The Certificate In Nursing In Procedural Sedation at Atlantic Technological University, Galway-Mayo IS A 12-week Level 9, 10 credit, Special Purpose Award, developed in collaboration with Galway Clinic. The Certificate provides Registered Nurses with the knowledge and skills to engage in safe practice with regards to procedural sedation within their scope of practice.
In line with International Accreditation Standards it is acknowledged that Sedation and anaesthesia use are complex processes that must be integrated into patient care planning. Sedation and anaesthesia require complete and comprehensive patient assessment, continued patient monitoring, and objective recovery criteria. JCI (2014)
Expanded practice of a nurse as defined by NMBI Scope of Practice for Nursing and Midwifery (2015) Expanded practice should occur in the context of quality person-centred safe care, service needs and national policy. There is no specific stage in the nurses or midwifes clinical career at which expansion of practice occurs. The individual nurse or midwifes educational preparation and professional competence, and not the nature or degree of difficulty of the task, should determine role expansion (DoHC 2011). NMBI (2016 p.27)
Recent literature directs us towards safe practice and that there is a requirement for certified training of staff directly involved in Procedural Sedation.
This provides justification for the upskilling of staff who wish to develop competence in:
Pre sedation assessment, determining suitability of the patient
Safe medication management
Administration of sedation medication and management of patient during the procedure
Emergency response to adverse events
Quality and risk management
