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Course Outline |
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I. Overview of Critical Care Nursing a. Definition of critical care nursing b. professional organizations of critical care nursing c. standards of practice d. trends and issues
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II. Individual and family responses to critical care experience a. the critical care environments b. the critical care nurse c. the critically ill patient d. family members’ needs and responses
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III. Ethical and moral issues affecting critical care a. ethical issues b. ethical decision making c. ethical principles d. legal accountability in nursing
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IV. Infection control in ICU a. chain of infection b. preventing infection c. standard precautions/ barrier protection d. strategies to reduce infection risk in ICU e. organisms with health –care associated infection potential f. environmental factors and design issues in ICU
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V. Comfort and sedation a. definition of pain and anxiety b. predisposing factors to pain and anxiety c. physiology of pain and anxiety d. pain and anxiety assessment e. management of pain and anxiety
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VI. Nutritional support a. assessment of patient’s nutritional status b. nutritional therapy goals c. calculation of ideal body weight and recommended nutrients d. practice guidelines for enteral access such as NGT insertion e. practice guidelines for parenteral access f. monitoring and evaluating nutritional care plan g. monitoring complications for NGT feeding, parenteral feeding
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VII. Dysrhythmia Interpretation a. review of the anatomy and physiology and conduction system of the heart b. Basic electrophysiology c. analyzing basic electrocardiographic tracing d. systematic interpretation of dysrhythmias e. management and nursing interventions of common dysrhythmias f. performing 12-lead ECG
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