The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) workgroup standard for fetal heart rate monitoring assessment and categorization, first proposed in 1997 and subsequently updated in 2008 was meant to promote commonality of FHR tracing nomenclature and interpretation. Based on these recommendations, a three-tiered categorization pattern based on the visual assessment of the fetal heart rate pattern was adopted. This module aims to review and apply essential FHR content in several clinical scenarios to highlight an important Clinical Pearl: The Category III tracing is a rare intrapartum FHR pattern that is highly associated with fetal acidemia and adverse neonatal outcomes.

There are many reasons that it can be difficult working with certain people. There may be communication breakdowns, personality clashes, or conflicting work habits. You may not like everyone you work with, but you do have to respect everyone. By learning ways to reduce conflicts, you’ll likely become more respected, too. In this course, you’ll learn strategies to calmly address misunderstandings before they become actual conflicts. Professional relationships can improve when you know how to deal with differences, communicate clearly, and listen respectfully.

Within any healthcare organization, there are systems, policies, and procedures that can be improved or events that could have been prevented. A root cause analysis is a tool that helps healthcare organizations improve their systems by using a team process of discovery. When you understand how to use a root cause analysis, you can apply it to create better solutions, prevent adverse events, and create more effective and efficient systems. This course discusses what a root cause analysis is and how to use it.

Healthcare supervisors and managers are presented daily with challenges. These challenges present as process failures or those surrounding staff behaviors. An organization’s management team maps a path to support their supervisor’s success in dealing with these challenges. The approach is defined by proven characteristics, skills, and experiences. This course discusses the basic tools needed for supervisors and managers to be successful in their roles. 

A case of obstetrical hemorrhage due to uterine atony, requiring medical and surgical interventions and blood component replacement therapy is presented. Emphasis: A review of obstetrical hemorrhage, etiologies, and treatments is provided. The importance of early recognition and response to excessive blood loss is stressed. Medical and surgical interventions for uterine atony are reviewed. Current recommendations for blood component replacement therapy for massive hemorrhage are discussed.

Intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring is an integral part of modern day obstetrics and when properly interpreted, may provide valuable insight into the fetal metabolic state. During labor, the physiologic stress posed by regular uterine contractions and maternal expulsive efforts may adversely impact the fetal acid-base status, leading to changes in the fetal heart rate pattern.

This module aims to review and apply essential FHR content in several clinical scenarios to highlight an important Clinical Pearl: Management of the laboring patient requires that the FHR pattern trends are interpreted in context with the clinical scenario and progress of labor.

Two cases are presented. Risk factors, including recurring and nonrecurring, for obstetrical hemorrhage, are reviewed. Delivery preparations and preventative strategies are discussed. Methodologies that better quantify blood loss, allowing for earlier recognition of excessive blood loss, are presented. Management of the patient experiencing obstetric hemorrhage, including a review of current guidelines for blood component replacement therapy, are reviewed.

While much of the responsibility for nurse retention has been placed on the administration hierarchy, nurses themselves must take an active role in understanding why colleagues choose to remain in their jobs. Nurses play a vital role in developing and implementing strategies that create an engaging and rewarding work culture. Improving nurse retention also directly improves patient outcomes.

Supervisors and managers are challenged by change every day and must consistently demonstrate self-confidence to their teams in the face of these challenges. In this course, you will explore the characteristics, behaviors, and actions of being an effective “change agent,” (one who guides, supports, or leads change) which is a critical role in guiding your teams through change. The goal of this course is to provide managers and supervisors with an understanding of the common reasons for resistance to change and learn ways to counteract it.

This course provides an overview about the safety of patients undergoing a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) to attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC). Research evidence has influenced where VBACs are performed, which women are eligible and how the practice is conducted, including the safe use of induction/augmentation medications. The safety of VBAC for mother and newborn always remains the primary underlying principle that guides care.

The goal of this course is to provide nurses and prescribing providers (physicians) in all healthcare settings with best practices to improve their care team approach to patients with depression and anxiety.

Neonatal emergencies are frightening and challenging to almost all acute care providers. Recognizing the presentation of common neonatal respiratory emergencies is essential to acute care providers. This issue will focus on the neonate and provide a succinct review of respiratory emergencies pertinent to clinical practice and board preparation/review.

The goal of this course is to present healthcare providers in the acute care setting with a succinct review of neonatal respiratory emergencies.

