Emergency Nursing CEU Courses

Discussed in this CE course for nurses, nursing home administrators, and assisted living personnel are topics that include healthcare system preparedness, healthcare system recovery, emergency operations coordination, fatality management, information s...

Course Description

The current opioid epidemic is one of the largest drug epidemics recorded in U.S. history. In 2017, the opioid epidemic in the U.S. has declared a national public health emergency due to the amount of related overdose deaths in...

A psychiatric or mental health advance directive (PAD) is a legal tool that allows a person with mental illness to state their preferences for treatment in advance of a crisis. This CE course provides background and practical i...

Health care clinicians often interact with homeless patients who have acute and urgent needs that take priority over general preventive measures. This CE course addresses screening methods relevant to populations experiencing homelessness, various pro...

Agitation is an acute behavioral emergency requiring immediate intervention. Verbal de-escalation is usually the key to engaging the patient and helping them become an active partner in their evaluation and treatment. This CE ...

First responders are usually the first on the scene to face challenging, dangerous, and draining situations, as well the the first to reach out to disaster survivors and provide emotional and physical support. This CE course di...

Opioid overdose continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. This CE course discusses opioid use disorders, steps for first responders, information for prescribers, and safety advice for patients and fami...

This CEU course provides recommendations for the medical management of federal inmates with varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster (shingles), as well as for the prevention and control measures.

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Youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system, especially those in residential facilities, have higher rates of suicide than their non-system-involved peers. This short CE course provides guidance on developing a...

Synthetic cannabinoids are functionally similar to THC and bind to the same cannabinoid receptors in the brain and peripheral organs. This advanced CEU course provides detailed information about how the synthetic cannabinoids o...

This course delivers background information about depression and offers ideas that providers can use daily when helping mothers, and their families, who may be suffering from depression. This course also includes useful resources and handouts for moth...

The guidance offered in this course is intended to help close many of the gaps in emergency planning and preparedness for vulnerable older adults. In particular, this CEU course seeks to give public health officials, the Aging ...

This course summarizes key issues and changes in the 2010 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC). Its focus is on resuscitation science and new recommendations to the...

The current opioid epidemic is one of the largest drug epidemics recorded in U.S. history. In 2017, the opioid epidemic in the U.S. has declared a national public health emergency due to the amount of related overdose deaths involving opioids and the i...

NAB Approval Number: 20220313-1.25-A72858-DL

The guidance offered in this course is intended to help close many of the gaps in emergency planning and preparedness for vulnerable older adults. In particular, this CEU course seeks to give nursing ...

NAB approval #20211121-2.25-A70379-DL

Discussed in this CE course for nursing home administrators, nurses and assisted living personnel are topics that include healthcare system preparedness, healthcare system recovery, emergency operations coord...

Ethical decision-making in healthcare occurs on a regular basis, often without so much as a passing thought. Healthcare professionals are held to high standards of moral character and an expectation to be patient advocates. This innate drive to do &ldq...

Virtually all healthcare professionals help patients who are experiencing pain; physicians, nurses, therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, radiologic technologists, and social workers each play a specific role in pain managemen...

Neuropsychiatric disorders have surpassed cardiovascular conditions worldwide in causing disability and premature death. As healthcare professionals, nurses often encounter people with mental illness. This module discusses the etiology of severe mental...

From the earliest beginnings of the nursing profession, nurses have carefully recorded their observations of patients and their interventions to help patients recover from illness and achieve optimal health. In the beginnings of the profession, the pri...

Nurses encounter victims of domestic violence or intimate partner violence regardless of where they work. Those who practice in offices, hospitals, clinics, homes, or facilities must be aware that living with domestic violence may be part of a person&r...

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic diseases among children and adolescents, and seizures are a frequent school health emergency. Effective rescue therapies are now available for use outside of the hospital setting to treat seizure clusters, whi...

Most people go through life without noticing insects unless they are irritated, bitten, or stung by one of them. Yet insects are the dominant and most successful animal life form on earth. They represent more than half of all known living organisms. Th...

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) includes symptoms of abnormal sensations, some of which can be painful. Abnormal sensations are paresthesias and when they cause discomfort, they are dysesthesias. Symptoms cause an irresistible urge to move, but movement pr...

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and death in the U.S. Stroke is the result of a blocked or ruptured blood vessel that deprives brain cells of oxygen, resulting in tissue death within minutes. Brain cells die every minute during a stro...

This course reviews the causes, diagnosis, consequences, and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Discussion includes that of the spectrum of birth defects related to prenatal alcohol consumption, the effects of FASD, and how nurses h...

Non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors occur with greater frequency in adolescents and young adults. However, clinicians often overlook that adults also engage in these behaviors. Treating non-suicidal self-injurious behavior is critical, as it is assoc...

Human trafficking is a significant issue in the U.S. and worldwide. Human trafficking victims are often concealed by their traffickers; however, studies show that many victims interact with healthcare professionals while they are being victimized. This...

Hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg) is often considered the defining hallmark of shock, but it can also be a late or deceptive sign. Therefore, other signs and symptoms must be identified early to detect and respond to a patient&rsqu...

Stroke remains a major neurological problem in the U.S., affecting millions of people and their families. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and the primary cause of serious disability. About 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke ...

