Emergency Nursing Specialty (Combined Emergency/Critical Care Option)

This course supports the development of fundamental knowledge required to systematically analyze and interpret basic cardiac dysrhythmias. Learners will explore myocardial electrophysiology in relation to cardiac monitoring and develop a systematic approach to dysrhythmia analysis and interpretation. Learners will also consider the predisposing factors of all conduction defects and the consequences of dysrhythmias to both systemic and myocardial oxygen supply and demand. Additionally, interventions for dysrhythmias are also discussed. Lastly, the significance of dysrhythmia analysis, interpretation, and management to critical care nursing practice will be explored. Though this course is conducted within the specific context of critical care nursing practice, it is also suitable for other nurses or qualified health professionals requiring this skill. If you are not a registered nurse or a student nurse in the final years of your BSN program, you must consult the Critical Care Nursing Program Head before registration. Health professionals who are not nurses may register for this course with the approval of the Critical Care Nursing Specialty Program Head. If you are registering in the NSCC, NSHA or NSER nursing program, follow the program course matrix. Program Head approval is required to take NSCC 7150 as a co-requisite with NSCC 7120, NSCC 7220, NSHA 7100, or NSER 7110. To be successful in the course, learners must achieve 75% or higher on each evaluative component in the course.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Introduces emergency nursing and focuses on client perspectives of care in emergency settings. Provides opportunities to explore the concept of partnership with clients, families, and health care professionals in a time limited, changing environment. Introduces emergency skills such as assessment, urgency determination, and diagnostic reasoning. Provides opportunities to work through common, less complex emergency client presentations in the form of case studies, identifying concepts key to emergency nursing. Emphasizes examination of pathophysiology, assessment and decision-making. Students are given opportunities to work both individually and collaboratively, and will be expected to participate in group activities throughout this course.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSCC 7150

This course builds on concepts presented in Theory 1 such as critical thinking, assessment, and level of urgency. Students are given opportunities to work individually and collaboratively through complex emergency patient presentations, identifying concepts key to emergency nursing. Pathophysiology, assessment, and decision making related to shock, pediatrics, mental health, substance use, acute coronary syndrome, and cardiac arrest will be explored. Students will be expected to participate in group activities throughout this course.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSER 7110 and 75% in NSCC 7150

Nurses develop and begin to enact their role in emergency nursing by exploring an emergency environment and assessing influences pertaining to patient and family health. Building upon theory and frameworks from the preceding courses, nurses focus on developing comprehensive assessment skills and applying this knowledge in the care of patients and families. Effective clinical decision making in the context of common, less acute patient presentations is another focus of this clinical experience. In addition, nurses will develop and foster collaborative relationships with patients, families, colleagues, instructors, and other health care providers. The development of critical thinking, systematic inquiry, and communication skills will be emphasized throughout this course.​
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSER 7210

An introduction to the care of critically ill patients, this course focuses on the knowledge, values, and beliefs central to the practice of nursing patients who experience life-threatening injuries. Throughout this course, students explore key concepts related to resuscitation including primary assessment and interventions and mechanism of injury. In addition, there is a strong focus on the needs of special populations. Pathophysiology, urgency determination, clinical reasoning, and patient assessment continue to be a focus for learning.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSER 7210

Building on knowledge and skills acquired in previous theory and clinical courses, nurses continue to develop understanding and apply reflective practice to their role as emergency nurses. Broad perspectives of communities, environment, and health care resources are incorporated into nurses' understanding of health assessment and emergency nursing care. With a focus on a diversity of complex health care challenges and issues arising in emergency practice, nurses use systematic frameworks and reflective problem solving to gain knowledge, make and evaluate clinical judgements, and examine and challenge practice. Developing confidence in the provision of competent emergency nursing care for complex patients is central to this course. Communication skills and relationship building strategies are emphasized as nurses assume an active role in creating partnerships with patients and families and participating in multi-member/interdisciplinary teams. This clinical experience will integrate knowledge and skills gained from workshops/laboratories such as cardiac arrest management and trauma care with clinical practice. Specifically, this course focuses student learning on caring for patients experiencing unstable, complex health challenges. ​
Prerequisite(s):

• S in NSER 7300 and 75% in NSER 7410

​This course advances learners' clinical reasoning and critical care expertise by focusing on the assessment and management of life-threatening conditions commonly encountered in the ICU setting. Emphasizing the integration of assessment findings within the Oxygen Supply and Demand Framework (OSDF), this course builds upon prior knowledge and skills to support increasingly complex decision-making. Beginning with respiratory failure, learners examine its etiology, classification, and pathophysiology. Through the lens of the OSDF, learners analyze how targeted interventions—including antibiotics, oxygen therapy, and non-invasive ventilation—can restore physiological balance and prevent further deterioration. Mechanical ventilation is then explored as a foundational skill for entry-level practice in critical care. Learners are introduced to key concepts including indications for intubation, ventilator settings, modes of ventilation, alarm troubleshooting, and weaning strategies. Cardiovascular care is addressed through an in-depth examination of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and heart failure. Learners analyze the progression from coronary artery disease to myocardial infarction, the interpretation of 12-lead ECG findings, and the pharmacologic interventions critical to improving outcomes. The course also explores the pathophysiology and long-term consequences of heart failure, emphasizing the importance of early recognition and ongoing management of impaired cardiac function. Finally, the course provides a comprehensive exploration of shock, including hypovolemic, cardiogenic, distributive, and obstructive types. Learners investigate the stages of shock, mechanisms of compensation and decompensation, and advanced assessment techniques for evaluating cardiac output and tissue perfusion. Medical and nursing management strategies, including the use of vasoactive medications, blood products, and fluid resuscitation, are examined in detail. The course concludes with an in-depth analysis of sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), emphasizing the inflammatory processes that drive these complex conditions. Through case-based learning and structured application of the OSDF, this course strengthens learners' ability to synthesize information, anticipate complications, and provide timely, evidence-informed interventions in the dynamic critical care environment. ​
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSCC 7220

This clinical course occurs in an intensive care unit of mixed cardiac care/intensive care unit. Clinical practice experiences build toward independence in providing independent nursing care for stable*, critically ill patients and families experiencing a variety of critical illnesses [e.g. acute coronary syndrome, acute respiratory insufficiency and failure, acute kidney injury, hemodynamic instability (including shock states), acute decompensated heart failure, hypovolemic shock and sepsis]. Specific attention will be given to the unique challenges of caring for chronically critically ill patients, for families of critically ill patients and collaborative practice within the interdisciplinary team. Relevant patients will include those experiencing noninvasive or mechanical ventilation, cardiac and invasive hemodynamic monitoring, common laboratory and diagnostic processes, and active intervention intended to optimize oxygen supply and demand balance. Primary patient issues will be predominantly in one system, with other physiological systems minimally or potentially impacted. Learners also complete a one day Lab related to Cardiac Arrest Management: in team-based high fidelity simulations, learners have an opportunity to apply relevant theory (e.g. ACLS algorithms) and to practice skills required for recognition and intervention for life threatening dysrhythmias. While NSCC 7420 is generally a clinical teacher led course, in unique situations it is possible to complete this course as a preceptorship. [*The stable patient is defined as one with 'potential to change or experiencing gradually evolving changes in condition.*] Please note, learners must be Registered Nurses to take this course. Please note: You must achieve a successful grade to register in the next Critical Care Nursing course, NSCC 7520.
Prerequisite(s):

• 75% in NSCC 7320
• Completed clinical application and practicing RN license