FOR FLOOR NURSES, NEW GRADS & ICU-BOUND RNs
You don’t have to feel ready for the ICU. You just have to start getting ready.
The Critical Care Elite Program is a four-part transition kit — handbook, audiobook, workbook and bedside reference sheets — written by Karen Ann Thompson, M.S., RN.
One payment. No subscription.
Rated 5.0 by the nurses who’ve read it
Written By
A practising M.S., RN
Format
4 resources, download today
Access
Yours for life, re-download anytime
Risk
30-day money back
THE GAP
You don’t have to feel ready for the ICU. You just have to start getting ready.
The Critical Care Elite Program is a four-part transition kit — handbook, audiobook, workbook and bedside reference sheets — written by Karen Ann Thompson, M.S., RN.
1
You can pass the interview and still freeze the first time a drip needs titrating.
2
Your preceptor is a good nurse with four other things happening at once.
3
The information exists — scattered across saved videos, screenshots and forty open tabs you never re-open.
This is that same knowledge, organised into one system you can actually work through — and carry into a shift.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Four resources, built to be used at four different moments.
Read it at home. Listen to it on the commute. Write in it between shifts. Reach for it at the bedside.
HANDBOOK
Pathway to ICU
Essential ICU certifications. A clear roadmap through BLS, ACLS and the path toward your CCRN.
Advanced critical thinking. How to interpret subtle patient changes before they become emergencies.
The art of patient advocacy. Strategies for communicating with doctors and with families.
Compassion in critical care. Practical guidance on death, dying and the emotional weight of the unit.
AUDIOBOOK
The full handbook, narrated
Your time is your most valuable resource. Driving to your next shift, at the gym, or resting at home — the audiobook makes the material fit the schedule you actually have.
Effortless Learning. Absorb the foundations of critical care without needing to sit down with a physical book.
Expert Narrative. Decades of nursing experience delivered in a clear, engaging professional tone.
Enhanced retention. Reinforce what you read in the handbook by listening during your daily routine.
WORK BOOK - 37 PAGES
ICU Transition Workbook
The active component. A structured, phase-based system that takes you from initial orientation to clinical autonomy — process your day, and prove your own progress to yourself.
Milestone and Goal Tracking across your orientation.
Critical Thinking Scenarios to sharpen judgment before you meet the real thing.
Certification Tracker for BLS, ACLS, PALS and CCRN target dates.
Reflective journaling space for the emotional and ethical weight of each shift.
A phased transition plan for the technical and mental shifts required to excel.
REFERENCE PACK & WORKSHEETS
Clinical reference worksheets
In the ICU, every second counts and accuracy is non-negotiable. Print them, keep them in your bag, and have the critical data exactly when you need it.
Advanced hemodynamic monitoring. Cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance and invasive pressure parameters.
Comprehensive shock evaluation. Anaphylactic, cardiogenic, hypovolemic, neurogenic and septic.
EKG interpretation. Identifying arrhythmias, their causes and implementing standard treatments.
Medication and drip tables. Titration, starting dosages and safety notes for vasopressors and inotropes — Levophed, Dopamine, Dobutamine.
ABG and ventilation Step-by-step interpretation guides and essential ventilator mode references.
Neurological and clinical tools. Glasgow Coma Scale, deep tendon reflex grading and a glossary of ICU abbreviations.
THE WHOLE PACKAGE
Everything arrives at once. You keep all of it.
Pathway to ICU — the handbook
DIGITAL
Pathway to ICU — narrated in full
AUDIOBOOK
ICU Transition Workbook
37 PAGES
Clinical reference worksheets
Lifetime access, re-download anytime
INCLUDED
THE WHOLE PACKAGE
$149 ONE TIME
No subscription, no renewal, no upsell. Delivered to your inbox the moment you buy.
Read it, work through it, and if it isn’t what you needed, email within 15 days for a full refund.
WHAT NURSES SAY
Read by floor nurses, new grads and the preceptors who hand it to them.
