Do you love excitement? Are you able to think fast on your feet and make split second decisions? Are you a nurse or thinking about becoming a nurse? If you answered yes to these questions then critical care nursing may be the career for you. Keep reading and discover more about the world of critical care nursing.
An Introduction to Critical Care Nursing
So what is critical care nursing? It is a nursing specialty that involves the care of those patients who are critically ill. These patients are at a high risk for the life threatening health problems. Some of these patients will require very intensive nursing care and constant monitoring. What are the specific duties of a critical care nurse?
A critical care nurse is responsible for helping the patient obtain necessary care. The nurse must also learn to respect the values and rights of the patient. She must intervene for those patients who are unable to speak for themselves in serious situations that require immediate action.
This is where critical thinking fast on your feet comes into play. The critical nurse is also responsible to monitor and safeguard the quality of care that the patient receives. Another important duty of the critical care nurse is to educate the patient and the family members so they are able to make an informed decision about the patient’s care.
So how do you become a critical care nurse? First of all, you must be a registered nurse with an Associate degree or a Bachelor’s degree. Certification is not mandatory to practice but many nurses prefer to get their critical care certification. It is mostly “on the job” training as you gain experience by working in the areas you are interested in. If you are a new nurse, it would be beneficial for you to start out on a medical surgical unit to get the basics down before moving on to the more critical care units.
Some nurses will choose to continue their education and become certified clinical nurse specialists. This takes a master’s degree and additional training. A clinical nurse specialist is not the only certification that a critical care nurse can receive. There are many certifications that may be obtained depending on the area of critical care that the nurse chooses to work. Some of these certifications are for nurses that work in progressive care such as step-down units, telemetry wards and direct observation units.
Advances in healthcare have come so far in the last few years that patients in the critical care units are sicker than ever. The critical care patients of five or ten years ago are now being cared for on the medical floors or at home. The critical care patient of today is someone that would never have survived a few years ago. As the medical procedures and knowledge advances, so does the need for more critical care nurses.
The future of critical care nursing is wide open. The current nursing shortage has taken it’s toll on specialty nursing, including critical care. Hospitals are now offering attractive sign on bonuses, relocation expenses and other forms of reimbursement to attract much needed critical care nurses. One of the big advantages to being a critical care nurse is that your patient load would be a lot lighter. Instead of working on a medical floor where the nurse to patient ratio can be as high as 8:1 or even higher, a critical care nurse, especially ICU nurses will have 2:1 or sometimes 3:1. This can still be a stressful situation, but with the lower ratio, you are able to give the care that your critical patient needs.
So if you are considering nursing as a profession, you may want to look into critical care nursing. The demand for critical care nurses is expected to rise because of the advances in modern medicine. There has been some speculation that in the coming years, all hospitals will turn into critical care centers. So getting your critical care experience now can help secure your job for the future.
The Nursing RN to BSN degree completion program at South University allows registered nurses with associate degrees to complete their bachelor’s degrees. The program is offered at three South University campuses and online. Learn more about South University | Request free info
The Nursing RN to BSN degree completion program at South University allows registered nurses with associate degrees to complete their bachelor’s degrees. The program is offered at three South University campuses and online.
