The intensive care unit (ICU) is a healthcare specialty where medical professionals treat patients in critical conditions with a physiological crisis threatening one or more body systems or their lives. In such cases, care is focused on supporting failed systems when there is a high mortality risk. Such a line of work needs special training, incorporating medical care, monitoring, and comforting the patient and their family. It is often considered that not everyone is cut for this particular job; however, the skills required for working in intensive care may be useful to any nurse. Since nurses often deal with patients in critical conditions, acquiring the necessary skills to save and support their lives may be essential. Therefore, the current research examines the importance of intensive and critical care skills in nursing. For this purpose, a literature review was chosen as an adequate study method. The materials for the paper were selected to be peer-reviewed and dated no further than five years ago. The sources were found using the online public library PubMed with relevant articles within the healthcare industry. Three sources used in the research are two articles and a book. Isa et al. (2019, p. 38) explore ICU nurses’ strategies to cope; Woodrow (2018, p. 14) examines the set of necessary skills, while Ervin et al. (2018, p. 468) research their teamwork capabilities. The findings suggest that ICU nurses possess several key skills and knowledge important to any nurse. They include technical skills, highly-attentive monitoring skills, psychological knowledge for assisting patients and their families, individual assessment of behavior patterns and needs, accountability, and the ability to admit to making mistakes (Woodrow, 2018, p. 14). Moreover, ICU and critical care nurses are trained to endure high-stress levels and are familiar with several essential coping strategies (Isa et al., 2019, p. 41). This enables them to provide better quality care and stay alert in critical situations (Isa et al., 2019, p. 41). Since ICU and critical care skills often revolve around teamwork and cooperation, such skills as information sharing, cooperative decision-making, and conflict management are essential (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 468). The list of skills identified in the literature is a set of necessities that could be most useful to all nurses. Technical knowledge, monitoring attentiveness, and emotional support for patients fall under the daily routine of a nurse, making ICU and critical care training highly valuable for nursing. Coping and stress resistance skills are key elements of ICU training, but general nursing often lacks a proper introduction to self-care strategies. Additionally, teamwork is usually required in nursing but is rarely addressed in educational settings. In contrast, critical care programs often ensure graduates are good communicators and work well in teams since patients’ lives always depend on it. Due to this, ICU and critical care training can be considered most beneficial in nursing. Therefore, it is evident what important role critical and intensive care skills play in nursing.
Reference List
Ervin, J. N., Kahn, J. M., Cohen, T. R. and Weingart, L. R., (2018) ‘Teamwork in the intensive care unit’, American Psychologist, 73(4), p. 468.
Isa, K. Q., Ibrahim, M. A., Abdul-Manan, H. H., Mohd-Salleh, Z. H., Abdul-Mumin, K. H., and Rahman, H. A. (2019) ‘Strategies used to cope with stress by emergency and critical care nurses, British Journal of Nursing, 28(1), pp. 38–42.
Woodrow, P. (2018) Intensive care nursing: A framework for practice. London: Routledge.