“As a floor nurse thinking about moving to the ICU, Pathway to ICU felt like a conversation with a trusted mentor. It’s practical, honest, and reassuring—full of real-world insights without being overwhelming. The sections on communication and managing stress really spoke to me and helped ease a lot of my doubts.
The narration added a personal touch, and the companion PDF is super helpful to go back and reference. If you’re nervous about transitioning to critical care, this book will give you both the confidence and the tools to take that next step.”
Emily, RN
“This book covers the content that helps a floor nurse that asks “I want to transition to the ICU someday; what can I do to prepare?” It’s not the skills you learn in the ICU orientation, it’s the softer skills that are required, to help anticipate what to expect. It’s a great read and I’ve actually given this book to nurses that ask me how they can best prepare. What to expect when you’re expecting to get into ICU! Anticipation of emergencies, advocating, difficult conversations...all great concepts! Easy read as well that has links to explore further.”
Emily, RN
“The worksheets are a lifesaver. Having structured templates to organize my clinical thoughts helped me gain confidence during my first weeks in the unit. My preceptor even noticed the difference in my preparation.”
Emily, RN
“Pathway to ICU is more than a technical guide. The chapters on compassion and advocacy reminded me why I became a nurse. It gave me the emotional tools to handle difficult conversations with families.”
Jessica, RN
“Between the handbook and the digital resources, I felt completely supported. The material doesn’t just teach you the ‘what’ but also the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of intensive care nursing. It is an essential investment.”
David, RN
“I used the resources to help me prepare for my transition and my ACLS. The way the information is broken down makes it very accessible. I feel much more competent and professional in my new role.”
Ashley, RN
“This book was my constant companion during my first month. The practical tips on managing complex medications saved me so much stress. I recommend it to every floor nurse looking to make the move.”
Brian, RN
“The reflection sections in the workbooks helped me process the high pressure of the ICU. It is not just about skills; it is about growing as a professional. This material is exactly what I needed.”
Amanda, RN
FIT
This is built for you if
You’re a med-surg or floor nurse planning the move to critical care.
You’re a new grad who just got the ICU offer and has weeks, not years, to prepare.
You’re a nursing student aiming at critical care after graduation.
You’re already in the unit and building toward your CCRN.
You’re a travel nurse taking ICU contracts and want a reference you trust.
LET'S BE REAL
It’s probably not for you if
You want a CCRN question bank. This is a transition program, not a test bank.
You want live coaching or a cohort. Everything here is self-paced and digital.
You’ve been in the unit ten years. You already know most of this.
WHO WROTE IT
Karen Ann Thompson, M.S., RN
Author of Pathway to ICU and every resource in this program. Not a course marketer — a nurse who wrote the thing she wanted to hand to the people asking her how to make the move.
Three sentences from Karen: years in practice, which units, and the moment that made her write this. Plus a real photo. This block is the single largest trust lever on the page — an unknown author with no face is the reason cold Meta traffic bounces.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
The things nurses ask before they buy.
Can’t I find all of this free online?
In pieces, yes. What you can’t find free is one sequenced system where the drip table, the shock framework, the certification plan and the difficult-conversation scripts were written by the same nurse to fit together. You’re paying for the assembly and the judgment, not the facts.
Is it just a stack of PDFs?
Four different things doing four different jobs: a full handbook, that same handbook narrated as an audiobook, a 37-page workbook you write in, and reference sheets built to be printed and carried on shift.
I’m not in the ICU yet. Is it too advanced?
No. It was written for the nurse who isn’t there yet. Deb and Jen both read it while still on the floor, and Jen now hands it to nurses who ask her how to prepare.
How do I get it?
Immediately after checkout. Everything downloads at once, and you can re-download it any time — it doesn’t expire.
What if it isn’t what I expected?
Email within 30 days and you get your money back. No form, no explanation required.
BRIDGE THE GAP FROM FLOOR TO CRITICAL CARE
The nurses who feel ready on day one
started getting ready long before it.
In the ICU, every second counts and accuracy is non-negotiable. Print them, keep them in your bag, and have the critical data exactly when you need it.
Instant download · Lifetime access · 15-day money-back guarantee