Human trafficking is a significant issue in the U.S. and worldwide. Human trafficking victims are often concealed by their traffickers; however, studies show that many victims interact with healthcare professionals while they are being victimized. This...

Oncology emergencies are dangerous complications resulting from cancer. Conditions covered in this course include the more common emergencies, such as sepsis and tumor lysis syndrome, with mention of more rare conditions, such as superior vena cava syn...

A cerebral aneurysm is best described as a weakened part of a blood vessel in the brain that bulges outward. These aneurysms may be small and asymptomatic, or they can be large, cause warning signs that something is wrong, and then rupture, causing dea...

Von Willebrand disease (vWD) is the most common inherited genetic bleeding disorder, yet it is not well known or understood among the public or healthcare providers. Von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a protein that is essential for platelet aggregation an...

Pediatric patients with congenital and acquired conditions may require a tracheostomy tube. To care for a child with a tracheostomy tube, healthcare professionals must understand the reason the child requires a tracheostomy, the functional status of th...

From accepting an order over the telephone to handing off a patient to another department, every healthcare professional faces situations each day involving potential miscommunication. Healthcare professionals must understand and adopt safety practices...

Members of the healthcare team must be able to recognize symptoms of bacterial meningitis to expedite testing and treatment, and advocate for preventive vaccination among appropriate age groups. With knowledge of preventive measures and awareness of ea...

Acute pulmonary edema develops rapidly with a clinical picture that includes air hunger, tachypnea, and a productive cough with copious pink, frothy sputum, leading to an impending sense of doom and panic. The patient feels as if they are “drowni...

Poor medication adherence has been called America’s other drug problem. This issue attracts attention, resulting in major reports and literature such as the World Health Organization’s Adherence to Long-Term Therapies. Roughly 50% of patien...

Transfusions are a life-saving intervention, but transfusion errors, particularly errors involving ABO incompatibility, can be deadly. Three actions that have frequently been a contributing cause for ABO incompatibility errors are incorrect labeling of...

Trauma patients are at increased risk for hypothermia, which in turn increases their mortality risk. Nurses caring for these patients must be well-informed about hypothermia so that they may intervene appropriately. This module will explore the risk fa...

Bed bugs are a pervasive nuisance in the U.S. and across the globe. The prototypical arthropod species Cimex lectularius looks similar to miniature cockroaches and feeds on the blood of humans and some animals. Bed bugs tend to live in areas ...

Each year, consumption of food contaminated with microbial pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and their toxins) causes an estimated 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths. Many of these instances are preventable. ...

Healthcare professionals need to be informed about the pathogens found swimming in public pools.   With Cryptosporidium, one fecal accident can pollute all the water in a pool and swallowing a few mouthfuls of water can result in an infecti...

Traditionally, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) focused solely on ensuring the return of spontaneous circulation with medications and electrical defibrillation. It did not focus on the long-term effects of cardiac arrest, such as the actions of fre...

“Rapid response teams” (RRTs) and “medical emergency teams” are the most common terms used to describe the concept of early intervention before cardiac arrest occurs. These teams have various combinations of members, including a...

Cats, dogs, and other animals can transmit a wide variety of diseases to humans, ranging from trivial infections to life-threatening diseases. In the U.S., casual contact and bites from animals cause millions of human infections every year. Animals can...

Needlestick injuries continue to pose a threat to all healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in patient care. Despite the preventative processes health care institutions have put into place to prevent needlestick injuries, HCPs still face this threat...

The number of sexual assaults among women on college campuses is now estimated at 1 in 5. The potential consequences of sexual assault include a host of individual, social, and academic problems. Individuals may exhibit symptoms of depression, anxiety,...

Low back pain is a common complaint that will present in a variety of practice settings including the Emergency Department, primary care office, urgent care, and rehabilitation facility. While most cases of acute low back pain are benign, self-limited,...

The complexity of the anatomy of the brain can make CT scans difficult to understand. However, understanding the cross-sectional anatomy of the normal, injured, or diseased brain can help improve awareness of common brain injuries that can be diagnosed...

This module features an overview of disaster management in EDs, including the definition of the four stages of disaster management and the appropriate triage of patients. Preparation of ED personnel, such as RNs, EMTs, physicians, pharmacists, and tech...

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have lasting negative effects on adult health, in the form of risk-taking behaviors, and chronic disease. More than half of the U.S. population has experienced at least one adverse childhood event and 14.3% have exp...

The government and healthcare facilities should continue to improve their approach to all-hazards preparedness, including preparedness for terrorist attacks with chemical, biological, or radioactive weapons. The healthcare team’s knowledge and ab...

The government and healthcare facilities should continue to improve their approach to all-hazards preparedness, including preparedness for terrorist attacks with chemical, biological, or radioactive weapons. The healthcare team’s knowledge and ab...

Biological warfare remains a concern in the United States, which suffered anthrax attacks in 2001. This module gives an overview of anthrax and plague, including their history, natural causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

ECG rhythm recognition and analysis continues to be a major nursing responsibility in the acute care setting, yet has expanded beyond into other clinical settings. Since the advent of bedside monitoring and coronary care units in the 1960s, the ability...

