The Comprehensive Training for Homecare Nurses on Tracheostomy Care and Ventilator Management is an introductory course for nurses to tracheostomy and ventilator care; it may additionally be a great refresher course for nurses or families caring for their loved ones. 

The online portion of the course provides practical knowledge and skills, covering the management of ventilators, understanding ventilator settings and functions, trach care, cuff inflation and deflation, open and closed suctioning, and emergency care of a trach patient. It also includes valuable resources on lung sounds and ventilator settings from Respiratory Therapy instructors, allowing nurses to deepen their knowledge of the subject and feel more confident in their abilities.

Developed by two experienced ventilator nurses, it is designed to be completed as mixed online and hands-on skills training in our training lab. This course is broken down into 2 certificate courses: (1) Online Training, 10-hour CEU training, (2) Hands-on Skills, 2-hour CEU training.

Training Objectives:

Online Course: 

1. Introduction to respiratory disease: Examines the pathophysiological differences in types of respiratory compromise: chronic versus acute respiratory failure patients.
2. Introduction to tracheostomies: Reviews tracheostomy tube types, daily tracheostomy care, and tracheostomy changes. The importance of humidification, inflation, and deflation in maintaining airway patency.
3. Introduction to ventilators: Understanding ventilator settings and troubleshooting alarms. The components of ventilators, circuitry, and humidification devices.
4. Common respiratory equipment: This section will provide an overview of the importance of bedside and go bag equipment, the types of equipment that may be found, and purposes for equipment.
5. Assessment and evaluation: Covers assessment and evaluation of patients with specific respiratory compromise to tracheostomy and ventilator care in the home care setting for adult and pediatric patients. 
6. Common airway treatments: This section covers oxygen therapy, suctioning cough assist, chest physiotherapy, and treatment planning for sick patients.
7. Common medication and medication practices: This section covers understanding common medications such as bronchodilators, inhalations, mucolytic agents, and anticholinergics, when and how to administer the medications.
8. Common airway illnesses and complications: Covers identifying and treating skin and stoma breakdown and pressure injuries, preventing aspiration and vent-associated pneumonia, and caring for nonverbal patients.
9. Common airway emergencies: Learn how to plan, prevent, and prepare for respiratory emergencies before they occur. 
10. Infection prevention: Covers learning and identifying best practices within the home to prevent infections.
11. Internal nutrition and medically complex feeding: An overview ever reviewing your patients' care plan to identify their feeding needs.
12. Creating a safe environment: Ensuring that requirements for a safe environment in the home are met.
13. Care across the lifespan: Ensuring that we're meeting the psychosocial needs of clients across their lifespan as they change from pediatric to adult.
14. Documentation: Adhering to proper documentation practices to protect your patient and protect your license.
15. Case study activity: Will allow you to engage in interactive questions to test your knowledge.
16. Final Test

Hands-on Skills: completing the online portion before participating in the skills is required. However, skills are a second 2-hour CEU course. Hands-on skills are held in our main office. It is not offered online.

1. Equipment review 
2. Suctioning
3. Trach Care
4. Trach changes
5. Emergency Trach change
6. Discussion, Questions, and answers

The course contains a written curriculum, videos, and testing to ensure nurses are always prepared.