This content is intended for all members of the obstetric team and is based on the educational theory that team performance is enhanced when all members of the team have the same understanding of the task and procedure to be performed.

Three different obstetrical scenarios, complicated by a Category II Fetal Heart Rate pattern, are presented to illustrate the importance of clinical context when formulating management plans. Emphasis, characteristics, and potential etiologies of Category II fetal heart rate tracings are reviewed. Management of the patient with a Category II fetal heart rate pattern is discussed, with special emphasis on the importance of the clinical context and fetal heart rate pattern evolution.

The focus of this course is coagulopathies. In general, the term coagulopathy refers to bleeding disorders. This course will provide a review of the components of a clot. It will also provide you with valuable information about how to care for those with coagulopathies such as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), and warfarin-induced coagulopathy.

The goal of this course is to provide nurses in the critical care setting with a general overview of coagulopathies, including the recognition and nursing management of ITP, DIC, HIT, and warfarin-induced coagulopathy. 

The role of risk management has a significant impact on the quality outcomes of acute care organizations. It includes systems and validated processes aimed at assessing and developing interventions to mitigate risk factors and optimize quality outcomes. HCPs are stakeholders in the risk management process and can benefit from understanding risk management strategies and objectives. In this course, you will learn about risk management in the acute care setting.

The goal of this course is to provide healthcare professionals in acute care settings with information to enhance their understanding of the role they play in risk management along with proven strategies for ensuring quality outcomes in their professional practice in acute care settings. 

Heart failure (HF) treatment is costly and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Evidence-based treatment guidelines improve patient outcomes, and it is essential to become familiar with these guidelines to reduce patient mortality. Healthcare team members play a significant role in treating acute HF (AHF), helping to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the disease and decrease the use and costs associated with care. This course aims to educate nurses and nutrition and dietetics professionals in the acute care setting about evidence-based heart failure treatment guidelines.

By understanding the causes of stroke and how to treat and prevent it, you can make a significant difference in the lives of those you care for. This course will help you identify the symptoms of a stroke and provide you with the necessary knowledge to provide care during and after the stroke.
 

A ‘culture of safety’ is an often-heard term in clinical settings. Most patients require complex care, with many interprofessional teams working together. Large patient volumes, an expectation for rapid delivery of care, the consumer’s ability to choose providers, and government reimbursements all drive acute care facilities to invest in preventing or reducing errors. Improving safety is beneficial to the patient primarily, with less risk of injury or death, but also to the facility and staff, improving retention and job satisfaction, with the added benefit of extensive cost-savings.

Healthcare professionals often encounter patients experiencing agitation or displaying hostile behavior during their careers. De-escalation is a set of approaches and techniques used to assist patients in self-calming to avoid incidents of harm to self, others, or property. Professionals should understand escalation and physiological responses to threats. After determining the risk of escalation, healthcare professionals can use various aspects of verbal communication, such as tone and pitch, and nonverbal communication skills to defuse potentially hostile situations and apply the least restrictive interventions. 

Substance use is a growing problem across populations. As a helping professional, you need a basic understanding of how substance use affects your clients. This information will help you to provide support and resources to help clients seek treatment and recovery. In this course, you will explore substance use disorders, how they develop, and their impact on individuals. The course also explains your role as a paraprofessional when working with individuals with substance use disorders. You will be provided an overview of evidence-based interventions and the types of substance use treatment programs available, when additional treatment may be necessary. Detailed examples will help you to apply this information in your own work. The goal of this course is to provide paraprofessionals and peer support specialists in health and human service settings with information on substance use disorders and evidence-based interventions.

In patients with symptoms of acute stroke, early recognition and interventions have been identified as critical factors in stroke outcomes. Evidence-based care can identify, manage, and prevent stroke-related complications. Nurses and physicians must understand stroke management to prevent disability and death. This course aims to present the most up-to-date practices for managing patients with acute stroke.

This course equips healthcare professionals with essential knowledge and skills to promptly and effectively manage stroke in the acute care setting. Participants will gain insight into how to recognize an acute stroke and the initial steps to take for emergency treatment of stroke. In addition, learners will know the different acute treatment options for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke as well as patient care for acute stroke. 

This course is designed to provide nursing professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the NIH stroke scale. The course will cover the purpose of the NIH stroke scale, how to administer the scale, and how to interpret the results. The course will also include case studies that illustrate the use of the NIH stroke scale in clinical practice.