Adult Critical Care Nursing

The Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Critical Care Nursing prepares registered professional nurses for advanced specialist practice in critical care settings.

Overview

Offered by the Department of Nursing Education in the Faculty of Health Sciences, this 120-credit programme develops the clinical reasoning, technical proficiency, and leadership required to provide expert, evidence-based care to critically ill adults and their families. Teaching combines weekly seminars using a blended learning approach, integrating simulation, and supervised clinical placement in accredited intensive care units.

The programme is offered part-time over two years on a day-release basis, or full-time over one year.

Career Opportunities

Graduates are prepared for senior specialist clinical roles in adult ICUs across South Africa's public and private hospital sectors, with the programme articulating to a Master of Science in Nursing (NQF Level 9) for those wishing to pursue research, advanced practice, or doctoral study.

The specialist knowledge gained also positions graduates for roles as clinical specialists in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, in nursing informatics and health technology assessment, and as legal nurse consultants contributing expert clinical opinion in medico-legal cases. South African-trained critical care nurses are internationally recognised and actively recruited internationally. 

Curriculum

The programme requires students to complete 2 compulsory courses for a total of 120 credits. Within the 120 credits there is also a structured clinical practice requirement.

Compulsory Courses:
  • Scholarship and Fundamentals of Critical Care Nursing (Adult) (60 Credits)
  • Specialist Practice of Critical Care Nursing (Adult) (60 Credits)
Scholarship and Fundamentals of Critical Care Nursing (Adult) (60 Credits)

This course establishes the scholarly and professional foundation for specialist nursing practice in critical care.

It covers two modules:

  • Scholarship for Specialist Nursing Practice, which addresses clinical leadership, evidence-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and professional practice development; and
  • Foundations of Critical Care Nursing, which introduces holistic critical care nursing, the nurse's role in monitoring and technology, functioning within the interdisciplinary team, and advocacy for patients and families in the ICU environment.
Specialist Practice of Critical Care Nursing (Adult) (60 Credits)

This course develops advanced clinical competence across the major body systems encountered in adult critical care through six focused clinical modules:

  • Cardiovascular System and Cardiac Surgery;
  • Respiratory System and Specific Pulmonary Conditions;
  • Neurological System and Neurological Conditions;
  • Gastro-intestinal, Renal and Endocrine System;
  • Trauma and Emergency Situations; and
  • Multi-system Stressors and Specific Conditions.

Each module addresses comprehensive patient assessment, relevant monitoring technology, interpretation of diagnostic investigations, management of specific disorders, and rehabilitation within the critical care context.

Clinical Requirements

Integral to the 120 credits is a minimum of 720 hours of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) completed across accredited critical care units. At least 50% of all WIL must be supervised and mentored, with up to 20% conducted through simulation. Clinical placements span Cardiac and Coronary Care, Cardiothoracic ICU, Neurosurgical ICU, Trauma and Emergency ICU, Burns Unit, and General/Multidisciplinary ICU. Students must demonstrate competence in a range of basic and advanced critical care clinical skills and complete a major clinical project and case presentations in designated units.

Entry Requirements

  • Bachelor of Nursing (R174, R425), Diploma in Nursing (R425) or equivalent qualification at NQF Level 7, recognised by the South African Nursing Council (SANC).
  • Current registration with SANC as a Professional Nurse.
  • Minimum two years' post-registration clinical nursing experience.

 

University Application Process

  • Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process. Refer to Wits postgraduate online application guide for detailed guidelines. 
  • Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students, please check this section.

For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. The University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.