Full Course Description

Advanced Lab Interpretation: Master the Hidden Clues

The lab work you have been anxiously waiting for, comes back normal.  That wasn’t what you expected...  But now what?

You could just as easily be assigned to care for a patient with a change in blood gases, renal failure, liver functions, coagulation concerns, early sepsis or a diabetes crisis during your next shift.  Are you confident in your interpretation of the results?  What about those subtle lab shifts that might make you wonder what lies ahead for the patient?

The blood results may just be the tip of the iceberg.  A critical event could be on the horizon, if you don’t initiate the appropriate interventions.   This opportunity will elevate your lab analysis critical thinking to detect the hidden clues from the results and anticipate your patient’s presentation as the values deteriorate or improve. 

This video-based training from a nationally recognized critical care/emergency expert will provide you the advanced skills, proven strategies and understanding you need NOW.  This is one training that you will immediately put to use.  Day in and day out with the patients you care for!

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Evaluate the results of coagulation studies (PT/INT and PTT).
  2. Plan patient interventions based upon complete blood count findings.
  3. Determine the clinical implications based upon the metabolic panels.
  4. Distinguish between life-threatening electrolyte imbalances, to detect causes and remedies.
  5. Prepare for renal function implications based upon BUN, Creatinine, BUN/CR ratio, and GFR.
  6. Analyze blood gases and pertinent clinical implications.
  7. Differentiate between bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis based on lumbar puncture findings.

Outline

Getting the Most Out of the CBC

  • Identify the cause of abnormal findings
  • The significance of LFTs
  • Left shift explained
  • Transfusions and unplanned complications

Beyond the “Basics” of the BMP

  • When “normal” doesn’t represent homeostasis
  • Important implications for patient management
  • Anticipate the EKG changes
  • When to watch and when to treat

Liver Labs and Coagulation Complications

  • CMP: Indications and implications
  • Master the clotting cascade
  • Recognize life-threatening complications
  • Current treatment strategies
  • The right lab test for the medication
  • Managing DIC

Cardiac Labs: Time is Muscle!

  • Integrate findings into the comprehensive cardiac assessment
  • Oxygenation, ventilation, acid-base status and more
  • Patient monitoring guidelines
  • Optimizing therapy

Prevent Endocrine Emergencies

  • Respond to critical lab findings
  • Prevent complications
  • The dangers of insulin replacement
  • Patient safety considerations

ABGs: Identify the Underlying Abnormality

  • New strategies for interpretation
  • Best treatments for acidosis and alkalosis
  • Compensatory efforts of the body

Prevent & Treat Infections

  • Early signs of sepsis and septic shock
  • Protocols: What works & what’s next
  • Lumbar puncture indications

Identify the cause of acute renal failure

  • Put the critical values together: Creatinine, BUN, GFR 
  • First line interventions 
     

Target Audience

  • Nurses
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • Physician Assistants
  • Physical Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Dietitians

Copyright : 01/18/2021

Interpret Blood Gasses, Manage Mechanical Ventilation & Master the Mechanical Implications - Like Never Before!

Baffled by Blood Gasses? Confused by Compensation? Mystified by Mechanical Ventilation?

Learn interpretation, ventilation, and implication in this fun, fast, practice changing training!  These topics can seem complex but in this comprehensive video, Sean Smith, FP-C, CEN, CFRN, CPEN, CCRN-CMC (Adult), CCRN-K (Neonatal), CCRN-K (Pediatric), will share his best tips from years of experience caring for patients in critical care/emergency-based roles.  He will break down key ABG concepts in a way that you have not heard explained previously.

By the end, you will be able to immediately apply the advanced level knowledge to YOUR personal practice.  There will be opportunities to test your new insights through clinical cases and scenarios. We guarantee you will be interpreting blood gasses and managing mechanical ventilation like never before.  For 20 years Sean’s students have followed up, to let him know how they were able to quickly and decisively act in critical situations.  You won’t regret the time spent learning.  In fact, you will only wish you had found this program sooner!

