Graduate Diploma Children's Cardiac Care GradDip

University College Dublin (UCD)

Our Graduate Diploma Children’s Cardiac Nursing will build on your existing knowledge and skills in caring for children with a cardiac condition and their families, supporting you to practice at specialist level.

This programme is delivered via blended learning, incorporating a mix of interactive online lectures, self-directed learning and in-person classes. To complete this programme over 1 year, please apply for the Full Time option. To spread your modules over 2 years, you may apply for the Part Time option.

Students on this programme will undertake clinical placements in CHI at Crumlin and Clark Clinic at RBHSC. The placement locations will allow you to experience the care of a wide spectrum of presenting cardiac conditions including congenital heart disease, acquired cardiac defects in settings including the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, the hybrid lab, cardiac MRI and Cardiac theatre.

The Graduate Diploma in Children’s Cardiac Nursing programme aims to build upon and advance the registered nurse’s repertoire of knowledge, skills, attitudes and professional values, in order to prepare the nurse to assume the role of a nurse specialist in this area of care. The programme aims to develop the practitioner’s capacities for caring and competent practice in children’s cardiac nursing, in order to prepare the nurse to provide a child and family centred service within the health service.

Advance nursing knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in the area of children’s cardiology including the voice of children, parents/ guardians and carers through deep understanding, and collaborative practice and an appreciation of the public/patient engagement processes.

A wide range of teaching methods are used, which includes large and small group lectures, seminars and tutorials. Clinical teaching is undertaken by specialists in the clinical area who work with the students to assist them in applying theory to practice. The UCD Virtual Learning platform ‘Brightspace’ supports online teaching and learning, facilitating synchronous and asynchronous online content delivery. Clinical placements provide students with excellent opportunities to learn from experts in other hospitals and/or within their own hospitals students attend multi-disciplinary team meetings and engage in supervised practice.

Programme Strengths

• Lectures are both clinical and university-based and are delivered by a wide range of specialists. These include Specialist Nurses, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Cardiologists and Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Pharmacists, Radiologists, Dieticians, Physiotherapists and Psychologists.
• There is a strong emphasis on continuous progression of clinical ability and clinical effectiveness through continuous assessment, clinical examinations, and case presentations
• The delivery of specialist modules on care of the child with a cardiac condition.
• Flexible pathway – recognition of prior learning where applicable
• Extensive use of IT in supporting the teaching environment of the programme
• Access to student support services including a dedicated student advisor, librarian and access to the UCD Writing Centre