This course describes the initial treatment of a burn patient and how to manage, evaluate, and prepare the patient for transfer to a burn center following an ABCDE model (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure and examination).

Shock is a clinical syndrome marked by the inability of the body to meet its own oxygen needs. Shock can originate from a wide range of causes including overwhelming infections, myocardial infarctions, and traumatic injuries. Early recognition and inte...

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and death in the U.S. Stroke is the result of a blocked or ruptured blood vessel that deprives brain cells of oxygen, resulting in tissue death within minutes. Brain cells die every minute during a stro...

Biological warfare remains a concern in the U.S., which suffered anthrax attacks in 2001. This module gives an overview of smallpox and botulism, including history, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Measures to prepare for emergency bioterrorism are...

This course will help advanced practice nurses meet the new ANCC 25-contact hour pharmacology requirement for recertification beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

Written and rigorously peer reviewed by pharmacists and advanced practice nurses, this course fe...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide has continued to be the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. since 2008. Inpatient medical units are not designed to house patients who are suicidal, and healthcare profession...

The abdominal cavity is relatively unprotected and prone to trauma. Because the abdominal cavity can hold significant amounts of blood without any external signs, abdominal injuries can easily be missed during initial assessment of the patient. Abdomin...

Lymphedema and wounds associated with it represent a difficult issue to deal with, primarily because the lymphatic system does not neatly fall into any medical specialty. Consequently, few clinicians are well versed in its pathophysiology or treatment....

Dating as a concept has an outdated meaning for today’s young people. Few report dating as it was experienced in previous years; rather, many teens talk about “hooking up, going out, talking, or fooling around.” Dating violence, howev...

Over time, hospital clinicians become used to hearing an extensive number of alarms and tend to become desensitized to them, which leads to a lack of or delay in response. This phenomenon is called \\"alarm fatigue.\\" This module provides nu...

Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially fatal whole-body allergic reaction that occurs suddenly when a sensitized person is exposed to an allergy-causing substance. The three main causes of anaphylaxis are foods, insects, and medications, mainly beta-lact...

Stroke affects many people’s lives in many ways. To improve the outcomes of patients, nurses should understand the management of patients with stroke, including pathophysiology, treatment options, potential complications, and rehabilitation after...

Shoulder dystocia is defined as a vaginal delivery that requires a series of additional maneuvers to deliver the infant after routine, gentle traction of the head has failed. It is not predictable or preventable, as methods for recognizing fetuses that...

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most commonly treated infections by healthcare professionals. In the United States, they account for over 10 million ambulatory visits a year and are among the most common healthcare-associated infections....

Understanding a chest X-ray requires basic anatomical knowledge. Before you can interpret a chest X-ray, you must understand some of the technical details about how the image is reproduced. The chest X-ray shows the lungs, heart, and mediastinum. You a...

Crisis is broadly defined as an exceptional event that is disruptive and beyond a person’s usual coping skills. The goal of crisis intervention is to return individuals or families to the optimum level of functioning they experienced before the c...

Every clinician should be able to understand the values listed on an arterial blood gas report. Correlating the patient’s clinical picture with the ABG results is an example of critical thinking. Clinicians can readily interpret ABGs using the ba...

Tick populations are increasing in the United States and their geographic ranges are expanding, largely due to climate change. Since ticks are responsible for nearly 95% of annually reported vector-borne diseases, this increase represents a new and sev...

Any occlusion in the pulmonary vasculature, known as a pulmonary embolus (PE), will reduce the amount of oxygen uptake in the blood, negatively affecting systemic tissue oxygenation. Numerous elements may become lodged in the blood vessels of the lungs...

The refusal of blood is no longer solely a religious issue. For both religious and secular reasons, many people of all faiths and persuasions are looking for blood transfusion alternatives. Healthcare providers need to assess and treat patients holisti...

Roughly 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) each year; yet most of them have no symptoms. In the United States, a ruptured AAA is the 15th leading cause of death in men and the 10th leading cause of death afte...

Clostridium difficile, a gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria, is the major cause of nosocomial diarrhea. The organism is clearly infectious and is transmitted via the fecal-oral route. The number of cases of nosocomial C. difficile and the...

Despite an increase in the application of evidence-based treatment modalities and awareness and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac arrest remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. (Virani et al., 2020). About 356,000 people in the U...

Heart failure is a common condition of the heart that is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from a structural or functional cardiac disorder in which the ventricle cannot adequately fill or eject blood. Heart failure is categorized as an end-stage h...

Procedures to restore blood flow to the myocardium of patients are performed by approaching blockages and lesions through the lumen of coronary arteries. This continuing education course will provide information to facilitate care of patients undergoin...

According to an American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guideline, heart failure is defined as “a complex clinical syndrome that results from any structural or functional impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of bloo...

Patients undergo open heart surgery for a variety of reasons such as coronary artery bypass grafting, valve replacement, and surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). Due to the surgery, patients may experience one or more of the following in th...

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen in healthcare facilities and the community and is asymptomatically carried by people who are healthy, have chronic diseases, are hospitalized, or are in long-term care facilities. It ...

People experiencing situational stress and psychiatric and substance use disorders are seen increasingly in EDs, contributing to the burden on already busy departments. This course informs ED nurses about psychiatric emergencies, including the assessme...

