Essentials of Critical Care Orientation

Successfully onboard your progressive and critical care nurses with Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO), an award-winning online critical care program that provides consistent knowledge and skills for safe, confident practice in ICU and PCU settings.
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What is ECCO?

ECCO is a modern, self-paced learning solution that blends seamlessly into your existing critical care nurse orientation and progressive care nurse orientation programs. Its interactive, evidence-based content empowers learners transitioning into progressive or intensive care practice.

Hospital and Institutional Pricing
Learn about pricing and how to place an order
Free 14-day Trial
Available for hospitals and institutions only
Individual Purchase
For nurses seeking to advance or refresh their skill set independently

The ECCO Difference

AACN’s 24/7 customer support, comprehensive reports and progress tracking tools make implementation of this intensive care and progressive care nursing course straightforward.

The ECCO Difference

  • Successful Completion

  • Safe Patient Care

  • Increased Knowledge

  • Nurse Confidence

ECCO’s modular design supports ICU nurse education programs and ICU/PCU nurse orientation, allowing teams to assign the right content to the right learners. CE hours are awarded by assignment, promoting flexibility and focused growth.

Content is taught through real-life patient scenarios. This method results in more time for blended learning application and simulation opportunities, which help support the delivery of safe patient care.

ECCO's real-life patient scenarios closely mimic the practice environment, while knowledge check questions with feedback help enhance content retention.

Developed and peer-reviewed by over 300 experts, the AACN ECCO course represents the gold standard of proven, practice-based education that supports the entire team.

We use ECCO because we are a small regional facility with a small ICU patient population, without a clinical nurse specialist, and with limited learning opportunities for orienting nurses for SCU and cross training our med-surg staff to the SCU.

Sara Morris, Allina Health System

If all nursing schools had this approach to learning, we would all be very prepared after school.

Godfred Essim, NYU Langone Hospital

With ECCO, I know that all the new staff have the same foundational information. It helps tailor our simulation experiences…

Joan L. Scherrer MSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Practice Coordinator

The online courses help give RNs new to the critical care areas the basic knowledge necessary to function in our high-acuity unit.

Maureen Bishop MSN, RN, CCNS, CCRN, Clinical Nurse Specialist – CCU/ICU/PCU

How to Implement ECCO

Discover how to seamlessly integrate ECCO into your orientation plan.

Find Your Scenario

Up to 75.45 Hours of Learning

This ECCO nursing program delivers interactive, case-based content with multimedia and feedback features that promote retention and readiness for direct care.

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Course Content

Customizable enrollment allows you to choose between the intensive care and progressive care tracks, ensuring relevant content for both new and transitioning nurses.

After completing the course, learners will:

  1. Identify evidence-based care strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections and complications.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of common conditions experienced by acutely ill patients requiring critical care or progressive care nursing.
  3. Evaluate assessment data and determine priority interventions for patients with acute or critical illness.
  4. Anticipate potential complications and take steps to prevent them.
  5. Assess the effectiveness of interventions for patients experiencing acute or critical illness.
Review Course Content and Tracks

Get Started

Achieve your onboarding goals with consistent online training and education.
Purchase ECCO

AACN offers the following resources:

ECCO Community
Providing educators a platform to discuss and share best practices regarding their orientation plans.
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Customer Support
Sales Support and Technical Support
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On the Blog
Read about topics important to nurse managers and educators.
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AACN Knowledge Assessment Tool
Digitally identify knowledge gaps and educational needs of new nurses, then enhance skills with ECCO.
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Why Choose ECCO for Orientation and Beyond?

Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO) bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world critical care practice, preparing nurses to deliver effective care to patients in both progressive and intensive care units.

Designed to elevate progressive care and critical care nursing from the start of the orientation period, ECCO empowers clinicians with evidence-based knowledge, skill-building activities and clinical applications that directly translate to patient care in critical care and progressive care environments.

Whether you're onboarding staff in progressive care or critical care units, or supporting individual professional development, ECCO fosters nurses’ confidence and competence, leading to safer care, stronger teams and optimal outcomes for patients in critical care.

Course Details Handout
Learning Management Systems
ROI Brochure
Technical Requirements
FAQs

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider number CEP 1036, for up to 75.45 contact hours (ICU) or 67.72 contact hours (PCU) .

This item is nonrefundable.

Expiration Date: July 1, 2026