Critical care nursing
These specialists generally take care of critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation by way of endotracheal intubation and/or titratable vasoactive intravenous medications.
They treat patients who are acutely ill and unstable requiring more frequent nursing assessments and the utilization of life sustaining technology and drugs.
ICU nurses apply their specialized knowledge base to care for and maintain the life support of critically ill patients who are often on the verge of death.
On a day-to-day basis a critical care nurse will commonly, "perform assessments of critical conditions, give intensive and intervention, advocate for their patients, and operate/maintain life support systems which include mechanical ventilation via endotracheal, tracheal, or nasotracheal intubation, and titration of continuous vasoactive intravenous medications in order to maintain a mean arterial pressure that ensures adequate organ and tissue perfusion.
Within such an intense work environment, critical care nurses become extremely engulfed in the workload that they sometimes are unable to take the mental breaks that they need.
However, with proper training and experience LPN/LVNs can play a significant role in providing exceptional bedside care for the critically ill patient.
Depending on the hospital and State, the RN will be required to take a certain amount of continuing education hours to stay up to date with the current technologies and changing techniques.
In addition, Clinical Nurse Specialists can certify in adult, neonatal and pediatric acute and critical care (CCNS).
This technology includes such equipment as hemodynamic and cardiac monitoring systems, mechanical ventilator therapy, intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP), ventricular assist devices (LVAD and RVAD), continuous renal replacement equipment (CRRT/CVVHDF), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuits (ECMO) and many other advanced life support devices.
Many intensive care unit management teams will send their nurses to conferences to ensure that the staff is kept up to the current state of this rapidly changing technology.
However, the Australian minimum standard recommends that critical care nurses should obtain postgraduate qualifications.
In August 2004, to demonstrate the work of critical care nurses Massachusetts General Hospital invited reporter Scott Allen and photographer Michelle McDonald from The Boston Globe to take part in an 'immersion experience' in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU).
The result was a four-part, front-page series that ran from October 23 to 26, 2005, entitled Critical Care: The making of an ICU nurse.
Some places that they can work most commonly include hospitals: in regular or specialized intensive care units.
[13] Depending on the location, critical care nurses in Australia work approximately 31.7 hours a week.
It all depends on the job and where they are working[14] Critical care nurses in Australia do not need to have extra training than regular RNs do unless they have completed a postgraduate qualification.
