Critical Care Nurses
Critical care nurses provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
Critical care nurses’ jobs entail duties to analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment, monitor patient’s condition during treatment, treat medical emergencies, supervise patients progress or response from the treatments and administer intravenous medications.
To qualify to pursue a career in critical care nursing, one should complete a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing. The candidate is required to pass the national council license year examination and further, go for masters in science with a major in nursing and finally get certified to start the practice. Because critical care requires a specialized skillset, many hospitals prefer to hire nurses with nursing degrees.
A critical care nurse provides nursing care for critically ill patients, as well as pre and post-operative patients. So, they typically work at a hospital’s intensive care units (ICUs), specialized critical care units, emergency departments, and emergency transport vans.
It is common for the critical care nursing salary to increase with years of professional experience. An entry-level critical care nursing salary is commensurate with nurses’ experience and geographic location.
Nurses practising in a critical care nursing setting must possess advanced skills and expert knowledge of specialized electronic equipment used for the monitoring and treatment of acutely chronically ill patients.
To be successful in critical care nursing, one should possess the ability to work in a team, possess efficient organizational skills and the ability to plan for self-care.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- M.Sc. Auxiliary Nursing
- M.Sc. Neonatal Nursing
- M.Sc. Paediatric Nursing
- B.Sc. Nursing
Tasks
- Identify patients' age-specific needs and alter care plans as necessary to meet those needs.
- Provide post-mortem care.
- Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
- Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, based upon patients' clinical status.
- Administer blood and blood products, monitoring patients for signs and symptoms related to transfusion reactions.
- Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
- Advocate for patients' and families' needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.
- Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.
- Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
- Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
Progression Routes
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