The medical emergency units one sees in a triage situation all have to pass this Acute Care Support course. The training includes care for burn victims, contagious and life-threatening infections, heart conditions, respiratory failure and violent accidents. Those who pass this course will be able to ascertain which support is most urgent and which can wait until arriving at the emergency room of a hospital. This is the basic course to specialization on critical care for doctors and nurses.
This course is for nursing graduates who want to specialize in critical care. It presumes the nurse already passed the basic nursing course; thus, it is a short but intensive course. Aside from training in acute care for pain management, renal, respiratory, surgery recovery, cardiac and pulmonary care, this course also trains a nurse how to assess and think on her feet and how to relate to the family. This is not the same course needed to be a CEN or Certified Emergency Nurse, however.
A career as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and paramedic covers on-site, en-route and support care. These courses are only offered in places where there are EMT care providers. Part of the learning curriculum includes emergency treatment such as ventilating, providing CPR and knowing what medication to give. In more detail, the subjects covered are pharmacology, airway management, triage, emergency care, trauma and injuries and special emergencies such as care for pregnant women and young babies.
To be a CEN, a nurse has to pass a certificate course that will teach her methods on didactic and clinical procedures. It also focuses on how to communicate quickly and effectively since use of time will always be of the utmost importance. The CEN offers an acute care technician curriculum for nurses who want advance training. Most, if not all, of these acute care technician courses require a combination of lecture, on-the-job training and clinical training.