Master in Child Health and Paediatric Nursing

The Master’s Degree in Child Health and Paediatric Nursing is part of the ESEP’s post-graduate training policy, within the framework of a strategy aligned with its statutory mission. The course is based on the interconnection between research, teaching and responding to the health needs of the population. It has as a reference the Formative Plan of the Order of Nurses for the specialised training in Child Health and Paediatric Nursing and it is also in line with the national plan for child and youth health and the most recent WHO and UNICEF guidelines for this area. It is oriented towards the development of advanced competencies, predominantly clinical in nature, with a focus on human responses to health problems and life processes, associated with growth and development, in order to make evident the contribution of nursing care to health gains in the paediatric population.

The Course respects the requirements and principles of analysis of the specialised training in Nursing of the Portuguese Order of Nurses, namely in what refers to the possibility of later attribution of the professional title of Nurse Specialist to the holders of the Master’s Degree in Child Health and Paediatric Nursing. It will contribute to the training of professionals who constitute critical mass for the development of autonomous and collaborative activities in the area of Nursing in Child Health and Paediatrics, based on the best research evidence. It is intended to be relevant for the collaboration in the implementation of Child Health and Paediatric policies and in the organisation of Child and Youth Health care policies. Finally, it is also intended to be relevant for the creation, implementation and evaluation of health projects aimed at the health of the paediatric population and their families.

Learning outcomes

• To provide students with knowledge and competencies that allow them to assist the child/adolescent/family in enhancing their health;
• To provide students with knowledge and competencies that allow them to assist the child/adolescent/family, in particular complex situations;
• To provide students with knowledge and competencies that allow them to provide specific care in response to the developmental needs of the child/adolescent during their life cycle;
• To promote the inclusion of knowledge produced in specialized child and paediatric health nursing practice as a basis for autonomous action in the planning, implementation and evaluation of nursing interventions, and also as a basis for innovation and new forms of intervention;
• To promote debate, critical awareness and reflection on issues involving specialized child and paediatric health nursing practice.