Critical Care Skills Checklist
This profile is for use by Critical Care nurses with more than one year's experience in their discipline and specialty.
After completing your skills checklist, click "Submit".
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A. Theory, no practice
C. One - two years experience
B. Intermittent experience
D. Two plus years experience
A. CARDIOVASCULAR
1. Assessment
a. Abnormal heart sounds/murmurs
A
B
C
D
b. Auscultation (rate, rhythm)
A
B
C
D
c. Blood pressure/non-invasive
A
B
C
D
d. Doppler
A
B
C
D
e. Pulses/circulation checks
A
B
C
D
2. Interpretation of lab results
a. Cardiac enzymes & isoenzymes
A
B
C
D
b. Coagulation studies
A
B
C
D
3. Equipment & procedures
a. Assist with
(1) Arterial line insertion
A
B
C
D
(2) Central line insertion
A
B
C
D
(3) Open chest emergency
A
B
C
D
(4) PA catheter/Swan-Ganz insertion
A
B
C
D
(5) Pericardiocentesis
A
B
C
D
(6) Transesophageal echocardiogram
A
B
C
D
b. Automatic internal cardioverter defibrillator
A
B
C
D
c. Cardioversion
A
B
C
D
d. CAVH-D
A
B
C
D
e. Hemodynamic monitoring
(1) Cardiac index
A
B
C
D
(2) Cardiac output
A
B
C
D
(3) CVP monitoring
A
B
C
D
(4) Femoral artery sheath removal
A
B
C
D
(5) MAP
A
B
C
D
(6) PA/Swan-Ganz
A
B
C
D
(7) PCW pressure
A
B
C
D
(8) PVR
A
B
C
D
(9) Radial a-line
A
B
C
D
(10) SVO
2
A
B
C
D
(11) SVR
A
B
C
D
f. Intra aortic balloon pump
A
B
C
D
g. Monitoring
(1) 12 lead EKG interpretation
A
B
C
D
(2) Arrhythmia interpretation
A
B
C
D
(3) Lead placement
A
B
C
D
(4) Rhythm strip assessment
A
B
C
D
(5) Set up and run 12 lead EKG
A
B
C
D
h. Pacemaker
(1) External
A
B
C
D
(2) Permanent
A
B
C
D
(3) Temporary
A
B
C
D
(4) Transthoracic (epicardial)
A
B
C
D
i. Ventricular assist device (RVAD or LVAD)
A
B
C
D
4. Care of the patient with:
a. Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
A
B
C
D
b. Acute MI
A
B
C
D
c. Cardiac arrest
A
B
C
D
d. Cardiac tamponade
A
B
C
D
e. Congestive heart failure (CHF)
A
B
C
D
f. EP study & ablation
A
B
C
D
g. Heart transplant
A
B
C
D
h. Immediate post open-heart surgery
A
B
C
D
i. Infective endocarditis
A
B
C
D
j. Myocardial contusion
A
B
C
D
k. Pericarditis
A
B
C
D
l. Post AICD insertion
A
B
C
D
m. Post arthrectomy (DCA)
A
B
C
D
n. Post commissurotomy, valve repair,
valve replacement
A
B
C
D
o. Post intracoronary stent placement
A
B
C
D
p. Post percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty
A
B
C
D
q. Post rotoblade
A
B
C
D
r. Pre/post angioplasty
A
B
C
D
s. Pre/post cardiac cath
A
B
C
D
5. Medications
a. Amiodarone (Cardarone)
A
B
C
D
b. Atropine
A
B
C
D
c. Bicarbonate
A
B
C
D
d. Bretylium (Bretylol)
A
B
C
D
e. Digoxin (Lanoxin)
A
B
C
D
f. Diltiazem (Cardizem)
A
B
C
D
g. Dobutamine (Dobutrex)
A
B
C
D
h. Dopamine (Intropin)
A
B
C
D
i. Epinephrine (Adrenalin)
A
B
C
D
j. Esmolol (Brevibloc)
A
B
C
D
k. Inocor (Amrinone)
A
B
C
D
l. Lidocaine (Xylocaine)
A
B
C
D
m. Metoprolol (Lopressor)
A
B
C
D
n. Nipride (Nitroprusside)
A
B
C
D
o. Nitroglycerine (Tridil)
A
B
C
D
p. Procainamide (Pronestyl)
A
B
C
D
q. Reteplase recombinant (Retavase)
A
B
C
D
r. Streptokinase
A
B
C
D
s. TPA (Alteplase)
A
B
C
D
t. Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan)
A
B
C
D
B. PULMONARY
1. Assessment
a. Adventitious breath sounds
A
B
C
D
b. Rate and work of breathing
A
B
C
D
2.
