4 answers
Elizabeth
Student
Huntersville, North Carolina
1
Question
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What are the most important skills you need to succeed as a icu/picu/nicu nurse? And what are the biggest challenges you face on a day to day basis?
I am an aspiring college student-athlete and nursing has always seemed like the perfect job. However I’m trying to figure out if nursing is the right career path for me.
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4 answers
Chera-Mia Ries
Paramedic
2
Answers
Douglas, Wyoming
Updated
Chera-Mia’s Answer
While I am not a nurse, I am a paramedic that works right alongside them. Nursing is definitely a rewarding career as long as one understands that the hours are long, the scenes are at times quite messy, and the compassion for people must be high. With all of that said, nursing isn't just for the hospital setting. There are doctor's offices, Urgent Care facilities, Senior Living Facilities, and specialty care options. I would definitely look into nursing as a whole, but also narrow down the kind of nurse you wish to be. ER, children's, OB, OR, or maybe even at an office. Good luck!
Andrea Solari
Registered Nurse
1
Answer
Brigantine
Updated
Andrea’s Answer
Nursing is an amazing career. You can do so many things with it. When I was younger, I worked 60 hours a week in a PICU. Then once I had kids I worked just weekends. I’ve been a nurse manager, legal nurse consultant and now case manager.
Nursing is anything you need and want.
Nursing is anything you need and want.
Vilash Reddy MD
Adult/Child/Addiction Psychiatrist - Onelifepsychiatry.com. Holistic model to mental illness including meds, therapy, and alternatives.
18
Answers
Updated
Vilash’s Answer
Nursing is a remarkable profession, but it's crucial to consider your ability to manage high-pressure situations. My best friend, an ICU nurse, works long shifts and travels on her off days. It's essential to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Psychiatric nursing can be less stressful as it doesn't typically involve life-threatening situations. It's important to consider your stress tolerance level, which is why I chose psychiatry, aside from my genuine interest in it. Consider what you'd enjoy doing for 40 hours a week and how much stress you can handle. I've seen people, including surgeons and ICU nurses, burn out from high-stress jobs. My sister stopped practicing medicine because the intensity of critical care was too much for her. Some of the most rewarding careers involve continuous patient care, unless you're drawn to high-intensity nursing roles. I recommend discussing with your school counselors about the type of nursing you should pursue. You can also use online resources to help determine the best nursing specialty for you. Take care and best of luck!
James Constantine Frangos
Consultant Dietitian & Software Developer since 1972 => Nutrition Education => Health & Longevity => Self-Actualization.
6182
Answers
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Updated
James Constantine’s Answer
Hey there, Elizabeth!
If you're considering a career as a nurse in the ICU, PICU, or NICU, there are a bunch of key skills you'll need to master. These skills are super important for giving top-notch care to seriously sick patients and their families. Plus, knowing the daily challenges you might face can help you figure out if nursing is the right career for you.
1. Clinical Competence: One big skill for an ICU, PICU, or NICU nurse is clinical competence. This means you need a solid grasp of human anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology, as well as being really good at various nursing procedures and interventions that are specific to critical care. You'll need to be great at assessing patients, keeping an eye on vital signs, giving medications, managing ventilators, and interpreting lab results. Always learning and staying up-to-date with the latest proven practices are key in keeping your clinical competence sharp.
2. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is super important for ICU, PICU, NICU nurses because they often run into complicated and quickly changing situations. You'll need to be able to sift through information, prioritize tasks, and make smart decisions fast. Critical thinking means being able to foresee possible complications, spot small changes in patient conditions, and take the right action. It also means working with other healthcare pros to come up with complete care plans.
3. Communication Skills: Good communication is a must in the ICU, PICU, NICU because of the high-stress environment and the need to work together with other disciplines. As a nurse, you'll need to communicate clearly and kindly with patients and their families, explaining complex medical info in a way they can get. Also, you'll need to work together with doctors, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other members of the healthcare team to make sure care is coordinated.
4. Emotional Resilience: Working in the ICU, PICU, NICU can be hard on the heart because you're dealing with seriously sick patients and their families. Emotional resilience is the ability to handle stress, keep a positive attitude, and give empathetic care even when things are tough. It involves taking care of yourself, like getting support from colleagues, doing activities that reduce stress, and practicing mindfulness.
