The Ins and Outs of the Critical Care Nursing Field
Whenever the term critical care is mentioned – most people immediately think about severely sick patients in intensive care units or ICUs. They are not mistaken. Intensive Care Units and Critical Care specialized areas in the hospital that care for patients in need of intense and one on one attention. These are the areas where a critical care nurse Practices.
What is a Critical Care Nurse
A Critical Care Nurse or a CCN is a highly specialized nurse that has been trained to work in Critical and Intensive Care areas. Critical care nurses care for patients who are severely ill and in need of individualized care. A CCN cares for patients of all diagnoses and gender. Patients may vary depending on the category of the Critical Care Unit. Critical care nurses also deal with complex technology that helps sustain patients.
The History of Critical Care Nursing
Critical Care Nursing is a relatively new nursing specialty. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that the very first Intensive Care Units appeared in the Western world. These units were created to deal with gravely ill patients. They were considered to need a more intensive form of care compared to the patients in the regular wards. The notion of a critical care unit quickly spread. Today, most hospitals are required to have these specialized areas and in turn specialized nurses and physicians to run them.
Back then, nurses assigned in CCUs and ICUs were not seen as different from regular ward RNs. It was only a few years later that critical care nursing was considered as a specialized nursing field.
Roles of a Critical Care Nurse
Like any other registered nurse, the roles of the critical care nurse are very complex. These nurses have to deal with severely ill patients. They also need to be familiar with complex technologies that are continually present in a critical care setting. The critical care nurse also has to know basic and advanced life support. Such skills may be called upon at any point during his/her service.
The critical care nurse must also be skilled in the art of diagnosis. He/she must be able to diagnose and identify a patient’s immediate needs. This part of critical care nursing is important as it may be the difference between life and death for a patient. Nonetheless, the nurse must remember that despite being skilled at diagnosis, one must not overstep her boundaries and perform roles reserved for a physician alone.
Aside from dealing with patients and their needs, the CCN also has to deal with the patient’s family. The CCN often works as a counsellor that helps the family get through the crisis at hand. He/she may have to deal with questions and concerns from the patient’s immediate family and significant others.
Published at: 10/26/2015
