Care and Management of the Renal Patient (Online)

Who is it for?

This module is aimed at NMC-registered nurses who have gained some experience in caring for patients with renal disease and wish to consolidate and further enhance their knowledge and skills in this area. It is not a requirement that you work on a renal unit to access this course. 

This module can be undertaken as part of the BMedSci Renal Nursing Care degree or as a stand-alone module by Nurse Associates.

If taken as a stand-alone module, this unit can be completed at degree level for 20 credits or masters level for 15 credits. If you're considering this module at masters level, it is recommended that you have completed some academic study at degree level recently and within the UK. If unsure which level to choose, please contact the programme/module lead.

The module is six months in length, with the first half being spent on completion of the online materials and the remainder spent on completing the summative assessment.

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Overview of content

This module provides a broad overview of care management in relation to both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The section on anatomy and physiology of the renal and urinary system provides the foundation to build your knowledge and understanding when caring for

• people with mild, moderate or severe CKD and/or AKI
• people undergoing Renal replacement therapies (dialysis and transplantation)
• people receiving conservative/supportive/end of life care

Areas covered include communication, psychological and emotional impact, treatment transitions, patient empowerment and shared care.

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Learning and assessment

This module is conducted entirely online. You will need to be available for the first day of the module – this is an online day where you are introduced to the resources and supported to access the various online tools. 

After the first day, there are also regular live online lectures – these are usually an hour long and are delivered by subject experts.  All live lectures are recorded so students have access to them throughout the duration of each module, however students are expected to make every effort to attend the live lectures. Dates for live online sessions are sent to students prior to the module commencing.

The module is delivered via the University of Sheffield’s virtual learning environment (VLE). Asynchronous learning is via the content held on the VLE, discussion forums, development of group learning resources, informal tests and quizzes. Students are expected to maintain a minimum level of activity within each module and participate regularly.  

Within each module there is an online reading list – all resources included are available electronically. You will also have access to the extensive University library collections and subject databases that are held digitally.

Assessment for this module is dependent on the level you have applied for:

• Degree level: 2,000-word essay and a 15-minute presentation
• Masters level: 3,000-word essay

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Contact information

Programme Leader: Andrea Fox

• Tel: +44 114 222 2079
• Email: andrea.fox@sheffield.ac.uk