Practicals · CCM

Critical Care Medicine

183 practical items from the NBEMS DrNB curriculum and the NMC DM/MCh guidelines, grouped by the curriculum's own sections.

Links point to videos and pages published by others; SolvedPGSS does not host them. Check any technique against your department's protocol before you use it on a patient.

Top education resources

Top education resources for Critical Care Medicine

Video libraries, simulators and animations that residents and published reviews rate highly. We opened every link and checked it plays (8 Oct 2026). Ranked best first.

  1. 1
    OPENPediatrics (Boston Children's Hospital)
    Video libraryFree · no loginIndependently endorsed

    Paediatric and neonatal ICU procedures (chest tube, central line, IO, airway, respiratory assessment) plus an online ventilator simulator

    Peer-reviewed procedure videos (807 on YouTube) and a ventilator simulator that an Indian anaesthesia department used in its COVID ICU training

  2. 2
    Toronto PIE: Virtual TTE FOCUS + Virtual TEE
    SimulatorFree · no loginIndependently endorsed

    Focused cardiac ultrasound (PLAX, PSAX, A4C, subcostal, IVC) with ribs/heart 3D model and loops; TEE 20 views

    Free in-browser FOCUS and TEE simulators: probe position, cut plane and echo loop side by side for ICU echo vivas

  3. 3
    VentSim + ICU Learning (Sami Safadi, Univ. of Minnesota)
    SimulatorFree accountIndependently endorsed

    Mechanical ventilation: VC, PC, PRVC, PS/CPAP, APRV, waveforms, PV/FV loops, asynchrony; YouTube tutorials; CRRT and resuscitation ultrasound sections

    Only free web ventilator simulator with trial evidence: non-inferior to the ASL 5000 lung simulator in 70 first-year critical care fellows

  4. 4
    Core Ultrasound: 5 Minute Sono (Jacob Avila)
    Video libraryFree · no loginIndependently endorsed

    ICU POCUS: RUSH, E-FAST, VExUS, cardiac output (VTI), lung, ocular; procedure guidance

    Short narrated scan-and-needle videos; used by 87.3% of surveyed US POCUS educators

  5. 5
    University of Utah: POCUS course
    Video libraryFree · no loginIndependently endorsed

    Lung, cardiac, abdominal and vascular point-of-care ultrasound lectures with quizzes

    Endorsed in 5 resident threads ("Much better than Toronto IMO"); lectures play with no login

183 items

Airway

Bag-mask ventilation

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Application of cricoid pressure

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Endotracheal intubation

Procedureminimum 20 (DrNB log book)

Gum elastic bougie

Instrumentminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Airway exchange catheter

Instrumentminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

McCoy laryngoscope

Instrumentminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Video laryngoscopy

Instrumentminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Nasotracheal intubation

Procedureminimum 2 (DrNB log book)

Fibreoptic intubation and fibreoptic laryngoscopy

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Difficult and failed airway management

Procedure

Cricothyrotomy

Procedureminimum 2 (DrNB log book)

Percutaneous tracheostomy

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Mini-tracheostomy

Procedure

Tracheostomy tube exchange

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Endotracheal suction

Procedure

Respiratory system

Nebulizer

Instrument

Chest X-ray interpretation

Interpretation

Non-invasive ventilation

Procedureminimum 30 (DrNB log book)

Weaning from mechanical ventilation

Procedure

Prone ventilation (awake and intubated)

Procedureminimum 20 (DrNB log book)

Needle thoracostomy

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Thoracocentesis (pleural tap)

Procedure

Intercostal chest drain placement

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Lung ultrasound

Procedureminimum 20 (DrNB log book)

Mini-BAL (non-bronchoscopic BAL)

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Chest physiotherapy

Procedure

Intercostal nerve block

Procedure

Arterial blood gas interpretation

Interpretation

Pulse oximetry

Interpretation

Capnography

Interpretation

Ventilator graphics interpretation

Interpretation

Chest CT interpretation

Interpretation

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Instrument

High frequency oscillatory ventilator

Instrument

Cardiovascular system

Subclavian central venous cannulation

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Femoral central venous cannulation

Procedureminimum 15 (DrNB log book)

Peripheral venous catheterisation

Procedure

PICC line insertion

Procedure

Radial arterial puncture and cannulation

Procedureminimum 15 (DrNB log book)

Femoral arterial cannulation

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Vascular cannulae and introducer sheath

Instrument

Arterial waveform interpretation

Interpretation

Basic echocardiography

Procedureminimum 25 (DrNB log book)

Pericardiocentesis

Procedureminimum 2 (DrNB log book)

Defibrillation and cardioversion

Procedureminimum 15 (DrNB log book)

Transcutaneous pacing

Procedureminimum 4 transcutaneous + transvenous (DrNB log book)

