CNA Cardiovascular Nursing (CCN(C)) study plan

Map the complete cardiovascular history into a symptom-analysis framework covering chest pain (onset, quality, radiation, provocation, duration), dyspnea, syncope, palpitations, edema, and functional capacity, then rehearse it aloud on two volunteer colleagues.

Differentiate normal and abnormal heart sounds across all auscultation areas, including S1/S2 splitting, S3, S4, murmurs, rubs, and clicks, and state the physiologic timing that explains each.

Interpret central hemodynamic values (CVP, pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac output, cardiac index, SVR) against normal ranges and predict the nursing action for each out-of-range pattern.

Explain the indication, patient preparation, contrast or radiation precautions, and post-procedure monitoring for ECG, echocardiography, stress testing, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac biomarkers.

Analyze rhythm strips to distinguish sinus rhythms, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and first-, second-, and third-degree AV block using rate, regularity, P-wave presence, and PR and QRS width.

Select the immediate nursing action, including when to call a rapid response or code team, for each lethal or unstable rhythm and for the pulseless patient.

Connect electrolyte derangements (potassium, magnesium, calcium) and drug effects (digoxin, antiarrhythmics, QT-prolonging agents) to the specific dysrhythmias they provoke.

Prioritize monitoring, anticoagulation safety, and rate-versus-rhythm strategy teaching for a patient newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

Differentiate unstable angina, NSTEMI, and STEMI by biomarker trajectory, ECG changes, and risk stratification, and justify why reperfusion timing differs among them.

Sequence the door-to-reperfusion pathway for STEMI, naming the time targets for ECG acquisition, aspirin and P2Y12 loading, anticoagulation, and door-to-balloon or fibrinolysis, and identifying which delays are nurse-controllable.

Prioritize nursing assessment and intervention in the first 12 hours after fibrinolytic therapy or primary PCI, including reperfusion dysrhythmias, bleeding, contrast-induced kidney injury, and femoral or radial access site monitoring.

Construct a secondary prevention plan covering dual antiplatelet therapy adherence, high-intensity statin, blood pressure and glycemic targets, tobacco cessation, and cardiac rehabilitation referral.

Classify heart failure by ejection fraction phenotype (reduced, mildly reduced, preserved) and functional class, and relate each to expected assessment findings and treatment emphasis.

Explain the mechanism and monitoring implications of guideline-directed therapy pillars (renin-angiotensin system inhibitors or ARNI, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, SGLT2 inhibitors) plus loop diuretics for congestion.

Prioritize assessment and escalation for acute decompensated heart failure, including weight change, jugular venous distention, lung sounds, oxygen strategy, diuresis targets, and recognition of cardiogenic shock.

Describe nursing care for patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, cardiac resynchronization therapy, or left ventricular assist device, including what to teach, what to avoid, and what constitutes an emergency.

Design a self-care coaching plan addressing daily weights, sodium and fluid guidance, symptom action thresholds, medication adherence, and vaccination.

Auscultate and characterize murmurs by timing, location, radiation, and maneuver response for mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, and aortic regurgitation, and link each to expected symptoms and complications.

Explain periprocedural nursing priorities for valve replacement, including anticoagulation considerations, endocarditis prophylaxis indications, and monitoring for prosthetic valve dysfunction.

Compare congenital heart lesions across the lifespan by shunt direction, expected oxygen saturation, and long-term risks such as arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, and pregnancy considerations.

Distinguish aortic dissection from aortic aneurysm in presentation and immediate management, and state the rationale for anti-impulse therapy and surgical versus endovascular repair.

Differentiate arterial from venous insufficiency by assessment findings, and outline prevention, anticoagulation, and complication surveillance for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Build a monitoring profile for antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents (heparin, low-molecular-weight heparin, warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants) that includes laboratory surveillance, bleeding assessment, and the specific reversal agent for each.

Differentiate antiarrhythmic agents by mechanism, key adverse effects, and monitoring parameters, and identify drugs that prolong the QT interval.

Describe safe titration and monitoring for vasoactive and inotropic infusions, including norepinephrine, dobutamine, milrinone, nitroglycerin, and nitroprusside, and explain extravasation management.

Explain the nursing priorities before, during, and after cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology study, ablation, and pacemaker or defibrillator implantation, including access site care and activity restrictions.

Prioritize postoperative care after coronary artery bypass grafting, including hemodynamic monitoring, chest tube management, recognition of tamponade, atrial fibrillation surveillance, sternal precautions, and pain and mobility progression.

Construct a risk-reduction teaching plan addressing tobacco cessation, lipid and blood pressure control, physical activity, weight and glycemic management, and sleep and psychosocial risk factors, tailored to health literacy level.

Explain the phases and outcome benefits of cardiac rehabilitation, and identify the barriers and referral steps that most often prevent enrollment.

Apply teach-back and shared decision-making techniques, and demonstrate correction of common patient misconceptions about statins, anticoagulants, and 'heart-healthy' diets.

Analyze ethical situations involving informed consent, decision-making capacity, do-not-resuscitate orders, family conflict, and resource allocation, and articulate a defensible nursing response.

Use structured communication and handoff tools to present a deteriorating cardiac patient, and describe how to appraise a clinical practice guideline before adopting it at the unit level.

Complete a timed, exam-length mixed practice set weighted to the highest-percentage domains, and record the domain of every missed or guessed item.

Re-teach the three weakest domain areas using your own earlier notes and reference cards, then re-answer the missed items without looking at rationales.

Reconcile conflicting or uncertain facts against a current guideline, flag anything unresolved for supervisor or educator review rather than memorizing it.

Consolidate the eight weekly deliverables into one indexed review packet organized by domain percentage weight, and rehearse a rapid recall pass through it.