Critical Care Skills Boot Camp: Essential and Advanced Concepts – Cyndi Zarbano

Critical care nursing doesn’t just exist in the traditional confines of the ICU.

Whether you are on the Med-Surg floor, in the ICU, the PACU, the OR or even the ER, you will come across critically ill patients on a regular basis.

All nurses today need the specialized skills, knowledge, and competency to care for critically ill and unstable patients.

Through the course videos, case studies, tips, and time-savers, you’ll master the concepts of critical care nursing and become an expert in your clinical practice.

• Rapid Assessment: including 5 essentials components of a “down and dirty” assessment
• ABG Analysis: explore the most common causes of arterial blood gas abnormalities
• Rhythm Strip Interpretation: along with 3 most common dysrhythmias
• Advanced Cardiac Care: containing preload, contractility and afterload impacting cardiac output
• Advanced Neurological Care: together with 5 common causes of delirium
• Mechanical Ventilation Management: incorporating 2 ways to increase the ventilator patient’s oxygenation status
• And much more!

Join expert Cyndi Zarbano, MSN, BSN, CCRN, CEN, PCCN, CMSRN, CLNC, NLCP, for this innovative critical care nursing course that will revitalize your career. You’ll master specialized critical care skills, increase your credibility, and grow your career potential — most importantly, you’ll improve your patients’ treatment outcomes

In this comprehensive online course, Cyndi Zarbano will guide you step-by-step through Critical Care — from what is absolutely essential to advanced critical thinking, including:

MODULE 1:

Essential Assessment, Interpretation and Intervention Strategies

Critically ill patients are everywhere these days – on the Med-Surg floor, in the ICU, the PACU, the ED, the OR, even long-term care! A good working knowledge of the concepts for managing high-acuity patients is indispensable.

Join Cyndi Zarbano and learn the latest in essential critical care skills that you must know to be successful, including:

Rapid Assessment • ABG Analysis • Central Line Care • Easy Strip Interpretation

Identification & Management of Crisis

• Master “down and dirty” prompt assessment skills
• End the “Red Flags”
• Rapid stabilizing interventions for the unstable patient
• Manage the decompensating patient
• Better outcomes through quick intervention

The 5 Steps to Rhythm Strip Interpretation

• Systematically reviewing the major components of a rhythm strips
• Identifying rhythm changes and management of:
  — Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter
  — Paroxysmal Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia (PSVT)
  — V-Tach and V-Fib

Master Central Line Care

• Common issues experienced with central lines
• Using which port for what on a triple lumen PICC
• Use of a “cell-saver” to reduce lost hemoglobin during blood draws
• The challenge of CVP monitoring

Easy Steps to ABG Analysis

• Acid base imbalance
• 4 abnormal findings when reading your lab result
• A simple tool to rapidly and efficiently interpret ABG’s!

Managing Chest Drainage

• Indications for chest tubes
• Circumventing re-expansion pulmonary edema
• Avoiding common complications of chest drainage

Pacemakers & AICDs

• Indications for pacemakers
• Meaning of pacemaker codes
• Types of Pacemakers
• Device management
• Practical solutions to common pacemaker problems

MODULE 2:

Advanced Management of Complex and Critically Ill Patients

The Master Critical Care Skills seminar will give you a strong foundation, while integrating tips, timesavers, and stories about real nurses who make a difference in their patient’s lives. This seminar will teach you to master the concepts of critical care and become an expert in your clinical practice. Learn advanced critical care concepts and interventions, including:

Critical Care Certification Review • Core content for advanced critical care nurses

Advanced cardiac care/hemodynamics • Advanced Neurological care • Mechanical ventilation management

Understand Hemodynamics Today

• Cardiac Output = Heart Rate x Stroke Volume
  — Use a simple analogy to learn the components and finally Get It
• Preload, Afterload and Contractility
• Manipulating the mathematical equation to stabilize

Demystify hemodynamic waveforms and Correctly Measuring Each

• Assessment clues to hemodynamic instability
• Central Venous Pressures
• Arterial Lines
• Swan Ganz Catheters

Assessment and management of:

• Cardiogenic Shock
• Septic Shock
• Hypovolemic Shock

Life-threatening EKG Changes: Clues from the 12-Lead

• Spectrum of coronary artery ischemia
• 5-step method for finding myocardial ischemia and injury
• STEMI and NSTEMI — What’s the difference?
• Location, location, location!

The ICU Trio in Crisis!

• IV Fluids — picking the right one for the situation
• 5 pressor agents — How they work, when to use them
  — Blood products! FFP, Platelets, PRBC’s and Cryoprecipitate

Mechanical Ventilation for Nurses

• How to manage patients on ventilators
• Avoiding Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia (VAP)
• Using CPAP or BiPAP

Manage the Neuro Patient

• Use a “5-point Neuro Check” to easily identify changes in condition
• Stroke and Stabilization
  — Ischemic
  — Hemorrhagic
  — Delirium
  — How to assess & intervene

End-of-Life Care in the ICU

• The needs of the patient
• Practical tips to help your patients and families with the end-of-life journey