course introduces the unique and highly specialized area of pediatric anesthesia care nursing, focusing specifically on the preoperative phase. Building on the concepts presented in Pediatric Nursing Theory 1 and 2, learners will work through foundational concepts of perianesthetic care, while considering children’s growth and development stages and the unique physiology of the different pediatric age groups. Learners will develop a deeper understanding of pediatric pathophysiology, assessment, and decision-making related to a variety of contexts experienced by the child or adolescent who is undergoing sedation and anesthesia. In addition, learners will further explore chronic illness; renal sufficiency; respiratory, neurological and cardiac assessments; chronic illness; mental health; and pain management in the context of the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Finally, learners will be challenged to make clinical decisions and plan care for selected individuals who will be undergoing sedation and general anesthetic procedures. Family-centred care, relational and inter-professional practice, professionalism, communication, collaboration and partnership are core concepts threaded throughout this and all subsequent pediatric anesthesia care courses.​
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSPE 7100 and 75% in NSPE 7200 and 75% in NSPE 7300
• BSN completion

This first preceptorship course addresses care for patients in the preoperative stage. Learners will integrate theory and frameworks from the preceding course, developing comprehensive assessment skills and applying this knowledge to provide safe, competent and ethical nursing care for pediatric patients (and their families) who will be undergoing surgery, sedation and procedural anesthesia. By working in partnership with patients and families, learners will develop an understanding of unique patient and family situations. Learners will use critical thinking and develop their clinical decision-making skill as they work with preceptors to select and evaluate therapeutic interventions. They’ll continue to reflect on ethical issues and how to provide collaborative, family-centred care. Through the use of learning activities (case studies, application of a clinical decision-making framework, journaling and personal reflection), learners will build on the communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and systematic inquiry skills necessary to provide child and family-centred care in the pediatric anesthesia care setting.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSPE 7360
• BSN completion

​Pediatric Anesthesia Care Theory 2 continues to build on the concepts introduced in Pediatric Anesthesia Care Nursing Theory 1. In the previous course, learners worked through considerations for the preoperative patient undergoing sedation and general anesthesia. They considered children’s growth and development and the unique physiology of different pediatric age groups, complex chronic illnesses, and mental health in the context of the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). In this course, learners will develop a deeper understanding of pediatric pathophysiology, assessment, critical thinking, and decision-making related to a variety of experiences faced by the pediatric patient who has undergone sedation and general anesthesia. Students will have the opportunity to complete focused assessments and plan interventions using case studies based on health challenges seen in the PACU including, thermoregulation, nausea and vomiting, haemodynamic monitoring, pain assessment, fluid management, ECG interpretation, shock, cardiac and respiratory arrest and emergence delirium. In addition, students will build on the comprehensive assessment strategies and approaches to optimize oxygen supply and demand balance to care for the child in PACU (e.g., hemodynamic monitoring, arterial blood gas analysis, CPAP/BiPAP). Students will continue to be challenged to make clinical decisions and plan care for selected individuals. The core concepts of family-centred care, relational and inter-professional practice, professionalism, communication, collaboration and partnership are threaded throughout this pediatric anesthesia care course.​
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSPE 7360 and S in NSPE 7370
• BSN completion

​In the second preceptorship course, learners apply and integrate nursing knowledge to provide care for pediatric patients recovering from surgery and procedural anesthesia and their families. Learners will further develop their comprehensive assessment skills by providing safe, competent, and ethical nursing care for patients requiring ventilation support, hemodynamic monitoring, pain assessment, fluid management, ECG interpretation and emergence delirium in collaboration with their preceptors. Working in partnership with patients and families, students will develop an understanding of unique patient and family situations. Students will have opportunities to think critically and develop their clinical decision-making skills, selecting and evaluating therapeutic interventions that support patients’ recovery and preventing shock and cardiac and respiratory arrest. They’ll continue to reflect on ethical issues and how to provide collaborative, family-centred care. Through the use of learning activities (case studies, application of a clinical decision-making framework, journaling and personal reflection), learners are provided with opportunities to build on the communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and systematic inquiry skills necessary to provide child and family-centred care in the pediatric anesthesia care setting.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSPE 7360 and S in NSPE 7370 and 75% in NSPE 7380
• BSN completion