Tag Archives: ACLS

Burn care in Nepal, an update August 2016

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Update April 27, 2019 Here is a report in The Kathmandu Post that discusses burn care. The 21-year-old woman was a victim of “bride burning.” The piece includes a description of the incident, as well as a graphic photo ( … Continue reading →

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Mentoring ACLS Instructors in Nepal 2015 – CCNEPal invites – YOU!

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

What has CCNEPal done? CCNEPal has been teaching ACLS skills in Nepal since 2011 and in that time we have given certificates to about 1,600 nurses and doctors who have taken the 3-day (nurses) or 2-day (doctors) course. We have … Continue reading →

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CCNEPal updated schedule of sessions for APril and May 2015

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Note: this will be amended as sessions are added. This is not the final list. All good things must come to an end I knew when I got the approval to spend a year in Nepal teaching critical care that … Continue reading →

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March 5th 2015 list of scenarios we use in the CCNEPal sessions

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Okay, so at CCNEPal we model the course after the template published by the American Heart Association in their Instructor Manual. The course we teach at CCNEPal is NOT the “official” AHA ACLS course, though, because it is specifically adapted … Continue reading →

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Why Should a Nepali MBBS doc take an ACLS course?

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

MBBS doc “Role Development” for effective critical care – what is it? Critical care is not defined by a location (“ICU”) in a hospital. It’s more like a state of mind of the docs and nurses who provide life-saving emergency … Continue reading →

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Updated hour-by-hour schedule for 3-day course on critical care nursing

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Executive summary In 2013 somebody asked to see the schedule for the course. it’s a reasonable request, but – I had not written it down. so I dashed off a reply. Two weeks ago I updated the schedule to reflect … Continue reading →

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Schedule for 2-day version of Cardiac Life Support course

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

MBBS? Medical Officers? CCNEPal will be available to train MBBS students in Cardiac Life Support, and is working to schedule this with some hospitals (I will announce more when dates are confirmed). for nurses When we teach this to nurses, … Continue reading →

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part 5: finally, the “Pearls” of teaching ACLS in Low Resource Setting

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Muraho to my readers from Rwanda! My blog stats tell me I am getting a lot of hits from that country. Please make a comment below and tell me who you are. I am very curious. Welcome to this page. … Continue reading →

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part 2: teaching critical care nursing in Low Income Countries. “Is there a problem, Officer?”

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

first – buy my second book. It’s a novel, but it will give you a realistic picture of what it’s like to be in a hospital in a Low Income Country. “Whether the events happened or not, it’s truth with … Continue reading →

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CCNEPal plans for 2014

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

time flies It seems like I only got home to Hawaii yesterday, but will be leaving for Kathmandu tomorrow. In truth, there are seven months before summer 2014 break. In the past I start planning in November or thereabouts. There … Continue reading →

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Preliminary report of CCNEPal 2013

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Preliminary report of CCNEPal 2013 The CCNEPal 2013 summer critical care nursing project is winding down. A single one-day training event remains, then we pack up our tents. This was an extension of the 2011 summer program which trained 190 … Continue reading →

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the key to ecg for acls is – the six basic rhythms

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Onliest six rhythms Yes, Virginia, there are only six cardiac rhythms. The protocol is based on this construct. Believe and achieve! Just a quick note to accompany this YouTube link. You can practice mega-code without a fancy manikins and fancy … Continue reading →

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May 31 about Advanced Life Support in Nepal

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Please share this widely, among every nurse you know. I welcome your comments. Be sure to click on the hyperlinks, I spent time putting them in and some are meant to be fun. Update – for the sessions to be held at … Continue reading →

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May 19 about teamwork in critical care nursing

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

And here in Kathmandu we begin teaching this week CCNEPal 2013’s first 3-day course will begin tomorrow. Most of our courses will be open to “the general public” of nurses – I promise that there will be a registration process … Continue reading →

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ACLS tip of the day on Twitter in Nepal 2013

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Social Media has taken Nepal by storm executive summary: go to @CCNEPal2013 and follow to get the ACLS tweet of the day. In 2011 when I was planning my trip to Nepal I set up a FaceBook page in advance … Continue reading →

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CCNEPal 2013 – gearing up for summer 2013

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

We now have an official name for this project. Previously I have just called it Kathmandu Critical Care Nursing Education summer 2013. It will now be called CCNEPal – Critical Care Nursing Education Project Nepal which will be more “catchy” Summary: Until … Continue reading →

