Project Heartbeat

Advanced Nursing

14 12, 2018

EKG Rhythms: Not for Doctors’ Eyes Only

2020-01-01T20:17:05-08:00December 14th, 2018|Categories: ACLS, Advanced Nursing, Classes, Education|

One of the most elusive skills for clinicians is learning to read EKGs. Even those who learn to recognize textbook examples at the drop of a hat may suddenly find themselves stumped in a real-life situation. You see, as with many things in the medical world, not all EKG patterns follow textbook examples. However, this brings us to question who should be able to decode EKGs? Should doctors alone be responsible for this important skill, or should you and your [...]

12 12, 2018

Confident Enough to Run a Code

2025-11-18T14:14:41-08:00December 12th, 2018|Categories: ACLS, Advanced Nursing, Basic Life Support Articles, Education, EMT Training|

Confidence is defined as your ability to rely completely on someone or something. As a health care worker, you need to have confidence in your coworkers, but you also need to have a strong reliance on your own ability. This is called self-confidence. One of the areas in which it is easiest to lack self-confidence is in running or participating in a code. You may feel as if you wouldn’t have a clue what to do if your patient [...]

5 12, 2018

Which Team Members Do You Need for a Successful Code?

2019-06-24T13:38:43-07:00December 5th, 2018|Categories: ACLS, Advanced Nursing, Basic Life Support Articles, CPR Training Articles, Education, EMT Training, Neonatal|

No matter how your health care organization is run, it definitely has a protocol for codes. Protocols are designed to help the code run smoothly and efficiently and to ensure everything possible is done to save the patient’s life. By ensuring that you and your coworkers are in your correct roles during a code, you can avoid chaos and confusion. Because a code is an ever-changing situation, some roles may change throughout the process. However, with quick thinking, constant communication [...]

30 11, 2018

What Causes Low Back Pain?

2018-11-20T15:13:10-08:00November 30th, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing, Education|

Low back pain can be caused from many things. It can be from overuse or fatigue; however low back pain can have serious implications on health if not treated. According to the World Health Organization, the likelihood of getting low-back pain in industrialized countries (such as the United States) is 60-70%. Nurses and CNAs are at an increased risk. So it is important to know: what causes low back pain? Let’s start by talking about your spine. Your spine is [...]

23 11, 2018

CNA Roles in Assisting Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

2018-11-20T16:04:55-08:00November 23rd, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing|

As we learned last week, 30 million Americans have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). CNAs can have a direct impact on their CKD patient's health. Here are a few ways that CNAs can assist their patients in ensuring their patient's CKD does not get worse. These roles are hugely important in maintaining health in these patients. 1. Low potassium and sodium (salt) diet The kidneys lose their ability to filter out electrolytes. Therefore, levels of potassium in the body can get [...]

16 11, 2018

What is chronic kidney disease and how do you get it?

2018-11-15T23:46:05-08:00November 16th, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing, Education|

Chronic kidney disease is quite common. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 million Americans have chronic kidney disease. However, what is actually wrong with the kidneys, and why aren’t they working? […]

7 11, 2018

Learning About ACLS Certification In Nursing: What Is It, Do I Need It, And Why?

2025-11-19T10:02:08-08:00November 7th, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing|Tags: , |

ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and is an instructional course designed to give you the information and confidence you need to save the life of someone in cardiac arrest. If you’ve already received training in Basic Life Support and are wondering why you might need anything more than your BLS certification, we’re here to help you see what the difference is between these two certifications and why you should consider taking an ACLS certification course. What Is [...]

24 10, 2018

Diabetes: The Difference Between Type I and Type II

2018-10-09T21:02:33-07:00October 24th, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing, Classes, Education|Tags: |

This week's edition of the Heartbeat Blogs will re-visit some of our content on diabetes and help you teach your patients the difference between type I and type II. Diabetes: The Difference Between Type I and Type II We all know someone with diabetes. In fact, according to the CDC, almost 10% of the US population has diabetes. You may have heard the term “Type I” and “Type II” diabetes. There is actually a big difference between the two. One [...]

17 10, 2018

How to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections in the Elderly

2025-11-18T19:24:06-08:00October 17th, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing, Career Programs, Classes, Education|

In this week’s edition of the Heartbeat Blog, we will continue our discussion on urinary tract infections, also known as UTIs. Our upcoming lecture series “Urinary Tract Infections in the Elderly” begins soon, so don’t forget to check our CNA courses to see when it’s up. […]

10 10, 2018

Helping Patients with Urinary Tract Infections

2019-12-30T13:23:23-08:00October 10th, 2018|Categories: Advanced Nursing, Career Programs, Classes, Education, Nurses Corner|

In this week’s edition of the Heartbeat Blog, we will begin a discussion on urinary tract infections as a precursor to our upcoming lecture series on “The CNA role in identifying patients at risk for a UTI.” […]

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