Why become icu nurse
They have the primary duty to provide lifesaving care to patients fighting for their lives. A patient in ICU is often ventilated, intubated, and can be on several life-saving machines and medications. Some of the specific responsibilities of ICU nurses include:.
As the name suggests, critical care nurses primarily work at the ICU departments of health care facilities. ICUs are well sanitized and properly lit medical centers with strict adherence to health and safety. ICU nurses often move about between the intensive care unit, emergency department, operating theatre, and other hospital specialty wards.
ICU nurses typically follow a standard shifting schedule that features morning, afternoon, and night timetables. There are also other shifting schedules, depending on the hospital and region. There are bridge programs that allow you to advance your education level in less time. How many years does it take to become a ICU nurse? How much do new grad ICU nurses make?
How stressful is ICU nursing? Why is Med Surg so hard? What Med Surg Nurses should know? How do I survive Med Surg floor? What exactly is Med Surg? Is Med Surg a good place to start? Intensive care medicine or critical care relates to the diagnosis and management of severe and life-threatening conditions requiring organ support and constant monitoring.
Intensive care units may focus on a particular type of patient, for example a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU caters only to newborns needing specialised care while others may focus on patients who have recently undergone major or complicated surgery. The role of staff working in intensive care is to support the patients physically and mentally, and assist with helping the patient become medically stable so that they can be transferred to another unit for continued recovery and rehabilitation.
Nurses practicing in a critical care setting must possess advanced nursing skills and expert knowledge of specialized electronic equipment used for the monitoring and treatment of acutely ill patients. In a majority of states, a nurse must also demonstrate clinical expertise working with specialized population groups before they are able to practice as a CCN.
Population-level credentials are required in areas such as adult, pediatric, and neonatal critical care. Critical care nurses CCNs provide direct, hands-on care for critically ill or injured patients in pre-and postoperative medical settings. They are tasked with assessing the risks and benefits of proposed medical interventions, rendering life-saving treatment in emergency situations, and nursing patients back to health.
CCNs must have expertise in a broad range of medical and nursing specialties to be able to render safe and effective care for patients with severe injuries or illnesses. They may specialize in one particular area, such as surgery or cardiology, or focus on a specific type of patient population. CCNs work in all areas of the healthcare system, including hospitals, intensive care units ICUs , progressive care units, coronary care units, telemetry units, burn units, step-down units, nursing homes, hospices, outpatient clinics, and some trauma center emergency departments.
They are employed in both private and public health facilities. On a day-to-day basis, a critical care nurse will perform intensive medical interventions and maintain the life support systems of critically ill patients following surgery, injury, or life-threatening diseases. Patients who are critically ill require more frequent nursing assessments and round-the-clock monitoring because their condition can change rapidly without warning. CCNs are typically responsible for only one or two patients at a time because their patients require constant attention.