From Kati Kleber MSN RN, nurse educator and American Nurses Association published author
Let's face it: Hearts are scary.
There's nothing in nursing school that can prepare you for the crippling fear you face in dealing with something as complicated and nuanced as the cardiac system.
Here you are, about to care for your first CABG and you don't want to accidentally kill anyone.
You wonder how everyone else seems to have it all figured out.
Did I miss a lecture?
Was there a secret meeting where everyone got a crash course on cardiac care and I didn't get invited?
Am I going to hurt someone?
Nursing school just doesn't prepare you for cardiac patients.
Being new to a specialty can feel painful.
Everyone told you that it was ok to hop into cardiac without experience, but now you're not so sure.
There are so many things you don't know and hearts are pretty vital to sustaining life.
You have so many questions.
Is it EKG or ECG?
What's the correct sodium level? Why does sodium even matter?
What should I say to a patient's family after a patient codes?
What do I do in a code?
When will I stop feeling so incompetent?
You can be a great, confident cardiac nurse.
You already have the baseline skills needed to care for cardiac patients. You just need a little shaping up around the edges and the tips and tricks to make your shifts go from scary to manageable.
You need guides and tools to help you feel more confident.
You need someone to help you stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling safe and competent.
With Cardiac Confidence, here’s what you’ll learn:
- A cardiac anatomy and physiology brush-up crafted specifically for the new acute care cardiac nurse [Cardiac A&P module]
- What actually happens down in the cath lab, how to talk to your patients about it, and what to watch out for when they get back [Cardiac Catheterization module]
- A run down of the most common patient equipment you'll be responsible for managing, like arterial lines, chest tubes, tracheostomies, and more [Equipment section]
- How to respond to a patient who flips into atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response with confidence and ease [Atrial Fibrillation module]
- What they actually do during various cardiac surgeries like CABG, MVR/AVR, CEA, AAA, and many more, your responsibilities as the bedside nurse and how to educate the patient [respective modules]
- All of the important cardiac interventions like thoracentesis, paracentesis, pacemaker placement, and pleurodesis - what’s actually going on, how to prep patients, and possible complications and their management [Diagnostics & Interventions section]
- What the heck a pericardial effusion, empyema, pleurisy, decordication, and a thoracotomy is - explained in simplified terms [respective modules
And so, so much more.
The course includes:
- Audio files of all modules - you can listen to the course like a podcast!
- A 180-page PDF download of the entire course
- 30 videos - including transcripts of skills videos
- 10 mini quizzes to check your knowledge
- Multiple additional PDF downloads
- Written by experienced nurses who care about your success
While we mention heart rhythms, we do not go over ECGs in-depth. ECGs are an extensive topic, and we wanted to focus more on learning the physical care for a plethora of cardiac patients, so we decided to separate the cardiac nursing care from the ECG lessons.
If you are interested in purchasing both an ECG review in addition to this cardiac patient care prep course, you will be given that option at checkout.
Cardiac Confidence Curriculum
Click on the CABG module for a free preview!
- Pacemakers
- Arterial Lines (14:37)
- Sheaths (9:31)
- Chest Tubes (26:39)
- Drains - Pericardial, Jackson-Pratt, Hemovac (5:50)
- Central Venous Catheters (CVCs) (34:39)
- CVP Monitoring
- Cardiac Output Monitoring
- Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump
- Code Cool
- Lumbar Drainage Catheter
- Respiratory Equipment (12:23)
- Tracheostomies (27:52)
- Impellas
- Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
- Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT)
- Equipment Quiz
Hear what some of our learners have to say about Cardiac Confidence!
💥 Unleash Your
Full Learning Potential!
Upgrade to the All-Access Pass for an unrivaled learning experience.
Gain immediate access to a comprehensive library of nursing education courses. Elevate your skills, expand your knowledge, and accelerate your career. Seize this opportunity now!
👉 Upgrade Your Access
Meet Your Instructors
Course FAQ's
What if I don’t like it? No worries, I wouldn’t want you to be unhappy. As long as you request your refund within 14 days (please allow 1-2 business days for processing) and have completed less than 50% of the course (and have not downloaded the entire course PDF), we will issue you a full refund. No questions asked!
How long do I have access? Once purchased, you have lifetime access to this course. You can watch the videos as many times as you want, and there are unlimited logins.
When does it start? Whenever you want!
Do I have to be a registered nurse to enroll? While this course was created with the new cardiac nurse in mind, anyone can purchase it. There are no enrollment requirements.
Does this course include contact hours? It will in the future. We are in the process of receiving approval and will update it with more information once this has been obtained.
Do you cover ECGs? While we mention heart rhythms, we do not go over ECGs in-depth. ECGs are an extensive topic, and we wanted to focus more on learning the physical care for a plethora of cardiac patients, so we decided to separate the cardiac nursing care from the ECG lessons.
Check out our other popular courses...
You can purchase our comprehensive ECG review course, ECG Rhythm Master, after checkout as well.