Interpretation of lab results - arterial blood gases
A
B
C
D
3. Equipment & procedures
a. Air leak troubleshooting
(1) Mediastinal chest tube removal
A
B
C
D
(2) Pleural chest tube removal
A
B
C
D
b. Airway management devices/suctioning
(1) Endotracheal tube/suctioning
A
B
C
D
(2) Extubation
A
B
C
D
(3) Nasal airway/suctioning
A
B
C
D
(4) Oximetry
A
B
C
D
(5) Sputum specimen collection
A
B
C
D
(6) Tracheostomy/suctioning
A
B
C
D
c. Assist with
(1) Bronchoscopy
A
B
C
D
(2) Chest tube insertion
A
B
C
D
(3) Emergency tracheostomy
A
B
C
D
(4) Thoracentesis
A
B
C
D
d. Establishing an airway
(1) Assist with intubation
A
B
C
D
(2) Oral airway insertion
A
B
C
D
e. Identification/intervention for respiratory complications
(1) Aspiration
A
B
C
D
(2) Laryngospasm
A
B
C
D
(3) Tension pneumothorax
A
B
C
D
(4) Use of Pleurevac or Thoraclex drainage
A
B
C
D
(5) Use of water seal drainage
A
B
C
D
f. O
2
therapy & medication delivery systems
(1) Ambu bag and mask
A
B
C
D
(2) ET tube
A
B
C
D
(3) Face masks
A
B
C
D
(4) Nasal cannula
A
B
C
D
(5) Portable O
2
tank
A
B
C
D
(6) Trach collar
A
B
C
D
g. Ventilator management
(1) External CPAP
A
B
C
D
(2) High frequency jet ventilation
A
B
C
D
(3) IMV
A
B
C
D
(4) PEEP
A
B
C
D
(5) Pressure support
A
B
C
D
(6) Weaning modes & T-piece weaning
A
B
C
D
4. Care of the patient with:
a. Acute pneumonia
A
B
C
D
b. ARDS
A
B
C
D
c. Chest trauma
A
B
C
D
d. COPD
A
B
C
D
e. Cor pulmonale
A
B
C
D
f. Fresh tracheostomy
A
B
C
D
g. Lobectomy
A
B
C
D
h. Lung transplant
A
B
C
D
i. Near drowning
A
B
C
D
j. Pneumonectomy
A
B
C
D
k. Pulmonary edema/hypertension
A
B
C
D
l. Pulmonary embolism
A
B
C
D
m. Status asthmaticus
A
B
C
D
n. Thoracotomy
A
B
C
D
o. Tuberculosis
A
B
C
D
5. Medications
a. Alupent (Metaproterenol)
A
B
C
D
b. Aminophylline (Theophylline)
A
B
C
D
c. Bronkosol (Isoetharine hydrochloride)
A
B
C
D
d. Corticosteroids
A
B
C
D
e. Ventolin (Albuterol)
A
B
C
D
C. NEUROLOGICAL
1. Assessment
a. Cranial nerves
A
B
C
D
b. Glasgow coma scale
A
B
C
D
c. Level of consciousness
A
B
C
D
d. Pathologic reflexes
A
B
C
D
e. Reflex/motor deficits
A
B
C
D
f. Visual or communication deficits
A
B
C
D
2. Equipment & procedures
a. Assist with lumbar puncture
A
B
C
D
b. Halo traction/cervical tongs
A
B
C
D
c. Intracranial pressure monitoring
A
B
C
D
d. Nerve stimulators
A
B
C
D
e. Rotating bed
A
B
C
D
f. Seizure precautions
A
B
C
D
g. Spinal precautions
A
B
C
D
h. Stryker frame
A
B
C
D
i. Use of hyper/hypothermia blanket
A
B
C
D
3. Care of the patient with:
a. Aneurysm precautions
A
B
C
D
b. Basal skull fracture
A
B
C
D
c. Closed head injury
A
B
C
D
d. Coma
A
B
C
D
e. CVA
A
B
C
D
f. DTs
A
B
C
D
g. Encephalitis
A
B
C
D
h. Externalized VP shunts
A
B
C
D
i. Increased ICP
A
B
C
D
j. Laminectomy
A
B
C
D
k. Meningitis
A
