Nicole Kupchik has been a critical care nurse for over 25 years. Originally from Northwest Indiana, she worked as a traveling nurse and settled in Seattle, WA in 1998. She graduated from Purdue University in 1993 and in 2008 obtained a Master of Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Washington.

After moving to Seattle, Nicole took great interest in Resuscitation while working at Harborview Medical Center. She was part of a team who wrote one of the first protocols in the US for Therapeutic Hypothermia after cardiac arrest and has published numerous papers on the topic. In 2009, she led a team that launched an award-winning Sepsis Alert System.

In 2013, Nicole founded Nicole Kupchik Consulting, Inc. She has taught CCRN® & PCCN® Certification Review courses for over 10 years and has helped thousands of nurses achieve certification! She strongly believes every nurse can and should be board certified in their specialty!

In 2017, Nicole published "Ace the CCRN®: You Can Do It" Study Guide and Practice Question Book as well as well as "Ace the PCCN®: You Can Do It" Study Guide and Practice Question Book. In 2018, she published "Ace the CMC®: You Can Do It" Study Guide. "Ace the CSC®: You Can Do It!" Study Guide for the Cardiac Surgery Certification was published in March 2019. Her latest book, Critical Care Survival Guide was published in April 2023.

Karen has been a registered Respiratory Therapist practicing in Care for over 20 years. She graduated in 1993 and received the Adult Acute Care Specialty credential in 2013. Currently, she works as a Clinical Specialist at Harborview Medical Center Seattle, Washington.

Since 2011 Karen has been involved with mechanical ventilation education for a variety of groups including Respiratory Therapists, Critical Care Nurses, respiratory and nursing students, Airlift Northwest, Medic One, and Resident Physicians.