Critical Care Services
- Overall goal of the adult critical care units: to provide total care to the complex critically ill patient
- Care is rendered by a professional staff of Registered Nurses working closely with the physicians to meet the needs of the patients, along with Nursing Care Technicians
- Families of the patients are considered a significant participant in care
- Units provide care and treatment continuously, twenty-four hours a day throughout the year
- Each unit does self-scheduling, with a Scheduling Committee providing guidelines and needed changes under the direction of the Patient Care Manager
- Critical Care Services Administrative Council: group composed of all the critical care Patient Care Managers that collectively functions as the director of Critical Care Services
- Critical Care Services Council: group composed of a staff nurse from each of the critical care units, making decisions regarding nursing practice and other issues that affect the staff nurse in these areas; work in collaboration with the above administrative council when needed
- Critical care nurse requirements:
- ICU knowledge, as demonstrated by 84% score on Basic Knowledge Assessment Tool (BKAT) #6 OR
- CCRN Certification OR
- Demonstration of knowledge and competency, as measured by successful completion of the eight-week high acuity course including all written tests and demonstration of skill competence with knowledge integration by the completion of clinical preceptorship
- Successful completion of ACLS within 18 months of employment and updated every two years
- Nursing requirements
