Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) is an advanced course designed for the registered nurse interested in learning more about managing the patient with multiple trauma.
The ATCN course is taught concurrently with the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course. Physicians and nurses are together for the interactive lectures and separate for the skills stations portion of the training.
The nurse participants audit the ATLS lectures. During the ATLS skill and testing stations, the nurses separate from the physicians for the ATCN skills stations, which include:
- Initial assessment and management
- Airway and ventilatory management
- Pediatric trauma
- Hemorrhagic Shock
- Spine and extremity injuries
- Head trauma
The Skill Stations are based on an interactive, hands-on, scenario-based approach to adult education. The practical testing stations allow the ATCN students to demonstrate the application of ATLS and ATCN information on a moulaged patient. Participants receive both an ATCN manual and an ATLS manual.
The ATCN program verifies successful completion of the ATCN course and provides continuing education for completion of a course. ATCN and STN do not certify or credential nurses.
The ATCN program has been operational for over 20 years and has an excellent record of offering a superb trauma educational program and maintaining a positive collaboration with the ACS Committee on Trauma.
