5 Online COVID-19 Courses For Nurses
Nurses all around the country are being cross-trained to work in higher acuity or critical care patient areas as fast as possible to maximize efforts against COVID-19. But as nurses step out of their comfort zones, there have been concerns that many nurses feel unprepared.
Here are online training resources, listed in no particular order, to help prepare nurses to provide appropriate care for COVID-19 patients - including those being cross-trained into new specialties such as critical care, as well as how to protect yourself as a frontline clinician.
1. Free COVID-19 Training Course, IntelyCare
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IntelyCare, a workforce management solution for post-acute facilities, launched a free COVID-19 training certification program.
Chris Caulfield, RN, NP-C, and founder of IntelyCare, explained that his initial goal was to help protect nursing facilities, where residents are particularly vulnerable.
"When COVID-19 first hit the US, there were stories of nurses having to take care of patients without proper training or best practices to follow. We had already started designing our own COVID-19 nursing training course to support our IntentlyCare nurses, but we felt like its reach could go much further."
One of the biggest challenges is that skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes have limited resources compared to more prominent hospitals, according to Caufield. For starters, they don't have negative air pressure rooms that hospitals use to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They must rely on alternative isolation precautions in facilities with sick patients.
“In a little over two weeks since the release of this course, we have had over 37,000 nursing professionals complete the certification course and over 310 healthcare facilities sign up to register their internal staff.”
Here is an overview of the free training:
2. Back To Basics: Caring For The Critically Ill, Nicole Kupchik Consulting Inc.
Nicole Kupchik is a Critical Care Nurse Specialist, online course creator, nurse educator, and a consultant for critical care training and quality improvement programs in the US.
As Seattle was hit with COVID-19 cases last month, Nicole stated that she was “bombarded" with messages from ED, PACU, low-acuity ICU, and telemetry nurses in the area. They were concerned that once the COVID-10 surge arrived at their facilities, the expectation was they would have to go into the ICU and be a part of a "team nursing model" to care for critical COVID-19 patients.
To help quickly educate nurses, Nicole recorded a 6 part series called Back To The Basics: Caring For The Critically Ill. The video series includes:
- Intubation Basics
- Basic Ventilator Settings
- Lung Protective Ventilation for ARDS
- Parameters We Measure in ARDS
- Prone Positioning & Rescue Strategies in ARDS
- Arterial Line Basics
Nicole also created a Proning For Severe ARDS video about proning awake, non-intubated patients.
You can find all of Nicole's courses on her website here.
- The mechanical ventilator course is marked down to $49 (from $159)
- All online courses are 40% off
- Since many nurses are needed to cover cardiac areas, the Cardiac Boot Camp course is discounted
- All online courses are accredited and have CEs
For more information, you can connect Nicole on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.
3. Pulmonary, ARD, and Ventilator Resources, American Association Of Critical Care Nurses
The Pulmonary, ARDS, and Ventilator Resources is a free online course available 24/7 featuring the latest information nurses need to provide care for patients with COVID-19.
Nurses can become "immersed in real-world ICU scenarios, while interactive elements encourage the development of safe and effective practices." There are 4 modules the course is divided into:
- Analyzing ABGs and managing patients' oxygen delivery
- Caring for patients with acute respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Administering care for patients requiring endotracheal intubation or invasive mechanical ventilation
- Managing patients on mechanical ventilation
4. Breakthrough ICU, Fresh RN
Kati Kleiber, MSN, RN, CCRN, is a nurse educator and creator of FreshRN, a website aimed at "growing new nurses." Kati is the creator of Breakthrough ICU, a 6-week online course specifically crafted for brand new ICU nurses who "want to get ahead of the game."
On her website, Kleiber states that she can help nurses "navigate the unknown with an unapologetic thirst for growth." Also, she has several resources on her website to help nurses prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kleiber is offering a temporary 20% discount pricing on all FreshRN courses during the COVID-19 crisis. Here are some of the available courses that make help care for COVID-19 patients.
5. ANA COVID-19 Webinar Series
The American Nurses Association is offering FREE COVID-19 training for nurses titled Be Confident Protecting Yourself and Providing the Best Care to Your Patients during this COVID-19 Pandemic.
The ANA website states that "Nurses and health care workers face ongoing challenges with the supply and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during times of supply chain shortage, patient surge, and evolving evidence on COVID-19.”
- ANA partnered with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) to create a free, on-demand webinar, which includes the following information:
- Current epidemiology of COVID-19 including modes of transmission
- How to implement critical infection control standards to minimize spread and maintain healthcare worker protection
- Best practice recommendations for optimal protection while maximizing a limited supply of PPE
- Review of the ANA COVID-19 website that provides critical information and links to keep you up to date, participate in legislative advocacy and share your personal story with ANA
COVID-19 is expected to peak soon in many cities across the US, hospitals and medical professionals are scrambling to prepare for an influx of COVID-19 patients and these resources will help.
