U of U IM Codes and Rapid Responses

Authors
Affiliations

Alex Ryden, MD

U of U PCCM Fellowship

Ethan Krauspe, MD

U of U IM CMRs

Colton Long, MD

U of U IM Residency

Josiah Situmeang, MD

U of U IM CMRs

Sumit Patel, MD

U of U PCCM Fellowship

Richa Sheth, MD

U of U PCCM Fellowship

Brian Locke, MD MSCI

PCCM, Intermountain Medical Center

Published

May 3, 2025

Modified

June 18, 2025

Overview:

Target Audience: Rising-PGY2s who will soon be leading Code Blue/Rapid response teams

Learning Objectives

  • Assume and communicate team leadership immediately upon arrival.

  • Identify VF/VT on the monitor and deliver shocks when warranted

  • Escalate care and marshal resources appropriately

  • Operate the Zoll R-Series defibrillator safely and efficiently.

  • Conclude the event and debrief.

Tip

Didactics alone have limits. Regular review (bookmark this!), simulation, and feedback (debrief!) will advance your skills further.

Methods:

We surveyed stakeholders from Code Blue and Rapid Response Teams—including senior residents, nurses, respiratory therapists, and quality leads—to identify the most frequent and impactful errors during resident-led responses. Three themes emerged:

  1. Unclear team leadership , leading to confusion in role assignments, low psychological safety, and decreased collaboration. (Steinbach, Jennerich, and Çoruh 2024)

  2. Failure to cardiovert or defibrillate shockable rhythms

  3. Delayed critical decisions (calling for help, initial stabilization, or transpor to ICU )

This module targets these issues. Sessions are small-group and interactive, designed to draw on your personal experiences, encourage discussion, clarify questions, and conclude with hands-on practice.

Important

Please let the CMRs (or us) know when events, near-misses, or big-wins happen. It’ll help us keep this seminar relevant.

Agenda

  1. Pre-Seminar Survey (Closed)

  2. 15-minute sessions on necessary micro-skills.

    • Leadership Style — [slides]

    • Pulse Check Decisions — [slides]

    • Do You Have Who/What You Need? — [slides]

    • Ending the Code / Response — [slides]

  3. Scenarios (in person, done with Zoll)

  4. Summary and Resources

  5. Post-Seminar Survey (Closed)

  6. References

For instructors/facilitators: