Overview:
Post Title: Critical Care Outreach Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Post Status: Permanent
Department: Critical Care & Anaesthetic Directorate
Location: Beaumont Hospital
Reports to: Clinically to: Lead Clinician for Critical Care Outreach Professionally to: Directorate Nurse Manager CC&A
Salary: Appointment will be made on cANP Grade at a point in line with Government pay policy (€72,146 - €81,478 LSI)
Hours of work: Full time, 37.5 hours per week
Closing Date: 28/08/2026 @ 12:00pm
Please note the hospital reserves the right to close the competition early should a substantial number of applications be received & interviews for this post will be held the week commencing September 7th 2026.
Position Summary:
This Critical Care Outreach Advanced Practice Service is provided by nurses who practice at a higher level of capability as independent, autonomous and expert advanced practitioners. The overall purpose of the service is to provide safe, timely, evidenced based nurse-led care to patients at an advanced nursing level. This involves undertaking and documenting complete episodes of patient care, which includes comprehensively assessing, diagnosing, planning, treating and follow up on patients in accordance with collaboratively agreed local policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines and/or service level agreements/ memoranda of understanding.
The Critical Care Outreach Service provides clinical leadership and professional scholarship in the delivery of optimal nursing services and informs the development of evidence based health policy at local, regional, national levels and international levels.
This autonomous role compliments existing roles within the critical care team. The cANP (Critical Care) collaborates with the Critical Care Nursing and Anaesthetic teams. The primary aim of both teams is the delivery of a patient centred evidence based critical care service. This cANP addresses the needs of critically ill patients within an agreed framework. This role leads on innovative nursing practices.
Once patients have been accepted by the ICU Anaesthetic team, the cANP co-ordinates and provides advanced nursing care within and beyond the walls of Critical Care, to acute and critically ill patients.
Responsibilities:
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
Act as a nurse member of the critical care outreach team and participate in the nursing care of critically ill patients throughout the organisation.- This nursing role is focused on patient progression, addressing the complex needs of Level 2 and Level 3 patients, reviewing their clinical progress, modifying treatments within the parameters of this role.
- The cANP provides an accurate diagnosis to ensure the initiation of prompt treatment plans within their scope of practice
- This role supports timely access of critically ill patients to and optimal egress from Critical Care to the ward
- This role is both advisory and focused on nurse development, providing nursing support and education, fostering inquiry, critical thinking and research utilisation among the nursing workforce, to advance practice and patient care.
1. Professional Values and Conduct:
The cANP in Critical Care will be required to apply ethically sound solutions to complex issues related to individuals and populations by:
1. Demonstrating accountability and responsibility for professional practice as a lead healthcare
professional.
2. Articulating safe boundaries and engaging in timely referral and collaboration for those areas outside
his/her scope of practice, experience and competence.
3. Demonstrating leadership by practising compassionately to facilitate, optimise, promote and support
the health, comfort, quality of life and wellbeing of critically ill patients, some of whom lives may
have been affected by altered health, chronic disorders, disability, distress or life-limiting conditions.
4. Articulating and promoting the RANP role in clinical, political and professional contexts.
2 . Clinical Decision-Making:
1. The cANP in Critical Care will utilise advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities to engage in senior clinical decision making by:
2. Conducting a comprehensive health assessment using evidenced based frameworks to determine diagnoses and inform autonomous advanced nursing care
3. Synthesising and interpreting clinical information, including history, physical findings and diagnostic data to identify normal, at risk and abnormal states of health
4. Demonstrating timely use of diagnostic investigations to inform clinical-decision making
5. Exhibiting comprehensive knowledge of therapeutic interventions including pharmacological and non-pharmacological advanced nursing interventions.
6. Each practitioner must be able to: - Perform a comprehensive physical examination and demonstrate the ability to recognise normal, deviation from normal findings in relation to the following systems Airway, Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, Renal, Neurological and Endocrine.
7. Assess and provide first line treatment for a patient with acute or developing critical illness and those requiring emergency assistance of above systems including sepsis.
