The Critical Care Secretariat is pleased to announce that Durham College has successfully designed an innovative Critical Care Nursing E-Learning Program to make critical care training available to nurses who are unable to attend traditional college programs due to geographic limitations or work/family responsibilities.

Why we need more critical care nurses

Due to a number of factors, including the province’s growing and aging population, Ontario can expect to experience a steady increase in the demand for critical care services over the next twenty years. To meet this demand, Ontario will need to train more critical care nurses. Advances in technology and increases in patient acuity mean that critical care nurses require significant and ongoing training in order to meet the needs of their critically ill patients. Currently, this training is provided only through specialty community college programs or through in-house hospital programs, making access difficult for many nurses due to geography, work and familial responsibilities.

The Critical Care E-Learning Program will change all that.

Why an E-Learning program?

The Critical Care Nursing E-Learning Program will enable nurses to access training who would otherwise have difficulty attending in person due to geographic limitations, shift work, family commitments and other activities. Nurses who enroll in the program will do the didactic section with Durham College via the Internet and participate in hands-on high-fidelity simulation training at their local hospital or college training lab. Eight colleges and two universities from across Ontario have partnered with Durham College to offer the courses in Simulation and Integrated Practicum. The post secondary institutions partnering with Durham College include: Fanshawe College, Sault College, Northern College, Cambrian College, Confederation College, Seneca College, Georgian College, Centennial College, Queen’s University and the University of Windsor. 

How does E-Learning work?

The program will complement and extend the reach of existing nursing education programs. The key components of the program will include: didactic teaching with a dedicated course instructor, hands-on simulation modules delivered by a local university or college, mentorship/preceptorship and certification from Durham College and the partner educational institution as appropriate. The first offering of the program was in September 2007. Intakes for this program are currently January, May and September.

Key components of the program

The program is comprised of eight courses :

• Six core e-learning courses delivered by Durham College through the Critical Care Hub
• Critical Application in Simulation course (can be completed through Durham College or at another institution)
• Preceptored integrated practicum in the critical care setting (can be completed through Durham College or at another institution)

Program highlights

• The eight courses enable students to earn the advanced graduate critical care certificate, per the credentials framework established by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The advantage of this model is that all courses offered in the critical care certificate program can be considered for advance standing at the baccalaureate level.
• Delivery of full program in both official languages is under development.
• An introduction to e-learning module will describe the on-line learning environment and fully support learners with tools to problem solve their technical issues. Suggested methodologies for program completion will also be included in this environment.

Course outlines, sequence of instructions, supporting glossary and lab diagnostic tools are available to the learner in this interactive e-learning environment. Discussion tools and student presentation forums, chat rooms, and email will further facilitate ongoing communication with learners.

• Learners enrolled in any of the six core e-learning courses through the Critical Care Hub at Durham College will have access to Durham’s award winning on-line library.
• Instructors will ensure timely response to learners enquires (electronic communication within 48 hours). Assignment expectations and rubrics for evaluation will be provided within the course outline of all courses.
• The program is designed to be completed in a self-paced fashion over an extended eight-month term. Learners may complete the program in a shorter amount of time depending on their learning pace. If advanced standing has been granted or challenge exams completed, the timeframe could be even shorter.
• Students will have access to a critical care instructor throughout the regular workweek. Each course will have included in the course outline a suggested sequence of instruction. Instructors will make considerations for individual student learning needs.
• A quality assurance program will be developed to monitor progress of the program being delivered in the hub and to ensure that simulation and clinical experiences across the province are meeting the new provincial critical care nursing standards.

How was Durham College selected?

Over the summer of 2006, the Critical Care Secretariat and Nursing Secretariat issued a call for applications for educational institutions interested in becoming a hub of excellence for critical care nursing education in Ontario. Institutions were asked to develop an e-learning program that is consistent with the ministry’s Standards for Critical Care Nursing in Ontario. The Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care supervised the process. The Call for Applications received an excellent response. Several Ontario educational organizations submitted well-developed proposals. Short-listed applicants were invited to make presentations to a selection committee in September 2006, and the final selection of Durham College took place at the end of November 2006. Contract negotiations with Durham College began in December and were completed in mid-January, also under the guidance of the ministry’s Legal Services Branch.

The Critical Care Secretariat is pleased to be partnered with Durham College to deliver this exciting initiative. The e-learning program represents a significant advancement in the development of training for critical care nurses and will help to ensure that critical care is there when and where patients need it, both now and in the future.

Contact :
Julie Trpkovski, Director, Critical Care Secretariat at Julie.Trpkovski@Ontario.ca

Durham College Contact :
Sandra Goldsworthy RN BScN MSc CNCC
Coordinator, Durham College Critical Care E Learning Program
Sandra.Goldsworthy@dc-uoit.ca

Or www.durhamcollege.ca/criticalcare