The program consists of 51 Ch. of study offered over 2 years. Courses in the specialty area of Critical Care Nursing have been developed specifically to enable Registered Nurses to extend knowledge and skills to confidently and competently manage the nursing of critically ill patients across the lifespan. Courses allow students to identify policy and practice issues in critical care nursing, and explore health team collaboration in their field of study. The thesis provides students with the opportunity to be involved in research which explores evidence that substantiates their practice. The nurse completes a minimum of 528 hours working clinically in the critical care area for the duration of the programme