Master of Science (MSc) in Critical Care Nursing

Program Title and Degree

Persian: کارشناسی ارشد ناپیوسته پرستاری مراقبت‌های ویژه
English: Master of Science (MSc) in Critical Care Nursing

Definition of the Program

Critical Care Nursing is a specialized field of nursing concerned with life-threatening conditions and the provision of advanced and critical care interventions. A critical care nurse is a professional nurse responsible for ensuring the provision of advanced, high-quality nursing care to critically ill patients and their families.

The Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing program is designed to prepare competent and highly skilled nurses who are capable of providing comprehensive, evidence-based, patient-centered, and specialized nursing care to critically ill patients, while addressing their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the general eligibility requirements, applicants to the program must meet the following criteria:

1. Hold a Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Anesthesiology, or Operating Room Technology from an institution in Iran or abroad recognized by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
2. Have at least two years of clinical work experience with a Bachelor's degree in hospital wards or operating rooms.

Admission requirements, eligible degrees, and other regulations are subject to the policies and regulations of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

History and Development of the Program

Over the past two decades, several leading universities worldwide, including Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the University of Nottingham, and James Cook University, have placed increasing emphasis on developing academic programs for clinical nurses.

This development has resulted in the establishment of advanced nursing programs, including Critical Care Nursing and specialized areas of critical care nursing such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, and other related specialties.

In Iran, growing demand for specialized critical care services over the past three decades has led to increasing attention to critical care nursing education. Following the establishment and expansion of intensive care units, specialized educational programs in critical care nursing were introduced in several educational centers.

Since 1989, the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Iran University of Medical Sciences has offered six-month specialized critical care nursing programs. Currently, several educational centers also offer specialized six-month programs in areas such as ICU, CCU, and dialysis.

In 2008, the first Master of Science program in Critical Care Nursing was established in nursing schools under the authorization of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing program may work in a variety of healthcare, educational, research, and professional settings, including:

• Intensive Care Units (ICUs)
• Coronary Care Units (CCUs)
• Hemodialysis units
• Emergency departments
• Post-anesthesia care and recovery units
• Organ and transplant units
• Acute care facilities
• Hospice and palliative care centers
• Research centers and institutes
• Knowledge-based companies
• Innovation and technology centers
• Other healthcare settings requiring specialized critical care nursing
• Home-based critical care and specialized nursing services

Philosophy, Values, and Beliefs

The program is founded on the following principles and values:

• Human beings, as God's stewards on Earth, possess inherent dignity, sanctity, respect, and high status and retain their fundamental rights even during critical and life-threatening illness.
• Recognition of scientific authority and the pursuit of the highest quality of knowledge-based and scholarly nursing care are fundamental values in Critical Care Nursing.
• Critically ill patients have the right to receive high-quality critical care, appropriate education, and to participate in decisions concerning their nursing care and medical treatment.
• Nurses are responsible for caring for human beings as multidimensional individuals with physical, psychological, social, and ethical characteristics and, within the Islamic value system, are committed to respecting human rights and promoting social justice.
• Nurses should contribute to these values through appropriate professional services and high-quality nursing care for critically ill patients.
• A holistic approach should be adopted in the assessment and care of critically ill patients. This approach encompasses not only patients' functional and daily needs but also their physical, psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual needs.
• Comprehensive critical care requires interprofessional collaboration and teamwork; therefore, collaborative approaches to care delivery are emphasized.
• High-quality critical care requires the acquisition and continuous development of practical skills. Accordingly, the curriculum emphasizes practical skills and specifies the competencies that learners are expected to acquire in each educational unit.
• Learner independence and skill development are emphasized through clinical practicum and experiential learning.

Vision

Within the next ten years, the Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing program aims to achieve a level of excellence comparable to leading programs in the region through the implementation of international standards, increased utilization of advanced managerial, educational, and research approaches in critical care nursing, and effective strategies to reduce mortality and complications among critically ill patients.

The program aspires to become a leading national and regional center for advanced critical care nursing education, research, professional development, and quality improvement.

Mission

The mission of the Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing program is to prepare competent, skilled, responsible, ethical, and holistic nursing professionals who possess the knowledge and abilities required to optimize and improve nursing care for critically ill patients and those requiring specialized critical care, thereby contributing to the reduction of mortality, complications, and adverse outcomes.

Graduates are also prepared to provide expert consultation to healthcare managers and policymakers regarding the needs and challenges of critically ill patients and to contribute to improving the quality and effectiveness of critical care nursing services.

