Course Overview
The Fetal Health Surveillance (FHS) course introduces learners to the principles of antenatal and intrapartum fetal health surveillance. This course reviews the research concerning fetal surveillance and principles of fetal/maternal physiology as well as their relevance to antenatal and intrapartum methods of surveillance. Acid/base balance, team communication, and documentation are also explored. The course was developed based on the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) and Perinatal Services of British Columbia (PSBS) FHS guidelines. Perinatal specialty students should take NSPN 7100 prior to taking this course. NSPN 7250 is a prerequisite for NSPN 7200 and NSPN 7300, Perinatal Clinical 1 and NSPN 7500, Perinatal Clinical 2.
Prerequisite(s)
- 75% in NSPN 7100
Credits
1.0
Registration requirements
Departmental approval is required to register for this course. You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Domestic fees
$343.72
International fees are typically 3.4 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Learning Outcomes
As a healthcare practitioner, you are expected to follow professional standards of practice throughout all SN programs and courses. In this course, you will have opportunities to use the processes of critical thinking, systematic inquiry, communication, collaboration, leadership, professionalism, and clinical decision-making. Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Discuss key evidence related to the various antepartum and intrapartum fetal health surveillance methods including supportive care in labour.
- Describe the physiological (intrinsic/extrinsic) controls on the fetal heart rate (FHR) including the basic principles of maternal/fetal circulation physiology.
- Identify the characteristics of fetal behavioural states and cardiovascular responses at differing gestational ages and during labour.
- Identify the antenatal and intrapartum conditions associated with an increased risk for adverse fetal outcomes.
- Identify factors that may adversely affect fetal acid/base balance and the changes that result from an academic insult.
- Interpret blood gas results and distinguish between respiratory, metabolic, and mixed acidosis.
- Describe the indications, procedure, frequency, and benefits of using intermittent auscultation (IA) as a method of fetal health surveillance.
- Describe the appropriate interpretation of IA and the clinical management for prevention and/or correction of abnormal IA findings.
- Describe the two EFM methods and the instrumentation used for monitoring uterine activity and FHR.
- Define the components of a systematic interpretation of the EFM tracing
- Identify normal, atypical, and abnormal parameters of an intrapartum EFM tracing and classify accordingly.
- Identify normal, atypical and abnormal parameters of a NST and classify accordingly.
- Describe the procedure, teaching, interpretation and follow-up for fetal movement counting (FMC) and the non-stress test (NST).
- Describe the key principles of verbal communication and written documentation related to fetal health surveillance .
Effective as of Spring/Summer 2023
Related Programs
Fetal Health Surveillance (NSPN 7250) is offered as a part of the following programs:
- Indicates programs accepting international students.
School of Health Sciences
- Perinatal Nursing Specialty (Perinatal - Perioperative Option)
Advanced Certificate Part-time
- Perinatal Nursing Specialty (Standard Option)
Advanced Certificate Part-time
- Specialty Nursing (Perinatal - Perioperative Option)
Bachelor of Science in Nursing Part-time
- Specialty Nursing (Perinatal - Standard Option)
Bachelor of Science in Nursing Part-time
Course Offerings
Fall 2026
Below is one offering of NSPN 7250 for the Fall 2026 term.
CRN 35583
Dates
Dec 08 Loading
- CRN 35583
- $343.72 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
Duration
1 day
Instructor
Amanda Kelloway
Course outline
Important information
- Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
- This is an online virtual class. Course materials include a free online manual and items to be purchased at the bookstore. There is an online exam that must be completed before you attend the classes for which there is a $30 exam fee, that is the responsibility of the learner. This is NOT a BCIT fee and is in addition to the BCIT course fees. There is extensive preparation required to attend this class which may take 8-16 hours. The course will open in the Learning Hub approximately one month prior to the course start date.
Confirmation
Required
To proceed with registration and add this course to the cart, please confirm:
No approval yet? Request approval You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.