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Link to the Professionally-edited YouTube Video

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

please consider subscribing to my current blog, Honolulu 2011-2012 A late entry to this blog. One day a professional photojournalist came to class. She took footage of the mega-code drills, including small teams working on resuscitation protocols. She also interviewed me. She … Continue reading →

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the last seventyfive students July 29

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

(Thursday evening Got back from dinner with a friend to see that th Koreans were back – about twenty eating kim chee in the kitchen – nodding politely and smiling. Twelve women are in the annexe with me; the men … Continue reading →

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Presenting the certificates, tying it up with a red ribbon

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

The Final Exam Yesterday was the final exam for the big Wednesday class, I made 75 copies of the exam but didn’t really expect everyone to attend. 73 showed up. There was load shedding when we arrived and the classroom … Continue reading →

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Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree…. I don’t particularly listen to country music, but the old chestnut from Tony Orlando and Dawn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBL2kzKg4nY has been going through my head to day, and I were in Honolulu I would … Continue reading →

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Joe puts on his matador’s hat and Suit of Lights

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

“A Man Without a Cross” Each cohort of students this summer is a book on my shelf. A handsome cover beckons to us – nice words on the back – The first line of the first page draws us in … Continue reading →

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Joe is just as pretty as he always was, and wins a beauty contest to prove it

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Time Travels back and forth The dilemma is always whether to use this as a chronology or not. Yesterday was a get-your-chores-done kind of day, picking up photocopying for my last cohort, meeting with people to plan events, grocery shopping, … Continue reading →

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The purpose of a Final Exam and other pedagogical mysteries

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

please take a look at my current blog, and consider subscribing The Party’s Over….. The Big Class finished the eighth of our weekly teaching sessions Wednesday, July 20. Sixty two nurses in attendance despite the heavy rain. The rain did … Continue reading →

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Three Cups of Tea in Kathmandu Nepal

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

please consider subscribing to my current blog Daybreak sounds of urban Nepal In the sleepy mornings of Jawalekhel, somebody about a block away meditates each day using a base drum and another instrument that chips away rhythmically with a hollow almost-Cuban … Continue reading →

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“The Wise Men Say There’s a Thousand Ways to Kneel and Kiss the Ground”

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Nancy Harless was right when she said “Joe! Stop and smell the incense!” The title of today’s blog comes from The Gathering of Spirits, a wonderful song by Carrie Newcomer, one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Birthdays and Anniversaries A year … Continue reading →

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The Light at the End of the 2011 Tunnel for Kathmandu Critical Care

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Pani 6 It’s raining as I write this, cool and delightful weather. The fridge at the Guest House was repaired while I was gone, I cooked spaghetti and meat for myself last evening. I am sharing the Guest House with … Continue reading →

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listening to a Nepali Lullabye

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Today, Day three, it’s raining. So Day Two In Bharatpur began with another rickshaw ride, I have to admit I pay the rickshaw drivers more than the going rate, but it won’t stop me from another ride today. The heat … Continue reading →

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not sleeping alone in Bharatpur

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Let’s start a nursing school Okay, so one missing piece of the economic puzzle is why there are so many B Sc nursing schools being started in Nepal. There is a rush of new programs on the books in Nepal. … Continue reading →

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Nurse wages in Nepal and the outmigration of Nepali nurses

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

UPDATE June 2019 even after eight years this is one of the most-read entries on this blog. If you are serious about going abroad, here are some tips to improve English language that you can try: https://wp.me/p1Kwij-rB 7836  views as … Continue reading →

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Itching for something…..

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

An Ominous Silence? Okay, so I realize I have gone a couple days without an official blog entry…. Or an email to my support group ( that would be – you). I realize that if I ever truly get sick, … Continue reading →

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“Joe! Stop and Smell the Incense!”

