This unit will equip you with the knowledge and skills to recognise, assess and manage clients with a range of long term conditions. It will enable you to evaluate the evidence base for practice and critically reflect on their encounters with clients.

The unit will comprise a combination of teaching and learning methods including key lectures, case studies and patient reviews from practice, group seminars, videos and structured reflection. On completion of the unit you should be able to;

• Articulate your role in relation to the needs of clients presenting with long term conditions.
• Develop a knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of a range of long term conditions.
• Recognise and respond to a range of long term of conditions including those affecting systems such as the cardiovascular, respiratory and musculo-skeletal systems and endocrine.
• Critically appraise the evidence base and tools available to implement care for those with long term conditions.
• Evaluate the current care provided and use the information to undertake a quality improvement initiative to develop and enhance the service provided by Practice Nurses.
• Advance your practice through critical reflection of their personal encounters with clients.

This course requires 100% attendance.

This course can be used towards the PG Cert Primary Care

Learning outcomes

Having completed this unit the student is expected to: 

1. Articulate their own role in relation to the needs of clients presenting with long term conditions
2. Develop a knowledge and understanding of the pathophysiology of a range of long term conditions  
3. Recognise and respond to a range of long term of conditions including those affecting systems such as the cardiovascular, respiratory and musculo-skeletal systems and endocrine. 
4. Critically appraise the evidence base and tools available to implement care for those with long term conditions
5. Evaluate the current care provided and use the information to undertake a quality improvement initiative to develop and enhance the service provided by Practice Nurses, thereby advancing their practice through critical reflection of their personal encounters with clients.

Assessment

Students will critically reflect on and analyse the care that they gave to one patient with a long term condition in their clinical practice. The reflective essay will be 3,000 words in total and include the stages of assessment, investigation, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation