Things You Need to Know About a Critical Care Nurse

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A critical care nurse is one of the most challenging and exhausting careers you can ever attempt, even among all the other career paths you’ve heard about. While you may have a general idea of what happens in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), you will never truly appreciate a hard working nurse’s efforts until you live through the chaos yourself.

The Job Description

Critical care nurses work with patients who are in critical condition, whether this is in the Emergency Department or the Intensive Care Unit. Daily tasks include providing assessments of critical conditions, conducting therapy, and advocating for their patient’s interests. Nurses will learn how to operate life support systems, observe vitals, and treat wounds among other tasks. A great part of the field lies in educating patients and their families, as doctors will not have a lot of time to go into great detail. Nurses are often the shining stars of the hospital who spend the most quality time with patients.

A Day in the Life of a Critical Care Nurse

StaffNurse.com interviewed Critical Care Liz Hurst in 2011, and asked her to share a glimpse into her professional life. She states that she looks after one or two patients at a time, and closely monitors each subject. Most of her day is spent providing patients with medications, providing personal care, checking vitals and temperature, and setting up drips.

Regarding scheduling, she states, “We are required to work a minimum of 6 nights and at least 3 weekend shifts in a month. The good thing about my schedule is the fact that we get 4 days off after working 3 days in a row.”

Brooke Knotts, RN, another critical care nurse was interviewed by Critical Care Nurses in 2010. She emphasizes the importance of teamwork, sharing, “Working together we can overcome all the challenges that each bedside nurse feels he or she faces alone every day.”

Another point worth repeating to new students is to always balance the intensity of a nursing career with a stable home life. Brooke shares some important insights, “Without my family, I do not think I would even know the word balance. I also enjoy going to church, exercising, shopping, and spending time with our wonderful friends.”

Separating the Job from Work

Many careers allow you to live the luxury life while you work, such as owning your own company, or working in the entertainment field. Nursing simply cannot be one of these careers. You must learn to leave disappointments, even traumatic memories, in the workplace. You are bound to experience some tragedies and make mistakes. However, following protocol and working ethically will prevent you from making major mistakes that will be soul-crushing. In the end, having a happy and well-adjusted nurse who is ready to work hard for long-term is ideal to having a brilliant nurse who is going to burn out quickly.

These two interviews emphasize the point that it’s a team effort and family along with colleagues will help you excel in this field.