8. Provide basic, immediate and advanced life-support in accordance with the level of response required.
9. Recognise situations where consideration for withdrawal of treatment should be given and initiate review by appropriate medical staff, palliative care or end of life teams.
10. Provide effective leadership and support for critical care teams and ward staff when caring for acutely ill ward patients with developing critical illness.
11. Support safe transfer and transport of the acutely ill patient. Understand clinical limitations, and enable direct referral to other members of the multidisciplinary specialist team.
12. On the basis of the assessment, initiate the level of support required, including airway management, oxygen therapy.
13. Participate in the multi-professional review of patients on general wards and emergency department working with the ward staff to support and participate in the delivery of care to critically ill patients.
14. Act as an excellent clinical nursing role model in the management of patients requiring outreach critical care.
15. Carry out nursing care that is based on the latest research findings, and constitutes best practice.
16. Alert other members of medical/ surgical staff from the patient’s own team to organise admission of patients to ITU/HDU.
17. Where necessary, liase directly with ITU Reg/ Consultant to fast track patient into ITU/HDU
18. Refer the patient where necessary to the physiotherapist for treatment
19. Provide follow-up care to patients transferred from ITU/HDU to ward areas.
3.Knowledge and Cognitive Competencies:
The cANP in Critical Care will actively contribute to the professional body of knowledge related to his/her area of advanced practice by:
1. Providing leadership in the translation of new knowledge to clinical practice
2. Educating others using an advanced expert knowledge base derived from clinical experience, on-going reflection, clinical supervision and engagement in continuous professional development
3. Demonstrating a vision for advanced practice nursing based on a competent expert knowledge base that is developed through research, critical thinking, and experiential learning
4. Demonstrating accountability in considering access, cost and clinical effectiveness when planning, delivering and evaluating care.
4. Communication and Interpersonal Competencies:
The cANP in Critical Care will negotiate with and advocate for other health professionals to ensure the beliefs, rights and wishes of the person are respected by:
1. Communicating effectively with the healthcare team through sharing of information in accordance with legal, professional and regulatory requirements
2. Demonstrating leadership in professional practice by using professional language (verbally and in writing) that represents the plan of care, which is shared with the person and other members of the inter-professional team
3. Facilitating clinical supervision and mentorship through utilising one’s expert knowledge and clinical competences
4. Utilising information technology, in accordance with legislation and organisational policies and procedures, to record all aspects of advanced nursing care.
5. Management and Team Competencies:
The cANP in Critical Care will manage risk to those who access the service through collaborative risk assessments and promotion of a safe environment by:
1. Promoting a culture of quality care
2. Proactively seeking feedback from persons receiving care, families and staff on their experiences and
suggestions for improvement
3. Implementing practice changes using negotiation and consensus building, in collaboration with the
multidisciplinary team and persons receiving care.
6. Leadership and Professional Scholarship Competencies:
The cANP in Critical Care will lead in multidisciplinary team planning for transitions across the continuum of care by:
1. Demonstrating clinical leadership in the design and evaluation of services
2. Engaging in health policy development, implementation, and evaluation Identifying gaps in the
provision of care and services pertaining to his/her area of advanced practice and apply the best
available evidence
3. Leading in managing and implementing change.
7. Advanced Practice Performance Management and Evaluation
1. Performance Indicators (PI’s) are required to evaluate nursing interventions and implement initiatives to improve quality and quantity of the nursing care provided. They should have a clinical nursing focus as well as a breakdown of activity, including patients seen and treated. In addition, they identify areas of good practice that must be recognised and celebrated (HSE 2015)
2. In collaboration with the Critical Care Directorate the cANP in Critical Care will identify and develop Nursing PI’s for their area of practice, collect and collate data which will provide evidence of the impact and effectiveness of the interventions undertaken. Agreed clinical PI’s are as per R/cANP Critical Care framework, detailing advanced nurse practice and skills, specifying the structure, process and outcome measurements for this service.
3. The R/cANP will evaluate audit results and research findings to identify areas for quality improvement in collaboration with nursing management and multidisciplinary team colleagues (primary and secondary care).
