CTRN study plan
CTRN · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Patient Assessment and Monitoring
Reconstruct the transport assessment sequence (primary survey, focused exam, ongoing reassessment) from memory and recite it without prompts
Build a comparison table differentiating expected versus abnormal findings for at least 20 assessment parameters (mental status, pupils, lung sounds, heart tones, skin, capillary refill, pulses, work of breathing)
Interpret 15 vignette-style vital sign and blood gas data sets and write the single highest-priority action for each
Complete a 30-item self-authored assessment quiz and record the rationale for every answer
Your checkpoint
Completed 30-item patient assessment self-quiz plus a written error log listing each missed item, the correct concept, and the reason for the miss
Airway, Ventilation, and Oxygenation & Patient Assessment and Monitoring
Sequence airway decisions from positioning through basic adjuncts, supraglottic devices, intubation, and surgical airway across 10 patient scenarios
Calculate tidal volume, rate, FiO2, and PEEP for 8 sets of patient parameters and state the target value for each
Tabulate indications, flow ranges, and hazards for every oxygen delivery method used in transport
Recognize and troubleshoot rising peak pressure, auto-PEEP, and sudden desaturation in 10 ventilator vignettes
Re-test the week 1 error log items until all are answered correctly
Your checkpoint
One-page ventilator troubleshooting algorithm plus a 10-scenario airway decision worksheet with written rationale for each choice
Hemodynamics, Perfusion, and Shock Management
Classify hypovolemic, cardiogenic, obstructive, and distributive shock using a four-column hemodynamic profile table
Interpret 12 hemodynamic data sets (blood pressure, MAP, CVP, cardiac output, SVR, lactate) and name the first-line intervention for each
Calculate MAP, pulse pressure, and shock index for 10 data sets and state the threshold that triggers escalation
Justify vasopressor versus inotrope selection for 6 distinct clinical presentations
Explain how transport stressors such as altitude, vibration, and positioning alter perfusion in shock states
Your checkpoint
Fifteen-vignette shock identification worksheet labeling shock type, supporting data, and first-line intervention, scored at 90 percent or better
Trauma and Environmental Emergencies & Patient Assessment and Monitoring
Apply the primary and secondary survey to 8 trauma scenarios and name the intervention that cannot wait for transport
Identify mechanism-specific injuries for blunt, penetrating, and blast trauma and the monitoring each requires in flight
Manage hypothermia, heat illness, altitude illness, diving injury, and envenomation by stating recognition criteria and field treatment for each
State triage and destination decision criteria for 6 multi-casualty and specialty-resource scenarios
Complete the cumulative midpoint exam under timed conditions
Your checkpoint
Trauma and environmental case matrix covering 15 scenarios with mechanism, priority injury, transport consideration, and destination rationale, plus the scored midpoint exam
Medical and Neurologic Emergencies in Transport
Recognize stroke, seizure, and elevated intracranial pressure presentations and state the transport and destination implications for each
Differentiate sepsis, diabetic ketoacidosis, and acute coronary syndrome by presentation and immediate management priorities
Distinguish reversible causes of altered mental status using a structured bedside framework applied to 10 vignettes
Select monitoring parameters and reassessment intervals appropriate to each medical and neurologic presentation studied
Your checkpoint
Timed 25-item medical and neurologic quiz scored at 80 percent or better, accompanied by a one-page rapid reference for the five highest-yield presentations
Transport Safety, Equipment, and Operations
Assemble a pre-transport safety and equipment verification routine that covers aircraft or vehicle, oxygen supply, suction, electrical power, and secured equipment
Describe crew resource management behaviors that prevent mishaps and apply them to 6 near-miss scenarios
Explain physiologic effects of altitude, vibration, noise, and acceleration on patients and equipment
Outline infection control, hazardous material, and restraint safety procedures relevant to transport
Identify documentation elements required for operational and safety events
Your checkpoint
Written 20-item pre-transport safety and equipment checklist with explicit pass or fail criteria for each item
Professional Practice, Communication, and Documentation & Hemodynamics, Perfusion, and Shock Management
Deliver 5 scripted SBAR handoffs covering assessment, shock, and trauma patients and grade each against a written checklist
Draft documentation for 3 transport encounters that captures assessment findings, interventions, response, and refusals
Explain legal and ethical obligations around consent, refusal, restraint, and confidentiality in transport practice
Re-drill the two lowest-scoring domains from the midpoint exam to at least 80 percent accuracy
Your checkpoint
Portfolio of 5 graded SBAR handoff scripts and 3 complete transport documentation samples, each self-scored against a written standard
Patient Assessment and Monitoring & Airway, Ventilation, and Oxygenation & Hemodynamics, Perfusion, and Shock Management & Trauma and Environmental Emergencies & Medical and Neurologic Emergencies in Transport & Transport Safety, Equipment, and Operations & Professional Practice, Communication, and Documentation
Complete two full-length practice exams under timed conditions
Analyze every missed item by domain and root cause rather than by topic label
Rebuild weak-area notes for any domain scoring below 80 percent
Recite the integrated assessment-to-intervention sequence for one shock, one airway, and one trauma scenario without reference material
Your checkpoint
Full-length practice exam score of 80 percent or better plus a one-page remediation sheet listing residual weak areas and the specific actions planned for each
Milestones
Week 2: Recite the full assessment sequence and the airway decision ladder from memory with no notes, and score 80 percent or better on a 25-item quiz covering Domains 1 and 2
Week 4: Score 75 percent or better on a 60-item cumulative timed exam covering Domains 1 through 3, with no single domain below 70 percent
Week 6: Score 80 percent or better on a 40-item exam covering Domains 4 through 6, and produce a completed pre-transport checklist usable without revision
Week 8: Score 80 percent or better on a full-length timed practice exam spanning all seven domains, with every domain at or above 75 percent