The history of diacetylmorphine (heroin) along with current epidemiological data and overdose statistics together illustrate the dangers associated with use and abuse of, dependence on, and addiction to this drug. Characteristics of heroin such as its ...

Sepsis is a complex, multifactorial condition that results in high healthcare costs and significant morbidity and mortality. The definitions of sepsis, septic shock, and organ dysfunction were established in 1991. Over the past 20 years, more research ...

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was not a nationally identifiable disease in 2014 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The year 2014 marked the turning point for this disease in the U.S. and identified the first cases of local t...

Major disasters affect everyone, but the older adult population is particularly vulnerable to their devastating effects. Of the people who died in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 50% were older than age 75. Those who survived experienced stressful and somet...

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also referred to as necrotizing soft tissue infections in the literature, is a sudden, devastating, life-threatening infection of the subcutaneous tissue that spreads rapidly along the fascial planes causing vascular occlusi...

Healthcare providers face many difficulties when prescribing controlled substances for pain control, anxiety disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The pressure to aggressively treat patients’ symptoms, coupled with current publi...

In the clinical setting, a variety of diagnostic tools and laboratory studies are useful in evaluating trauma patients. But in the initial phase of treatment, the most crucial steps involve conducting a thorough physical examination and obtaining a pat...

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 of the American Psychiatric Association considers nonsuicidal self-injury as a condition for further study. The manual defines NSSI as “intentional self-inflicted damage to the surface of the body of the so...

Penetrating trauma involves wounding instruments that penetrate the skin and directly injure body tissue. Although there are numerous examples of penetrating trauma — such as a child falling on a pencil that penetrates the globe of the eye or a p...

Course Title: Pediatric Emergency Nursing (CPEN®)

Course Description: The youngest patients require knowledgeable and skilled nursing care with a gentle approach. Make sure you have the tools to deal with pediatric illnesses and injuries...

Maxillofacial trauma can result from numerous mechanisms of injury. Traditionally, most facial-related trauma cases were secondary to motor vehicle collisions. But in recent years, safety mechanisms, such as dual front-impact air bags, windshield impro...

An organization promotes a culture of safety by focusing on how and why a problem occurred rather than on the person whose action or inaction caused the error. Experts refer to healthcare organizations that have a passion for patient safety as high-rel...

Nurses deliver IV therapy to millions of patients in a variety of settings every year. IV therapy and vascular access devices have become so common in nursing care that it’s easy to forget that serious, sometimes life-threatening complications ca...

Pediatric cardiac arrest is an uncommon event. Although most pediatric patients who suffer cardiac arrest do not go into rhythms that require defibrillation (e.g., ventricular fibrillation, pulseless ventricular tachycardia), those who do benefit from ...

The demand for ED care is at an all-time high, yet the number of EDs continues to decline nationwide. ED overcrowding is a problem with hospitalwide implications. EDs that are at capacity often have patients who wait hours or even days to be fully admi...

Early CPR and defibrillation represent definitive interventions in cardiac arrest. Properly performed CPR preserves heart and brain function and extends the period of time the heart is likely to respond to defibrillation. If defibrillation can be provi...

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm and affects 2.7 to 6.1 million people in the U.S. and studies suggest that the incidence and prevalence is increasing (CDC, 2020). AFib is associated with a fivefold increase in the ri...

Healthcare professionals have an important role in helping patients and families formulate advance directives. Despite intensive efforts, most Americans don't have an AD and may face a life-threatening illness without a plan to guide their healthcare p...

Hypovolemia occurs for a variety of reasons. Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea can deplete intravascular volumes. Excessive diuresis from diabetes insipidus or diabetic ketoacidosis can also reduce intravascular volumes. When caring for trauma patients, hyp...

This course has been approved for 2 hours by the Commission on Case Manager Certification for 2018.

Human trafficking is a widespread form of slavery that exists today, even within the United States. Victims of human trafficking come in all gende...

The prevalence of hypertension in the United States has increased dramatically over the past few decades, affecting more than 80 million American adults 20 years and older. Hypertension is the most common condition seen in the primary care setting. Fro...

This module provides a review of evidence-based practice along with the most recent American Heart Association CPR guidelines. It also reviews the standards and processes associated with evidence-based practice to facilitate the implementation of the m...

Telemedicine is any kind of interactive healthcare work done from a distance; it is a growing facet of the modern healthcare landscape with more than half of American hospitals supporting some form of telemedicine. This can be the sharing of electronic...

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, as many as 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including an estimated 200,000 under the age of 65; by 2050, up to 16 million will have the disease. Earlier recognition and for...

Unlike hepatitis A and B, most patients newly diagnosed with hepatitis C are asymptomatic. The majority of diagnoses are made during biochemical or blood donor screening, or when symptoms emerge from advanced chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, or end-stage ...

The herpes viruses are endemic worldwide. About 90% to 95% of humans become infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV) during their life spans. Two strains of HSV exist: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Traditionally, HSV-1 has been responsible for about 80% of herpes v...

Inflammatory bowel disease describes a group of chronic diseases that cause acute inflammation of the intestines. IBD includes, most prominently, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases, they are charact...

Domestic violence occurs in relationships among family members, partners, and people who share the same household or are dating; it includes child and elder abuse. Over the past 25 years, progress has been made in reducing domestic violence. However, d...