Program Information

Outline

Interpretation

  • Respiratory acidosis
  • Respiratory alkalosis
  • Metabolic acidosis
  • Metabolic alkalosis

Ventilation

  • NonInvasive (CPAP, “BiPAP”)
  • Invasive 
  • Volume control ventilation - made easy!
  • Patient variables 
  • Resistance, compliance, asthma, COPD, etc.
  • Machine settings/Parameters 
  • Tidal volume
  • Respiratory rate
  • Inspiratory-expiratory time/pressure
  • PEEP
  • FiO2
  • Alarm Settings/ Trouble Shooting 
  • Peak inspiratory pressure
  • Plateau pressure
  • DOPE

Implication

  • Lung Protective Ventilation
  • Common comorbidities (Renal Insufficiency, Diabetes, etc.)
  • pH homeostasis
  • Electrolyte homeostasis

Case Studies

  • Opioid overdose
  • Asthma
  • COPD
  • Diabetic Keto Acidosis
  • Acute kidney injury
  • Appropriate hypovolemic resuscitation

Objectives

  1. Analyze blood gas findings to alterations in respiratory physiology.
  2. Apply evidence to avoid Ventilator Induced Lung Injury from mechanical ventilation to correct altered homeostasis.
  3. Plan for proactive management of the complex mechanical ventilation patient with multiple comorbidities.

Target Audience

  • Nurses
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • Physician Assistants

Copyright : 01/26/2021

Medication Error Prevention Training: 30+ Best Practices to Minimize the Risk of Making a Life-Threatening Mistake

A seasoned nurse had drawn up the right dose of a drug hundreds of times in her career.

But once…she made a life-changing error. A patient died, she was suspended and then fired from a profession she loves.

Patient safety is a sacred bond. For nurses, keeping patients safe is the top priority. But long shifts, high acuities, confusing dosing calculations, an ever-changing list of drug interactions, and similar drug names create an environment where even the most competent clinician can make a serious medication mistake.

Are you confident that you have the tools you need to avoid making a headline error?

This recording will give you all the resources you need to fulfill this critical aspect of your job and dramatically reduce your risk of making a life-changing error. Join Rachel Cartwright-Vanzant as she shares with you what she has learned working with the Board of Nursing in five states, consulting and educating nurses who have received corrective action and suspension related to their medication errors!

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Compare the major categories of adverse drug events (ADEs).
  2. Evaluate the barriers to and benefits of reporting ADEs.
  3. Solve medication dosage calculations.
  4. Analyze actual medication errors to avoid the pitfalls.
  5. Demonstrate how available tools and strategies can assist with error prevention and safe medication use.
  6. Develop new skills to predict high risk medication error scenarios.

Outline

Through the teachings of real-life scenarios, expert Rachel Cartwright-Vanzant, Ph.D., MS, LHRM, CCRN-K, will walk you step-by-step through the following topics to transform your nursing practice.

Insights from a Legal Nurse Consultant

  • What the current data says…will amaze you!
  • Consequences of unsafe practice
    • Patient injury or death
    • Loss of trust
    • Corrective action – Understanding what that means
    • Suspended license
    • Loss of license
    • Litigation
  • Types of Medication Errors
    • Commission
    • Omission
Med Error Contributors: Identify Safety Precautions for YOUR Practice
  • Ineffective communication
  • Experience level – Beginner vs. expert
  • Interruptions and distractions
  • Shift length, patient acuity, and workload
  • Systems errors: Lack of safety nets
  • Similar drug names
  • Failure to follow policies or guidelines
    • Taking short cuts
    • Ordering: Electronic, written, verbal
    • Order processing: Pharmacy review
    • Beyond the 8 Rights of Medication Administration
  • Review actual cases of medication errors: What went wrong?
Drug Calculation Errors: A Deadly Mistake!
  • Common errors and how to avoid them
    • Mathematical calculations
    • Metric vs. imperial systems
    • Units of measure and conversions
  • Tools and policies to avoid making math errors
  • The tragic and deadly stories…
Identify the Greatest Risk Potential for Errors
  • High risk medications – Insulins, opioids, anticoagulants, etc.
  • Drip titration
  • Predict high risk patients for adverse reactions
  • Must-know insights on reversal agents
Reporting ADEs
  • Barriers to reporting
  • Internal reporting system
    • Just Culture
    • Professional accountability
    • Incident reports – learning from past experiences
Minimize the Risk of Making a Life-Threatening Mistake: Individual and Systems Approaches
  • Time management tools
  • Think critically
  • Facility safety nets
  • Electronic tools
  • Use the safety tools available
    • Institute for Healthcare Improvement
    • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
    • Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
  • Be a STAR! An easy philosophy to guide your safe, medication administration practice

Target Audience

  • Nurses
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Nurse Educators
  • Legal Nurse Consultants
  • Pharmacists
  • Risk Management
  • Paralegals
  • Attorneys

Copyright : 03/09/2020