IV THERAPY/BLOOD WITHDRAWAL COURSE (36 HOURS):

Designed to upgrade LVN’s to be able to assume responsibilities to administer fluids, medications, and blood products to patients.

Our training program for phlebotomy encompasses instructions in the following areas:

•  Needle Safety
•  Site selection
•  Anatomy of the antecubital
•  Equipment: syringe vs. tube holder
•  Mechanics of the venipuncture
•  Patient positioning
•  Site preparation
•  Maintaining support during the puncture
•  Correct angle of insertion
•  Exchanging tubes
•  Terminating the puncture
•  Recovering the failed puncture
•  The order in which tubes must be drawn
•  Labeling requirements
•  Secondary puncture sites
•  Patient consideration
•  Dietary consideration
•  Medication consideration
•  Capillary punctures
•  Minimum fill volumes
•  Specimen storage and transportation

CLIENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND CHRONIC ILLNESS (30 HOURS):

This course of study discusses health promotion and prevention at every level.  It begins with a bird’s eye view of disabilities and chronic illnesses in general, and then addresses these issues based on current trends both here and overseas.

UPDATES ON MEDICATION (30 HOURS):

This course is designed to help the Practical Nurse form a knowledge base of drugs and drug administration, including the nursing process application in medication.  Medication administration is a basic nursing function involving skillful technique and consideration of the patient’s physical status and cognitive ability.

Although anxiety and fear are normal human responses, anxiety disorders are not.  This course explores anxiety and fear and discusses how to intervene for an anxious client.  It also explores anxiety disorders and nursing care of those who have them.

CARING FOR CLIENTS WITH MOOD DISORDER (30 HOURS):

Mood refers to a person’s overall feeling; this is an essential aspect of a person’s being and as such must be understood by the vocational nurse.  This course of study is designed to help the vocational nurse in understanding mood disorders and how to detect and apply nursing skills in caring clients with mood disorders.

CARING FOR CLIENTS WITH EATING DISORDER (30 HOURS):

This course deal with conditions characterized by disordered eating.  Eating disorders affect 500,000 people in the United States at any given time.  They are most prevalent among middle to upper class young women between ages 12 to 25 years.  A licensed vocational nurse needs to understand their signs and symptoms to be able to adequately and effectively care for them.

CARING FOR CHEMICALLY DEPENDENT CLIENTS (30 HOURS):

Substance abuse and chemical dependence are serious public health and social problems.  They contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality from liver damage, cardiopulmonary disease and infectious diseases.  Also, they are major contributors to domestic violence, child abuse, crime, traffic, and boating fatalities, assaults, and murders.

This course helps the vocational nurse understand the reasons why a person abuses substance, and gives his/her an overview of the different drugs and substances abused and their detection.

It begins with the definition of substance abused and chemical dependence.  Then further discusses the most commonly abused drugs including the signs and symptoms of their abuse, withdrawal and antidotes wherever applicable.

CHEST DRAINAGE SYSTEM, CHEST TUBE CARE, AND MONITORING (30 HOURS):

This course is designed to refresh the student on chest tube drainage system and its mechanics.  The student is also guided on chest tube care and monitoring of patients with the chest tubes. Given a scenario in a holding or ward setting, involving a patient with a chest tube, the student is assisted to identify procedures and protocols.

PRINCIPLES OF DIALYSIS (30 HOURS):

This home study course reviews the principles of chronic dialysis therapy for treating patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).  Ideas and principles provide the reader with information applicable to almost all areas of dialysis therapy.  The major emphasis is on hemodialysis and aspects of dialysis environment, principals and dialysis treatment.