Stroke is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. About 795,000 people in the U.S. will have a stroke this year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of severe, long-term disability. This course ...

Healthcare professionals interact with people with spinal cord injury (SCI) in many practice settings, including the paramedic or EMT who extricates a patient from the scene of an accident, the ED nurse who encounters the patient immediately after inju...

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is used throughout the U.S. in hospital stroke centers. The Joint Commission requires all patients who receive tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) to be assessed using a full NIHSS. The NIHSS assess...

Poor medication adherence has been called \\"America's other drug problem.\\" It leads to unnecessary disease progression and complications, reduced functional abilities, lower quality of life and even death. Behavioral, social, economic, med...

Each day in the U.S., about 1,000 people seek emergency care for dog bites (Dogsbite.org, n.d.). Injuries occur in a spectrum of severity from minor scratches and abrasions to major complicated wounds, such as deep open lacerations, puncture wounds, cr...

Pancreatitis can affect anyone at any age. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. are admitted to the hospital each year with acute pancreatitis. It can cause critical illness, and in the acute stages, it may even be fatal. Nurses in every practice setti...

This course has been approved for 2 hours by the Commission on Case Manager Certification for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018.

Despite the efforts of healthcare providers, medical error rates in communities, hospitals, and homes rema...

Hypertension is a common chronic disease and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. This course describes the condition and the management strategies. It will increase the nurse’s knowledge about prescribed medications used to treat hy...

Pacemakers can be life-changing devices that assist with the electrical activity of a patient’s heart rhythm. They may provide relief of symptoms associated with many heart rhythm disturbances and improve functional status. Some devices may impro...

Stroke, the fifth ranking cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S., is the country’s primary neurological problem. Each year, about 795,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke, costing more than $34 billion in medical care a...

Nearly 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, a disease marked by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, and underlying inflammation. Inflammation of the airways and airway hyper-responsiven...

In recent years, the authority to administer medications has expanded to several healthcare disciplines, such as emergency medical services and respiratory therapy. The responsibility of all healthcare professionals with such authority extends far beyo...

Acinetobacter baumannii is a common pathogen isolated in U.S. hospitals that is responsible for about 2% of hospital-acquired infections and as many as 7% of hospital-associated pneumonias. A. baumannii is a gram-negative, nonspore-forming, nonmotile, ...

This course has been approved for 2 hours by the Commission on Case Manager Certification for 2017 and 2018.

Accreditation standards mandate the evaluation of patient understanding of teaching they receive during encounters with healthcare provid...

Many healthcare professionals view liver function tests as one of the most difficult sets of laboratory tests to interpret. A complex organ, the liver manufactures, stores, alters, and excretes many substances involved in metabolism. The entire body is...

Patients with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than someone without the condition, and long-term treatment with warfarin (Coumadin) has long been known to be very effective in prevention of stroke related to AF. More re...

Anticoagulants are some of the most common medications associated with adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. These ADEs are associated with increased mortality and increased healthcare costs. Many anticoagulant-related ADEs are the result of a ...

Chagas disease is one of the most common causes of congestive heart failure and sudden death in the world. It is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that is transmitted to humans through the bite wound of an infected triatomine ...

Acute compartment syndrome is a complex, limb-threatening, abdominal compartment life-threatening condition that requires prompt and accurate diagnosis and immediate treatment. Because it is relatively uncommon, it is necessary to be alert for the sign...

In the U.S., child abuse and neglect remain growing problems. Healthcare and other professionals are  uniquely positioned to identify child abuse and neglect. Early recognition often leads to intervention and support that can reduce further incide...

Coordination among nurses and rehabilitation professionals is imperative to improving the lives and outcomes of patients after a stroke. Each specialty has important, unique functions to perform, requiring careful management by a unified team. This mod...

Traumatic brain injury, also called acquired brain injury or head injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes some level of injury to the brain. The leading cause of TBI in civilians is falls, accounting for 47% of TBIs, with another 14% related to moto...

Atrial fibrillation is a major health, social, and economic problem affecting approximately 2.7 to 6.1 million Americans. It’s becoming increasingly common as the population ages, with nearly 4% of the population over age 60 and 8% of people olde...

Vaginal bleeding is one of the most common causes of presentation to the ED during the first trimester of pregnancy. Up to 25% of all pregnancies may have vaginal bleeding that can range from spotting to hemorrhage with hemodynamic instability. This co...

This module provides nurses with an understanding of the history, types and methods of ED triage, with an emphasis on the five-level triage systems.

Dengue fever is caused by a flavivirus, the family of viruses that includes yellow fever and West Nile virus, as well as Japanese and St. Louis encephalitis. It is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in the Americas and has been linked to spor...

This course has been approved for 2 hours by the Commission on Case Manager Certification for 2014 and 2015.

16.2 million adults reported depression episodes in 2016. The prevalence of depression was highest among adults ages 18 to 25 years. Amon...

Alcohol is known to be poisonous to a fetus throughout gestation, and when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, it is delivered directly to the fetus. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the term for a group of conditions that may occur wh...

Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is a lethal cardiac pulseless rhythm. It encompasses several types of pulseless rhythms, including idioventricular and ventricular escape rhythms. It results in death if immediate lifesaving measures are not taken. T...

