Tncc

Sweettooth: As an EMT-P with 9 years experience, you should have no problem at all. I'm a LP turned RN (new grad) and I had no trouble at all. In fact, I LOVED the class. If you've ever taken PHTLS or anything like that, this will be more of a refresher course than anything. Just remember ABCDEFGHI (esp. abc's) and you'll do great!

I am taking it as we speak. Our test and practicum is tomorrow. It's not as hard as I thought it would be... let me let you know tomorrow.... But its all common sense head to toe assessment and think about everything and anything that you could do for that particular patient. Remember ABC's thats the whole basis for TNCC. A of course is airway and you must state ways to clear and airway and cannot continue until the instructor states that your airway is patent. You cannot leave this section without a) pt is intubated or b) pt is on 100% nonrebreather. Next is breathing, look at the patient, determine if the respirations are even and unlabored, is the patient using accessory muscles or retracting if a pediatric patient, the instructor will tell you the breaths per minute and if its shallow and if the breath sounds are equal. At that time you can determine if you need a chest tube or not. After you determine all that then you go to circulation, this consists of making sure the adult patient has two large bore IVS infusing with warmed IV fluid at a rapid rate and particulary with blood tubing, you can type and cross match and do labs at this time, make sure you check for a pulses, skin temp and moisture and color, and check for signs of active bleeding and what you do to stop that bleeding. Then you do the Disability (Neuro) and do AVPU (active-verbal-pain-unresponsive) and PERRL. Then the last step of primary assessment is Environment and Expose- strip em naked but keep them warm via warm blankets, warm IV fluids, warm lights and environment. Think of what can kill your patient and those are your primary assessments and the most important.

It wasn't that hard, it was pretty interesting and you learned and should realize that assessment is the most important thing


Don't stress about it... I'll let you know tomorrow if I pass......................


Jodi

I just took it two months ago... 9 years ER experience. Never read or even cracked the book, never reviewed the material after class... 88% on the written and 46/48 points on the practical... I did not find it hard... Just common sense... Maybe I am the minority...

Read through the practice scenarios in the book and you'll do fine. I thought the hardest part was to remember to verbalize what you're doing! You have to say everything you're doing not just do it!

Nope, your right it's not Rocket Science. What is difficult is that most nurses are used to verbalizing while they do practicals, which scares them.

So very true craig... One of the practical points I missed was because I verbalized listening to lungs but not heart...

Finished the class today. Got in late when they were going over possible study questions. I was the first to do my practical and passed that with flying colors and then took the exam and had never cracked the book and got an 86. I confused the types of head injuries and lost four points there the others were judgment calls and the instructor said I was overthinking it.

Very interesting dass the most important think I got was the stressed imporatnce of doing a consistent head to toe assessment ABCDEFGHI is what you have to remember and you won't have any problem with the practicum.

Good luck...


jodi

Go to:
http://seabirdscientific.com/

for sample tests.

Todd is one of our instructors. It is a new site. Good luck.

thank you very much. i am in the midst of this class, test at the end of this week and will def. take a look at the practice test. I feel very confident about this class as it is a lot of review. Regardless of your experience, a refresher is good and I suggest reading the book it is very well written. There were some good points from the instructor that I will keep with me 1) we don't rock the hips anymore, 2) listen to the heart, nurses are so notorious for that.

I've had TNCC multiple times during my ER career. It is stressful but manageable. The practical stresses me everytime...when though I know what to expect.

They give you a scenario....25 yr old female MVC rollover, multiple abrasions, c/o neck pain and headache. What do you do now?
Remember your ABC's....Talk yourself through it. Is her airway intact, is she breathing okay? What are her vitals? Does she need to be packaged? Just go down the list. I verbalize basically every thought that goes through my head.

Remember your not on a time schedule. Take a breath and relax. This is practice for us. No one is going to die if say the wrong thing. Well your fellow nurses will make fun of you but I'm used to that in this ER.
I have been a nurse in a Level 1 for almost 8 years. Every shift is different and every class I learn something new. Or something I shoved in the back of my brain I forgot all about.

Don't stress...you will be fine.