Pediatric Critical Care Nursing

Whenever the term critical care is mentioned - most people immediately think about critically ill patients in intensive care units or intensive care units. They are not mistaken. Intensive care units and critical areas of specialized care at the hospital that care for patients needing intense attention on an individual basis. These are the areas where a nurse in intensive care practices.

What a critical care nurse

A Critical Care Nurse or SCC is a highly specialized nurse who has been trained to work in critical areas and intensive care. Critical care nurses care for patients who are seriously ill and require individualized care. An NCC care for patients of all diagnoses and gender. Patients may vary depending on the category of intensive care unit. Critical care nurses also face a complex technology that enables support patients.

The history of nursing in intensive care

Critical Care Nursing is a relatively new specialty of nursing. It was not until the 1950s that the first intensive care units published in the Western world. These units were created to cope with serious illness. They were seen as needing a more intensive care than patients in regular rooms. The concept of an intensive care unit spread rapidly. Today, most hospitals are required to have these specialized fields and in turn specialist nurses and doctors to run them.

At the time, and CCU nurses who ICUs are not perceived as different from regular Ward nurses. Only a few years later that the critical care nurses has been considered a specialized field of nursing.

Roles of a critical care nurse

Like any other registered nurse, the roles of the nurse of intensive care is very complex. These nurses must deal with critically ill patients. They should also familiarize themselves with complex technologies are constantly present in a critical care setting. The critical care nurse also learn basic and advance life support. These skills can be called at any time during his service.

The critical care nurse must also be skilled in the art of diagnosis. He / she must be able to diagnose and identify the immediate needs of a patient. This part of the ICU is important because it can be the difference between life and death of a patient. However, the nurse must remember that although skilled at diagnosis, one should not exceed its limits and roles reserved for a physician alone.

In addition to dealing with patients and their needs, the NCC has also to cope with the patient's family. The NCC often works as a consultant to help the family through the crisis at hand. He / she may have to address issues and concerns of the patient's immediate family and relatives.

Qualifications and Requirements

Philippines - Locally, any nurse can become a nurse in intensive care. It's only a matter of trust domain. In most cases, nurses who are serving in critical care units are those that have shown promising results in their areas of previous exposure. They are also those who have worked in similar fields such as medical / surgical units or in pediatrics.

ABROAD - Overseas, the United States in particular, there is no requirement for a specialist nurse in intensive care other than a licensed RN. However, there are bodies of authority which certifies NCF.

Although certification is not mandatory, most SCC abroad have chosen to go.