8. Professional / Clinical
The R/cANP in Critical Care will practice nursing according to:
1. The Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (NMBI
2014);
2. Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework (NMBI 2015);
3. Values for Nurses and Midwives in Ireland – Care, Compassion and Commitment (Department of
Health 2016);
4. Advanced Practice Nursing Standards and Requirements (NMBI 2017);
5. National Health Policies and Procedures (latest versions) {list as relevant to the service for example:
6. HSE (2013, revised 2016) National Consent Policy;
7. Local policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines
8. Government of Ireland (2015) Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act
9. Education and Training:
The cANP in Critical Care will:
1. Contribute to service development through appropriate continuous education, research initiatives, keeping up to date with nursing literature, recent nursing research and new developments in nursing practice, education and management.
2. Provide support and advice to those engaging in continuous professional development in his/her area of advanced nursing.
3. Develop guidelines, care pathways and standards in the care of patients requiring critical care outreach.
4. Maintain own professional, personal development and maintain expertise including intensive care of all types of patients.
5. Carry out informal teaching at the bedside on care of the critically ill patient.
6. Develop an active teaching role for under-graduate and post-graduate nursing students and other disciplines as required.
7. Use relevant educational opportunities to maintain the highest standards of care offered to patients.
10. Research/Audit Responsibilities
1. Critically evaluate research and audit findings and incorporates evidenced based practice into care of patients.
2. Contribute to supporting and maintaining the quality of the information within an outreach database.
3. Provide information as requested on outreach activity, interventions and patient outcomes.
4. Responsible for policy/protocol development and implementation within Critical Outreach team.
5. To initiate and undertake audit as appropriate either individually or as part of the multidisciplinary team.
6. To generate questions for research arising out of practice and to collaborate with the multidisciplinary team in order to investigate these questions.
7. To attend relevant departmental and Directorate meetings relating to clinical practice and clinical governance
Professional Practice Portfolio
- The R/cANP (Critical Care) must maintain a professional practice portfolio, incorporating evidence of learning from continuing professional development, clinical supervision, reflective practice and review of his/her own scope of practice in accordance with regulatory requirements and service need.
The job description indicates the main functions and responsibilities of the post and is subject to review and amendment. Other specific work not covered in this job description may also be assigned by the Director of Nursing from time to time.
Qualifications:
Selection Criteria:
Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post.
Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.
Mandatory:
- Be registered in the Relevant Division of the Register of Nurses kept by NMBI or be entitled to be so registered
- Be educated or express a willingness to be educated to master’s degree level (or higher).
- A post graduate programme in Intensive Care nursing or equivalent is required.
- Have a minimum of seven years’ post-registration experience, which will include four years experience in a Level 3 Critical Care Unit or equivalent area
- Have or be willing to undertake substantive hours at supervised advanced practice level.
- Have the competence to exercise higher levels of judgement, discretion and decision-making in the clinical area above that is expected of the nurse/midwife working at primary practice level of the clinical nurse/midwife specialist.
- Demonstrate competencies relevant to context of practice.
- Provide evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable:
- A management / leadership course is desirable
- Experience in teaching and assessing junior staff/nursing students
- An advanced knowledge and clinical expertise in the nursing management of complex critically ill patients.
Informal Enquiries ONLY to:
Name: Niamh Shields
Telephone: 01-852 8338
Please be aware that Beaumont Hospital will never ask candidates to pay money at any stage of the recruitment process. Any requests for payment, bank details, or financial information in connection with a job application should be treated as fraudulent. If you receive such a request claiming to be from Beaumont Hospital, please do not respond and report to the recruitment department immediately.
If an appointee has previously been employed in the Civil or Public Service and that appointee is entitled to or in receipt of a pension from the Civil or Public Service or where a Civil/ Public Service pension comes into payment during the appointee’s re-employment that pension will be subject to abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012.
Please note: In applying for this position you are acknowledging that you understand that the abatement provisions, where relevant, will apply. It is not envisaged that the employing Department/ Office/ Body will support an application for an abatement waiver in respect of appointments to this position.