Overall Aim

The overall aim of the Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing program is to prepare graduates who possess the knowledge, attitudes, professional behaviors, skills, and advanced competencies required to improve the quality of care provided to critically ill patients.

Graduates are expected to demonstrate competencies in:

• Professional practice
• Effective communication
• Information technology
• Lifelong and self-directed learning
• Research
• Management and leadership
• Quality improvement
• Critical thinking
• Creative problem-solving
• Decision-making in critical and complex situations
• Evidence-based practice

Roles of Graduates

Graduates of the Master of Science in Critical Care Nursing program are prepared to perform the following professional roles:

• Clinical and Care Provider
• Educator
• Researcher
• Advocate and Supporter
• Consultant
• Manager and Leader

Professional Responsibilities

A. Clinical and Care Provider Role

Graduates are expected to:

• Provide skilled and advanced nursing care and implement appropriate nursing interventions for critically ill patients.
• Perform appropriate non-invasive assessments and assist in invasive assessments of patients admitted to critical care units.
• Interpret and analyze clinical data collected from critically ill patients.
• Apply professional standards, ethical principles, and appropriate professional behaviors in interactions with colleagues, patients, families, and caregivers.
• Identify actual and potential complications and implement appropriate evidence-based interventions.
• Use advanced monitoring technologies and critical care equipment appropriately.
• Contribute to the prevention of complications and adverse outcomes among critically ill patients.

B. Educational Role

Graduates are expected to:

• Continuously update the knowledge and skills of colleagues through continuing education and professional development.
• Provide education to healthcare personnel involved in the care of critically ill patients.
• Provide appropriate education to patients, families, and caregivers in critical care settings.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs for students, colleagues, patients, and their families.

C. Research Role

Graduates are expected to:

• Design and conduct applied research addressing problems and challenges in critical care settings.
• Generate scientific evidence and disseminate findings through publication in reputable scientific journals.
• Participate in collaborative research projects with other institutions.
• Produce evidence that can be applied and generalized at the national level.
• Establish and maintain professional and scientific collaboration with national and international research centers in the field of critical care.

D. Management Role

Graduates are expected to:

• Analyze nursing service delivery systems for critically ill patients in critical care settings.
• Optimize nursing service delivery through the design and implementation of appropriate interventions.
• Apply management tools and strategies to improve factors affecting nursing care.
• Contribute to reducing mortality, complications, morbidity, and adverse outcomes among critically ill patients.
• Participate in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives in critical care units.

Expected Graduate Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates should be able to:

• Identify and address the needs and problems of critically ill patients and their families.
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the mechanisms, adverse effects, drug interactions, and contraindications of medications commonly used in critical care settings.
• Monitor patients for medication-related adverse effects and take appropriate measures to minimize complications and optimize pharmacological therapy.
• Safely operate and work with invasive devices, monitoring systems, and specialized equipment used in critical care settings.
• Design, implement, and evaluate research projects in the field of critical care nursing.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs for students, colleagues, patients, and their families.
• Participate in health policy development related to the promotion of health among patients requiring critical care.
• Contribute to the development, specialization, and improvement of critical care nursing services.
• Apply evidence-based approaches to clinical decision-making and nursing interventions.
• Provide holistic, patient-centered, safe, and high-quality care to critically ill patients.

Expected Competencies

Graduates of the program are expected to demonstrate the following competencies:

General Competencies

• Effective communication and negotiation skills
• Education and teaching skills
• Cognitive and clinical reasoning skills
• Management and leadership skills
• Research skills
• Ability to apply nursing care models and frameworks
• Teamwork and interprofessional collaboration
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Evidence-based practice
• Professionalism and ethical practice
• Lifelong learning and continuous professional development
• Effective use of information and communication technologies
• Quality improvement and patient safety skills

These competencies should be integrated throughout the educational program and progressively developed through theoretical education, practical training, clinical practice, and experiential learning.

 Curriculum

Apply Now  Please go to the Application Form to begin the application procedure. Once you have applied, we will review your application closely at the Office of Admissions and inform you about the results through an email. Please note that SHMU does not charge you an application fee at all.

مدیر گروه مراقبت های ویژه دکتر حسین ابراهیمی سمت: مدیر گروه مقطع کارشناسی ارشد پرستاری مراقبت های ویژه مرتبه علمی: استاد رشته تحصیلی: دکتری تخصصی آموزش پرستاری شماره تماس: 02332395054- داخلی 527 پست الکترونیک:
دکتر رضایی	دکتر عامری
آقای نادعلی	دکتر خواجه
خانم فدایی اقدم	آقای میر حسینی
آقای باز قلعه	خانم مسلمی
	خانم درباتیان