In mid-August 2014, hundreds of children nationwide were hospitalized with a rapidly spreading, severe respiratory disease called enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). This virus can cause breathing difficulty and exacerbate wheezing and hypoxia, especially in chi...

Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by paresthesias (abnormal sensations) or dysesthesias (unpleasant abnormal sensations). RLS may persist until death and has no cure. Patients experience uncomfortable sensations between th...

By applying evidence-based strategies, nurses can help reduce pain during minor pediatric patient procedures. Nurses must assess the level of pain and understand the barriers to and the options available for effective pain management in pediatric patie...

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in school-age children. For students with diabetes to have a successful school experience, school nurses must be well-informed about the students’ special needs. The school nurse is the most app...

Epilepsy has been shrouded in myth and misunderstanding throughout history. It’s not a single disease entity; rather, it’s a heterogeneous group of disorders that have a common thread — abnormal nerve cell (neuronal) activity that pro...

Resistance to antibiotics has increased to such a level that it has become one of the greatest threats to human health. Carbapenem-resistant bacteria are associated with increased mortality and are difficult to treat. Because they have the potential to...

Sexual health and sexuality have received significant attention in the last decade across the spectrum of human-service providers. In spite of increasing awareness of the importance of sex, gender identity, and sexuality in all aspects of health, barri...

Skilled assessment to achieve rapid diagnosis and intervention for ischemic stroke is essential. Current evidence-based recommendations call for IV thrombolytic therapy to begin on carefully selected patients within a short time frame following onset o...

The Health and Medicine Division’s (HMD) (formerly the Institute of Medicine) Healthy People 2020 and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have highlighted the health disparities affecting LGBTQ populations. As evidence of health-illnes...

Almost 15% of Emergency Department (ED) visits are due to hand and wrist injuries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). While most hand injuries are straightforward, many cause long-term complications that may profoundly alter a per...

In 1986, Congress enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay. Some states have their own EMTALA-like statutes. In such cases, EMTALA preempts the state...

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was implemented in 1996 and has been revised since then. HIPAA can refer to guidelines that protect your ability to maintain your health insurance as you move from job to job or pl...

A timely response by healthcare personnel can reduce complications of crush injuries, such as compartment syndrome and traumatic rhabdomyolysis with its implications. Healthcare professionals must be able to recognize crush injuries and related complic...

In 2017, more than 1.7 million cases of Chlamydia trachomatis infection were reported to the Centers for Disease Control, making chlamydia the most commonly reported notifiable disease in the United States. Due to the asymptomatic nature of t...

Commonly known as brain attack, stroke occurs in about 795,000 Americans every year. A “wait-and-see” attitude no longer has a place in stroke care because time to treatment is critical to minimize loss of functional status.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) occur in approximately 70% to 85% of all pregnancies and severe symptoms can lead to health complications that may endanger both the expectant mother and their unborn child (DynaMed, 2019). Hyperemesis gravidarum ...

Alcohol is the most abused drug in the world. It affects an estimated 6.5% of the U.S. population at some point in their lifetime, and many become patients in acute care. Although acute and chronic alcohol abuse are common conditions in patients admitt...

Tetanus, although known to healthcare professionals in general, is not a common condition and its incidence has decreased significantly worldwide. This is a good thing but can become a problem when someone unfamiliar with tetanus is presented with it i...

Viral hepatitis is endemic in many parts of the world. In the United States, hepatitis B is the most common cause of symptomatic acute hepatitis. Most viral hepatitis is caused by A, B, or C viruses. Less common causes are known as non-ABC. None of the...

The goal of this course is to present clinical information about the co-occurrence of psychiatric and substance use disorders, and to examine ways of integrating psychiatric and substance abuse treatment.

Treatment for acute ischemic stroke focuses on improving perfusion to the affected area of the brain by restoring blood flow through thrombolytic therapy, mechanical revascularization (the use of devices that extract the clot), or in some cases, emerge...

To participate in the administration of IV moderate sedation effectively and safely, RNs must be able to differentiate between the levels of sedation/analgesia; demonstrate competence with preprocedural, procedural, and postprocedural nursing care; ant...

Latex hypersensitivity was characterized as a problem in the late 1970s and increased throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared it a serious concern after reports of multiple deaths and over 1,000 documented r...

Healthcare providers play a key role in prevention education, screening, and early detection of eye disorders to maximize eye health. This educational activity will address the prevention, assessment, and management of a variety of eye disorders, inclu...

This module describes four common biting insects that use human blood as a source of food. It also includes information on the brown recluse spider, a spider that’s often blamed for skin lesions across the country, even in areas where no brown re...

Homelessness continues to be a significant problem in the United States. Serious mental health conditions and substance use disorders complicate care for this population. Emergency departments, walk-in clinics, and mental health centers are often areas...

Measles is primarily a disease of childhood, but it can also occur in adolescents and adults. It is one of the most highly infectious human pathogens known. With exposure, up to 90% of susceptible individuals develop the disease. Measles is transmitted...

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a lethal pulmonary disease caused by a newly emerged coronavirus. The virus is transmitted to humans from dromedary (one-humped) camels and is not fully understood. It is believed to have originated in bats be...

