Critical Care Nurses
Health Science > Therapeutic ServicesProjected Growth: Much faster than average
Projected Job Openings
Medium Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Provide advanced nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
Common job titles of Critical Care Nurses include:
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Experience and Education
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
45% said they needed a Bachelor's Degree.
45% said they needed a Associate's Degree.
Tasks
Assess family adaptation levels and coping skills to determine whether intervention is needed.
Identify patients at risk of complications due to nutritional status.
Advocate for patients' and families' needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.
Collect specimens for laboratory tests.
Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
Ensure that equipment or devices are properly stored after use.
Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, based upon patients' clinical status.
Identify malfunctioning equipment or devices.
Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.
Document patients' treatment plans, interventions, outcomes, or plan revisions.
Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.
Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.
Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.
Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.
Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
Identify patients' age-specific needs and alter care plans as necessary to meet those needs.
Assess patients' psychosocial status and needs, including areas such as sleep patterns, anxiety, grief, anger, and support systems.
Supervise and monitor unit nursing staff.
Assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation, or elective cardioversion.
Administer blood and blood products, monitoring patients for signs and symptoms related to transfusion reactions.
Participate in professional organizations and continuing education to improve practice knowledge and skills.
Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, interdisciplinary health care team members, or community members.
Participate in the development, review, or evaluation of nursing practice protocols.
Coordinate patient care conferences.
Provide post-mortem care.
Tools
Wheelchairs
Ventricular assist devices VAD
Venous Oxygen Saturation SVO2 monitors
Urinary catheters
Urinalysis test strips
Ultrasound transducers
Transvenous pacemakers
All ToolsTransport cardiac monitors
Transfer boards
Transcutaneous pacemakers
Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS equipment
Traction weights
Tracheotomy sets
Tracheal suctioning equipment
Tourniquets
Thoracentesis trays
Therapeutic whirlpool baths
Telemetry monitors
Tablet computers
Suture removal kits
Surgical staple removers
Surgical scalpels
Surgical razors
Surgical irrigation sets
Straight surgical scissors
Straight hemostats
Sphygmomanometers
Specimen collection containers
Specialty patient care beds
Sequential compression devices
Safety goggles
Pulse oximeters
Pulmonary artery catheters
Protective medical face masks
Protective gowns
Protective face shields
Pneumatic boots
Pill splitters
Pill crushers
Personal digital assistants PDA
Pericardiocentesis kits
Patient walkers
Patient restraints
Patient controlled analgesia PCA pumps
Oxygen flowmeters
Oxygen delivery masks
Oxygen concentrators
Otoscopes
Ostomy equipment
Orthopedic splinting equipment
Oral suctioning equipment
Occlusion clamps
Nasogastric tubes
Nasal suctioning equipment
Multiple lumen central line catheters
Multiple line infusion pumps
Medical scales
Medical nasal cannulae
Medical gurneys
Medical examination protective gloves
Mechanical stethoscopes
Mechanical intermittent positive pressure ventilators
Manual resuscitation bags
Laptop computers
Lancets
Kidney dialysis equipment
Intubation sets
Intravenous IV administration sets
Intravenous infusion pumps
Intracranial pressure monitors
Intra-aortic balloon pumps IABP
Incision drainage equipment
Incentive spirometers
Ice collars
Hypodermic syringes
Hyper/hypothermia blankets
Hoyer lifts
Hemodynamic monitors
Handheld nebulizers
Handheld calculators
Halo traction equipment
Graduated glass laboratory cylinders
Geriatric chairs
Foot cradles
Flexible laryngoscopes
Fetal monitors
Evacuated blood collection tubes
Epidural catheters
Enteral feeding sets
Enema equipment
Endotracheal ET tubes
End tidal carbon dioxide monitors or supplies
Electronic compressor nebulizers
Electrocardiography EKG machines
Echocardiogram equipment
Doppler ultrasound equipment
Digital medical thermometers
Desktop computers
Crutchfield tongs
Crutches
Crash carts
Cooling blankets
Continuous positive airway pressure CPAP ventilators
Continuous passive motion CPM equipment
Clinical trapeze traction bars
Chest drains
Cardiac monitors
Bulb syringes
Blood warming equipment
Blood pressure monitors
Blood glucometers
Blood drawing syringes
Bilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilators
Bedpans
Bed scales
Autotransfusion systems
Automated medicine dispensing equipment
Automated external defibrillators AED
Arterial line catheters
Arterial blood gas testing equipment
Apnea monitors
Angiocaths
Technologies
MEDITECH software
Oracle Taleo
Allscripts Professional EHR
American Association of Critical Care Nurses AACN Medicopeia
Amkai AmkaiCharts
Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR System
Cerner Millennium
All TechnologiesChartWare EMR
e-MDs software
eClinicalWorks
GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
MEDITECH Healthcare Information System HCIS
Medscribbler Enterprise
MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
PEPID RN Critical Care RNCC
SOAPware EMR
StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
SynaMed EMR
Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
Skills
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Operation Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Abilities
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Problem Sensitivity
Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Deductive Reasoning
Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Inductive Reasoning
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Information Ordering
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Expression
See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Near Vision