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

High Water Update Today the Bagmati River receded about a foot, but the rains continue intermittently, so the hundreds of squatters living in bamboo and blue tarp shacks on the river bank at Thapathali are still living a tenuous existence. … Continue reading →

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A Hindu Wedding in Old Kathmandu, brass band, raksi, and mother-in-law

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Start off with some puffery: There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of foriegn medical volunteers who come here, but not very many get a newspaper article written about their project. Here is one about me. I am flattered, of course. Chuba part … Continue reading →

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Smart Phones rule the world

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Day Three in Bhairawa –  If you haven’t been to the YouTube channel, check it out – I uploaded a nearly-six-minute Mega-code video last evening. Go to youtube and type in “Joe Niemczura” – it’s the Joe Niemczura channel!  And … Continue reading →

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Bhairawa side-trip day two – not on the weather channel

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Rickshaw part one Didn’t actually leave the Guest House until 0700, left my A/C room and stepped out into the hazy languid mugginess that is the Terai. Immediate bath of sweat. A beautiful flutelike sound of a bird I could … Continue reading →

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Tales of the Terai, Day Two in Bhairawa Nepal

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

So they tell me it was 39 degrees here yesterday. Thank God the classroom was air conditioned, although it was being stressed by the work it was doing. I had to Google a temp converter. Yes folks, 102 and it … Continue reading →

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Dinner at Nine in the Terai

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Dinner at Nine A gentle tap on the door promptly at nine PM, and I was summoned to join the other Universal College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) Guest House residents around the formal dinner table for the meal. T-shirt and … Continue reading →

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The Pirates of Kathmandu

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

please consider subscribing to my current blog, Honolulu 20110-2012. click on the link and then click on the “sign me up” box on the right. it’s easy! Being a Tourist now and again Nice day Friday the 17th, enjoyed Swayambu … Continue reading →

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definition of a “slum”

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Further Adventures in documents Thursday I got my visa renewed. On arrival I only had the cash for a one-month visa due to my book-shipping problem, and now I am legally here til I leave Aug 2nd. The visa cost … Continue reading →

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Is ACLS ever “Warm and Fuzzy?”

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Bandhs as a fact of life Tuesday late afternoon before Wednesday’s daylong class, I was eating with a friend who casually mentioned there would be a three-day bandh. Oh no. My plans for the once-a-week class do not allow for … Continue reading →

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Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and other public spectacles

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

In previous blogs I have teased you a few times by saying someday I would tell the tale of a particular death at Mission Hospital; now is a good time to share. Oh, I had already been teaching certain specific … Continue reading →

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The Truth About Butterflies. duuno why I did this, but – I did.

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

So I just posted the blog about yesterday’s class, this morning but feel energized right now so I am jotting down today’s while it is still fresh. As we ended the class Friday, the students had wheedled about dispensing with … Continue reading →

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The first group of little birds will now leave my nest

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

One more day and then the first cohort, fifteen BN students will be “done” with the training. These guys stuck with it, and still had some panache left at the end. Four more such groups will join them over the … Continue reading →

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A break in the teaching marathon. ABGs in KTM.

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

My six-day teaching marathon is now history. Tomorrow is a day off, then two more days in which I will wrap up the fist of my five cohorts of students. There will be other similar weeks in which I teach … Continue reading →

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Initiation into the tribe of Critical Care Nurses starts – now…..

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Hey, check out the Joe Niemczura channel on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/Joeniemczura Thursday I made just a small entry into the blog, a sort of tease I suppose – brief. What’s the ideal length of these posts anyway? My former clinical students … Continue reading →

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First Day of Critical Care class – the “Main Event” of this particular three-ring circus

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

I will revise this in the next day or two unless of course I just add another one altogether – – – June 1st was the first class meeting of “the main event“. I will be doing other adapted versions … Continue reading →

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Impact of Facebook. Meeting my Students

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

please consider subscribing to my current blog, Honolulu 2011-2012. when you get there, click on the little box to the right that says sign me up. Used to be: You’d have an overseas experience and return home. When you were … Continue reading →

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And another big step in planning May 23rd

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

So today was a bit anticlimactic in a way. The bandh was cancelled, which I discovered through overhearing some workmen joke about it in Nepali as they were starting their day fixing the driveway of annexe 2. Yippy! Higher Ground … Continue reading →

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reprint of 2008 meningococcal meningitis episode

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

Looking through old emails I cam across this, and thought I would share it…. something that happened in 2008 but is fresh in memory….. it’s an email  I sent to friends at the time…. ***************************** don’t know how to start this … Continue reading →

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The Mysteries of Planning and $$$$

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

When I tell people I am going to live in Asia for the summer, and volunteer my time teaching nursing there, the most frequent question is “how can you afford to do this?”. I usually tell them I make money … Continue reading →

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April 16 2011 update regarding Nepal summer 2011

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

And now the blogging about my 2011 trip starts in earnest. I have been planning this since January – no, I have really had the idea in the back of my head for two years, but started putting in on … Continue reading →

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