Prepare for ICU / Critical care with confidence

What your ICU 90-day path covers

• ✓Cardiogenic Shock: Mechanisms, Afterload, and Inotrope Strategy
• ✓Septic Shock: Lactate Kinetics, Source Control, and Vasopressor Tiers
• ✓Hypovolemic Shock: Fluid Responsiveness and POCUS Assessment
• ✓Obstructive Shock: Pulmonary Embolism, Tension Pneumothorax, Tamponade
• ✓Mixed and Refractory Shock: Escalation Pathways
• ✓Ventilation Modes: AC/VC, AC/PC, SIMV, PSV, CPAP, and BiPAP
• ✓Lung-Protective Ventilation: ARDSNet, Plateau Pressure, PEEP Titration
• ✓Ventilator Management: Alarms, Dyssynchrony, and Sedation Targets
• ✓Weaning and Liberation: SBT Protocol and Extubation Decision-Making
• ✓ARDS: Berlin Criteria, Etiology, Phenotypes, and Prognosis
• ✓Acute COPD Exacerbation: Hypercapnia Management and Non-Invasive Ventilation
• ✓Early Recognition of Sepsis: qSOFA, SOFA, Lactate, and Culture Timing
• ✓Antibiotic Stewardship: Empiric Coverage, De-escalation, Source Identification
• ✓Hospital-Acquired and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Prevention and Coverage
• ✓Sepsis Bundles: Fluid Triggers, Vasopressor Escalation, Lactate-Guided Resuscitation
• ✓AKI Pathophysiology and KDIGO Staging
• ✓Renal Replacement Therapy: CRRT versus IHD, Anticoagulation, Filter Life
• ✓Medication Dosing in AKI and During RRT
• ✓Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State
• ✓Adrenal, Thyroid, and Sodium Regulation Emergencies
• ✓Coagulopathy in Critical Illness: DIC, HIT, and Thrombocytopenia
• ✓Transfusion Reactions and Oncologic Emergencies
• ✓Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Variceal and Non-Variceal
• ✓Acute Liver Failure and Hepatic Encephalopathy
• ✓Intra-abdominal Catastrophes and Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
• ✓Pressure Injury, Wounds, and Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection
• ✓Rhabdomyolysis, Compartment Syndrome, and ICU-Acquired Weakness
• ✓Multisystem Trauma: Survey, Damage Control, and Massive Transfusion
• ✓Toxicology: Poisoning, Overdose, Antidotes, and Decontamination
• ✓RASS-Targeted Sedation: Light versus Deep
• ✓Analgesic and Sedative Pharmacology: Dexmedetomidine, Propofol, Benzodiazepines
• ✓ICU Delirium: CAM-ICU Screening, Risk Factors, and the ABCDEF Bundle
• ✓Neuromuscular Blockade: Indications, Train-of-Four Monitoring, Reversal
• ✓Acute Heart Failure: HFrEF versus HFpEF, GDMT, and Diuretic Resistance
• ✓Arrhythmia Management: SVT, Atrial Fibrillation with RVR, VT/VF, Bradycardia
• ✓Acute Coronary Syndrome: STEMI versus NSTEMI, Troponin Kinetics, PCI Timing
• ✓Post-Cardiac Surgery Care: Low Cardiac Output, Bleeding, and Tamponade
• ✓Acute Stroke: Ischemic versus Hemorrhagic, Thrombolytic Window, Neuro Checks
• ✓Status Epilepticus: Medication Ladder and ICU Protocols
• ✓Intracranial Pressure Management: CPP, Osmotic Therapy, Tiered Protocol
• ✓Acute Spinal Cord Injury: Neurogenic Shock and Autonomic Dysreflexia
• ✓Advocacy and Moral Agency: Acting for the Patient Who Cannot
• ✓Caring Practices, Family Engagement, and End-of-Life Care
• ✓Collaboration and Systems Thinking: Handoff, Escalation, and Error
• ✓Response to Diversity and Health Equity in Critical Care
• ✓Facilitation of Learning and Clinical Inquiry

Start with a free gap analysis

Before you study anything, AscendRN's gap analysis shows you exactly where you stand across the ten competencies that matter for icu / critical care — patient assessment, pharmacology, prioritization, and more. You find your gaps here, in minutes, instead of at the bedside. Then your path adapts to close them.

Free to start. No card required.

Join thousands of nurses preparing for their specialty on AscendRN.