Transvenous temporary pacing

Procedureminimum 4 transcutaneous + transvenous (DrNB log book)

Dynamic tests of preload / fluid responsiveness

Procedureminimum 20 (DrNB log book)

Passive leg raising test

Procedure

Pulse pressure variation and stroke volume variation

Interpretation

Tidal volume challenge

Interpretation

Plethysmographic variability index

Interpretation

Capillary refill time assessment

Clinical examination

ScvO2/SvO2 interpretation

Interpretation

Lactate interpretation

Interpretation

Clinical assessment of haemodynamic status

Clinical examination

Intra-aortic balloon pump

Procedure

ECMO (assist in cannulation and management)

Procedureminimum 5 'others including ECMO' (DrNB log book)

Ventricular assist device

Instrument

ECG interpretation and 12-lead ECG machine

Interpretation

Syringe pump

Instrument

Volumetric infusion pump

Instrument

Blood warmer

Instrument

Resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Drill / simulationminimum 30 (DrNB log book)

Post-cardiac arrest care

Procedure

Triage and mass casualty management

Drill / simulation

Gastrointestinal system

Rectal examination

Clinical examination

Nasogastric feeding tube insertion

Procedure

Nasojejunal tube insertion

Procedure

Sengstaken-Blakemore tube insertion

Procedureminimum 2 (DrNB log book)

Abdominal paracentesis

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Stoma care

Procedure

Focused abdominal ultrasound and eFAST

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Upper GI endoscopy (fundamentals)

Procedure

Liver function test interpretation

Interpretation

Abdominal imaging interpretation

Interpretation

Peritoneal fluid analysis

Interpretation

Renal system

Kidney palpation and renal bruit

Clinical examination

Haemodialysis catheter insertion

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

CRRT prescription and set-up

Procedureminimum 30 RRT prescriptions (DrNB log book)

SLED (sustained low-efficiency dialysis)

Procedureminimum 30 RRT prescriptions (DrNB log book)

Intermittent haemodialysis and ultrafiltration

Procedureminimum 30 RRT prescriptions (DrNB log book)

Urine dipstick

Lab technique

Urine routine microscopy

Interpretation

Urinary electrolytes interpretation

Interpretation

Creatinine clearance

Interpretation

Renal imaging interpretation

Interpretation

Urinary catheterisation

Procedure

Plasmapheresis

Procedure

Haemoperfusion

Procedure

Haematology

Thromboelastography

Interpretation

Peripheral smear examination

Lab technique

Blood grouping and cross-matching

Lab technique

Safe blood and component transfusion

Procedure

Intravenous iron infusion

Procedure

Blood preservation and storage

Lab technique

Massive blood transfusion protocol

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Nutrition and metabolism

Indirect calorimetry (metabolic cart)

Instrument

Glucometer

Instrument

Urinary urea nitrogen (nitrogen balance)

Interpretation

Osmolar gap calculation

Interpretation

Nervous system

Coma, sedation and delirium scales

Clinical examination

Brain death certification

Clinical examinationminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Lumbar puncture

Procedureminimum 15 (DrNB log book)

Neuromuscular junction monitoring

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Transducing an ICP monitor

Procedure

ICP waveform interpretation

Interpretationminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Targeted temperature management

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

CSF analysis interpretation

Interpretation

EEG interpretation

Interpretation

Transcranial Doppler

Interpretation

EMG and NCV interpretation

Interpretation

Bispectral index monitoring

Interpretation

Trauma

Epidural analgesia

Procedure

Patient-controlled analgesia

Procedure

Burn assessment and initial resuscitation

Procedure

Burn wound management

Procedure

Clinical measurement

Pain measurement (pain scales)

Clinical examination

Miscellaneous

Conscious sedation

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Infectious disease

Obtaining a blood culture

Procedureminimum 10 (DrNB log book)

Culture and sensitivity interpretation

Interpretation

Serological tests interpretation

Interpretation

Therapeutic drug monitoring

Lab technique

Isolation precautions

Procedure

Autoclaving and sterilisation

Lab technique

Transport

Transport of a patient with contagious disease

Procedure

Handover and documentation

Communication / admin

Imaging

Peripheral venous and arterial Doppler

Interpretation

Bioengineering

Medical gases and pipelines

Instrument

Toxicology

Syndromic diagnosis of poisoning (toxidromes)

Clinical examination

Organ donation

Management of the cadaveric organ donor

Procedureminimum 5 (DrNB log book)

Communication

Breaking bad news

Communication / adminminimum 15 (DrNB log book)

Brain death and organ donation counselling

Communication / adminminimum 2 (DrNB log book)

Family meeting and counselling

Communication / adminminimum 25 (DrNB log book)

Medico-legal

Quality and patient safety

ICU audit, benchmarking and key performance indicators

Communication / admin

Ethics and prognostication

Assessment