This continuing education course provides information about common autoimmune diseases in women and their treatment. By ensuring that patients have the essential information about self-care, signs and symptoms, medications, and resources, healthcare pr...

Intensive basic research in the past half-century has given nurses and other healthcare professionals a better understanding of the precise alterations that occur in both the physiological and pathophysiological states following ischemic brain injury. ...

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) provides an exciting alternative to invasive methods of managing ventilation. Used in appropriate patients, NPPV provides advantages for patients versus endotracheal intubation. NPPV can also be used as ...

A patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is an approach to healthcare delivery, not a place. A patient-centered medical home is a redesigned practice that has shifted from focusing on “episodic treatment of disease” to the holi...

Most people take prescribed medications properly, but many obtain drugs fraudulently, use medications that are not prescribed to them, or use more than prescribed or take them for reasons other than medically indicated. The nonmedical use of prescripti...

Rattlesnake bites are uncommon in the United States. The incidence of rattlesnake bites is not known, and the published numbers are estimates and almost certainly low; many rattlesnake bites are not reported, poison control centers are not consulted fo...

The 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 6.2 million Americans ages 12 and older misused psychotherapeutic drugs in the previous month. Of those, 3.3 million were misusers of pain relievers, 2 million of tranquilizers, 1.7 mi...

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization whose goal is to help relieve human suffering during and after a disaster. The Red Cross has thousands of volunteer nurses in hundreds of chapters across the United States, many of whom are involved...

Schizophrenia is nearly always a lifelong illness, persisting continuously or episodically. For some, it follows a stable course, while others experience worsening symptoms that are disabling. Onset may be abrupt or gradual. Distorted thinking and abno...

The FBI indicates that 89,098 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2015, up 6.3% from 2014. People who have been raped or sexually assaulted enter the healthcare system through many avenues. Nurses and first responders may encounter them in the fi...

Ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized ovum implants outside of the endometrial lining of the uterus, remains a gynecological concern. While ectopic pregnancies account for about 1% and 2% of pregnancies in the U.S., they represent 3% to as high as...

Our physical environment can be harmful, especially when people and communities are exposed to toxic substances, irritants, infectious agents, and physical hazards in homes, schools, and worksites. Determining a person’s risk and reducing exposur...

Emergency situations vary in nature from anaphylaxis to unstable dysrhythmias to cardiac arrest. One thing they have in common is the necessity for pharmacological intervention. The first priority in treating a person during a cardiac emergency is CABD...

Over the past two decades, the number of multidrug-resistant infections contracted both inside and outside hospitals has been rapidly increasing. In hospitals, antibiotic resistance has proliferated to such an extent that it has become a major threat t...

Bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract happens for a variety of reasons. It may be occult or obvious and can occur anywhere between the throat and the rectum. It can be difficult to detect until a patient has lost a significant amount of blood. A ...

The number of older drivers is increasing. There were 40 million licensed drivers aged 65 and older in 2015, a 33% increase from 10 years earlier. In contrast, the total number of licensed drivers in the United States increased by only 8% between 2006 ...

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome affects an estimated 836,000 to 2.5 million adults in the U.S. with a constellation of debilitating symptoms, including severe fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems. Fewer than 10% ...

One in 13 children in the U.S. are reported to have a food allergy. The rate of ED visits for food allergy-related anaphylaxis from 2005 to 2014 increased 214% in children ages 0 to 17 years. Despite the risk of severe allergic reactions and even death...

The number of parasitic infections from food has been rising in recent years, and they are of growing concern. This course reviews six foodborne parasites that healthcare providers are likely to come in contact with: Cryptosporidium, Anisakis simp...

Many forensic nurses focus on interpersonal violence. At one time, schools — a workplace for students, teachers, and nurses — were considered safe. The reality is that violence on school grounds and inside school buildings is continuing in ...

Domestic violence or intimate partner violence can only be halted when the issue is brought to light, and the victims are fully supported by society. Abuse occurs to pregnant women more often than gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. This course desc...

Children's pain is undertreated for a number of complex and interrelated reasons. These include professionals’ misconceptions about pain and pain management and the complexity of pain assessment (particularly in nonverbal children). Additionally,...

This course has been approved for 2 hours by the Commission on Case Manager Certification for 2017 and 2018.

Zika, a mosquitoborne viral infection, is the most recent of four arboviruses (arthropodborne viral diseases) that have spread to the Wes...

Dyspnea is a distressing symptom that has been described since ancient times, but only recently has it been comprehensively assessed and managed across disease states. The sensation of dyspnea results from interactions among multiple physiological, psy...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the learner will be prepared to:

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and recurrent episodes of acute symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the APRN will be prepared to:

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and recurrent episodes of acute symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, a...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the learner will be prepared to:

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and recurrent episodes of acute symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the nurse will be prepared to:

The purpose of this activity is to ensure that all nurses are aware of and able to implement the most up-to-date information regarding the pathophysiology, signs, symptoms, risk f...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the nurse will be prepared to:

The purpose of this activity is to ensure that all nurses within primary care, pediatrics, pulmonary, and emergency medicine fields are aware of and able to implement the most up-...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the nurse will be prepared to:

The purpose of this activity is to ensure that all nurses are aware of and able to implement the most up-to-date information regarding the management of severe cases of asthma, ex...

