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CRITICAL CARE NURSING Clinical Excellence Program
Learning and clinical experiences in the Critical Care program are designed to support registered nurses as they move into the Critical Care professional practice at Chilton Memorial Hospital. The program emphasizes critical thinking and evidence-based nursing practice based on the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Synergy Model for Patient Care.
Program Objectives
  • Provide mentorship
  • Enhance evidence-based practice and clinical research utilization skills
  • Develop the role and competencies of the RN in the critical care area using the Synergy Model, integrating knowledge, skills, experience and attitudes:
    • Clinical judgment
    • Advocacy and moral agency
    • Caring practices
    • Collaboration
    • Systems thinking
    • Response to diversity
    • Clinical inquiry (Innovator/Evaluator)
    • Facilitation of learning
  • Develop critical care skills:
    • Assessment
    • Technical skills
  • Utilize critical thinking skills with the support of a clinical preceptor
  • Practice organizational and delegation skills
  • Participate in a Shared Governance environment
Expectations of Participants
  • Cooperation and collaboration with assigned clinical preceptor
  • Participation in classroom education programs and evaluation sessions
  • Successful completion of basic competencies, such as:
    • Bedside blood glucose monitoring
    • Phlebotomy
    • 12 lead EKG
    • Intravenous therapy
    • Medication administration
    • Blood administration
    • Pain management
  • Successful completion of Critical Care Competency Skills Checklist
Critical Care Curriculum
Individual Professional Development Plan
  • Day-to-day plan for individualized orientation
  • Support of clinical preceptors
  • Experienced, competent nurses who have completed a preceptor development course
  • Observational experiences in areas such as cardiac catheterization lab, angiography suite, ICU, etc.
Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers
  • 8-hour course, American Heart Association
Stroke Education
  • 8-hours, stroke and guidelines for care
Basic Arrhythmia Course
  • 28-hour course, NJSNA (contact hours provided)
  • Interpretation and interventions
    • Normal sinus rhythm
    • Sinus rhythms
    • Atrial rhythms
    • Junctional rhythms
    • Ventricular rhythms
    • AV blocks
    • Pacemaker rhythms
Pharmacology Course for Critical Care
  • 5-hour course, NJSNA (contact hours provided)
  • Medications administration, with a focus on cardiac medication and medication calculation
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
16-hour course, American Heart Association
Critical Care Seminars
In collaboration with Bergen Passaic Nursing Educators (contact hours provided)
Topics include:
  • Cardiovascular
  • Hemodynamic Monitoring
  • Pulmonary
  • Neurology
  • Renal, Ethics, Oncologic emergencies
  • Endocrine, Gastroenterology
  • Shock, Trauma, Pediatric emergencies
Critical Care Online: Essentials of Critical Care Orientation
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (contact hours provided)
  • Pulmonary Seminar
  • Cardiac Seminar
Balloon Pump Course
  • 4-hour course
Philosophy
At Chilton Memorial Hospital we believe:
...the registered nurse, whether a new graduate or experienced, moving into critical care nursing needs to make a transition to a new work environment. The Clinical Excellence program effectively eases this transition.
...the self-motivated RN will seek the program as a means of self-development.
...the additional education and support will assist in the development of a confident practitioner to enhance critical skills and improve job satisfaction.
Guidance and Support
Chilton Memorial Hospital's Critical Care RN Clinical Excellence program is designed and implemented by the Critical Care Clinical Educator and Clinical Nurse Specialists who are board members of the Northern New Jersey Chapter, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Chilton's expert nurse preceptors and experienced staff nurses, who have completed a preceptor development course, function as teachers, advocates and role models in guiding, directing and supervising the new registered nurse. Nurse Managers and RN II's provide additional clinical support.
To Apply
Send your employment application and resume to Human Resources.

Mail: Chilton Memorial Hospital
Human Resources
97 West Parkway
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
Fax: (973) 831-5516
Email: recruiter@chiltonmemorial.org