At the conclusion of this exercise, the learner will be prepared to:

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and recurrent episodes of acute symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness...

At the conclusion of this activity, the learner will be prepared to:

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the assertion that immunizations or vaccines (these terms will be used interchangeably throughout this learning experience)...

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the most up-to-date science available regarding the clinical manifestations, disease severity, and evidence-based treatment approaches for patients with COVID-19, as well as a summary of the COVID...

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the most up-to-date science available regarding the clinical manifestations, disease severity, and evidence-based treatment approaches for patients with COVID-19, as well as a summary of the COVID...

Introduction

Drug overdose is a leading cause of accidental death in the United States (U.S.), with opioids being the most common drug (Schiller & Mechanic, 2019). Increased prescription of opioid medications over the last two decades has...

This module aims to outline the trauma-informed care of victims of sexual violence, including assessment, forensic evidence collection, documentation, and a brief overview of providing testimony. This course also satisfies the nursing continuing educat...

This module aims to outline the trauma-informed care of victims of sexual violence, including assessment, forensic evidence collection, documentation, and a brief overview of providing testimony. This course also satisfies the continuing education requ...

By the completion of this module, the nurse should be able to:

identify critical points in evidence collection for sexual assaultdiscuss age-appropriate patient care elements for victims of sexual assault in the emergency room or urgent c...

This course introduces professionals who may or may not currently work in emergency departments to the issue of psychiatric emergencies. Psychiatric illnesses that may require emergency treatment are divided between those involving adul...

Hospitals and clinics will have the first opportunity to recognize and initiate a response to a bioterrorism-related outbreak. Therefore, overall disaster plans must address the issue. Individual facilities should determine the extent o...

The clinical management of the individual requiring pacemaker therapy occurs across a range of settings. Frequently, the patient's need for a pacemaker is identified when the patient presents to a physician's office, ambulatory care set...

Visual impairment and injuries to the eye are major health concerns, affecting more than 5 million individuals collectively each year. The severity of eye disorders range from conditions that cause irritating symptoms to those that are ...

Nurses working in emergency centers often care for victims of intentional harm, criminal neglect, and accidents arising from illegal activities. These include patients who have been shot, stabbed, or otherwise assaulted with or without ...

Pneumonia is a substantial healthcare concern, ranking among the most common reasons for emergency department and outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among both adults and children. Decreasing the incidence of pneumonia and ...

Vaginal bleeding is a common complaint in patients seeking care from their primary care provider, obstetrician/gynecologist, or urgent care/emergency department provider. Distinguishing normal from abnormal bleeding is important in dete...

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a spectrum of life-threatening disorders that includes unstable angina (UA), non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI), and ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI). Mortality rates have declined considerably over the...

The unique and dynamic environment of the oral and maxillofacial complex is subject to a wide variety of pathological processes. Bacterial, fungal, and viral infections in these systems can range from a temporary inconvenience to a life...

Neuromuscular blocking agents (drugs that paralyze skeletal muscle) have been used in anesthesia since the 1930s. Their use in the intensive care unit, emergency department, and prehospital care (e.g., ground and air ambulances) is some...

This peer reviewed course is applicable for the following professions: Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), Athletic Trainer (AT/AL), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Licensed Practical Nurse (L...

A new coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the appearance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has become a global pandemic. This positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus is relat...

Pediatric abusive head trauma, commonly known as shaken baby syndrome, is a form of child abuse that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. The traditional explanation for pediatric abusive head trauma was that violent shaking of the child ...

Impairment in healthcare is a recognized and ongoing concern that has a negative impact on all members of the interdisciplinary health team. Workplace impairment refers to the inability to function in a usual capacity and it can lead to devastating eff...

Naloxone is available for acute opioid overdose or emergency. It is also useful in a maintenance program in a take-home form. Take-home naloxone requires training in the prevention of overdose. Naltrexone has been proven to be a safe, effective, and we...

Although not all aneurysms pose a problem, they can lead to other serious health concerns, such as the development of blood clots, pain, and aneurysm rupture. Progression of an aneurysm increases with a person’s age and other risk factors contrib...

Statistics show that fentanyl use, a synthetic opioid, is a burden to the health system in the United States. Fentanyl use involves significant morbidity and mortality. Treatment of a fentanyl overdose begins with a clinical assessment of a patient&rsq...

Anaphylaxis has been described as a systemic hypersensitivity reaction to antigens such as food or environmental exposures with rapid onset of life-threatening airway and circulatory symptoms. Medication and/or emergency interventions will need to be a...

Asenapine is a second-generation, atypical, antipsychotic medication that is known to be effective in the treatment of bipolar 1 disorder and schizophrenia. The pharmacological profile and labeled uses and administration of asenapine make it a unique a...

Loxapine is an antipsychotic that is used for the treatment of patients who have schizophrenia. It is known as a typical antipsychotic with high-potency effect, typically used in lower doses and titrated to effect. Loxapine has low activity at histamin...

It is not clear why some people get asthma and others do not. Asthma symptoms may be caused by a combination of environmental factors, and may include genetic or other risk factors. Asthma prevention and long-term control are key in stopping asthma att...