5. Attention to Detail: In critical care nursing, paying attention to detail is super important because even small mistakes can have big consequences. You'll need to be really careful in documenting patient info, giving medications accurately, and closely watching patients for any changes in their condition. Attention to detail also means keeping infection control practices and making sure patients are safe.
6. Adaptability: The ICU, PICU, NICU is a fast-moving and unpredictable place. Being adaptable is key because you might need to quickly change your priorities and plans based on what your patients need. This includes being flexible with scheduling, being able to handle emergencies well, and being open to learning new skills and technologies.
The challenges that ICU, PICU, NICU nurses face every day can change depending on the specific unit and patient group. However, some common challenges include:
1. Emotional Stress: Working with seriously sick patients and their families can be hard on the heart. Seeing suffering and dealing with life-and-death situations can weigh on nurses' mental health. It's important to have good ways to handle this stress.
2. High Patient Acuity: Patients in the ICU, PICU, NICU are often very sick and need complex care. Taking care of multiple very sick patients can be physically hard and mentally tough.
3. Time Management: ICU, PICU, NICU nurses often have a lot of work with many tasks that need to be done in specific timeframes. Good time management skills are super important for figuring out what tasks to do first and making sure patient care isn't compromised.
To wrap it up, to succeed as an ICU, PICU, NICU nurse, you need a mix of clinical competence, critical thinking, communication skills, emotional resilience, attention to detail, and adaptability. These skills are key for giving top-quality care to seriously sick patients. However, it's important to know the challenges in this field, like emotional stress, high patient acuity, and time management. By thinking about these factors, you can make a well-informed decision about whether nursing is the right career for you.
Top 3 Authoritative Reference Publications or Domain Names Used:
1. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) - www.aacn.org
2. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) - www.napnap.org
3. American Nurses Association (ANA) - www.nursingworld.org
If you're considering a career as a nurse in the ICU, PICU, or NICU, there are a bunch of key skills you'll need to master. These skills are super important for giving top-notch care to seriously sick patients and their families. Plus, knowing the daily challenges you might face can help you figure out if nursing is the right career for you.
1. Clinical Competence: One big skill for an ICU, PICU, or NICU nurse is clinical competence. This means you need a solid grasp of human anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology, as well as being really good at various nursing procedures and interventions that are specific to critical care. You'll need to be great at assessing patients, keeping an eye on vital signs, giving medications, managing ventilators, and interpreting lab results. Always learning and staying up-to-date with the latest proven practices are key in keeping your clinical competence sharp.
2. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is super important for ICU, PICU, NICU nurses because they often run into complicated and quickly changing situations. You'll need to be able to sift through information, prioritize tasks, and make smart decisions fast. Critical thinking means being able to foresee possible complications, spot small changes in patient conditions, and take the right action. It also means working with other healthcare pros to come up with complete care plans.
3. Communication Skills: Good communication is a must in the ICU, PICU, NICU because of the high-stress environment and the need to work together with other disciplines. As a nurse, you'll need to communicate clearly and kindly with patients and their families, explaining complex medical info in a way they can get. Also, you'll need to work together with doctors, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other members of the healthcare team to make sure care is coordinated.
4. Emotional Resilience: Working in the ICU, PICU, NICU can be hard on the heart because you're dealing with seriously sick patients and their families. Emotional resilience is the ability to handle stress, keep a positive attitude, and give empathetic care even when things are tough. It involves taking care of yourself, like getting support from colleagues, doing activities that reduce stress, and practicing mindfulness.
5. Attention to Detail: In critical care nursing, paying attention to detail is super important because even small mistakes can have big consequences. You'll need to be really careful in documenting patient info, giving medications accurately, and closely watching patients for any changes in their condition. Attention to detail also means keeping infection control practices and making sure patients are safe.
6. Adaptability: The ICU, PICU, NICU is a fast-moving and unpredictable place. Being adaptable is key because you might need to quickly change your priorities and plans based on what your patients need. This includes being flexible with scheduling, being able to handle emergencies well, and being open to learning new skills and technologies.
The challenges that ICU, PICU, NICU nurses face every day can change depending on the specific unit and patient group. However, some common challenges include:
1. Emotional Stress: Working with seriously sick patients and their families can be hard on the heart. Seeing suffering and dealing with life-and-death situations can weigh on nurses' mental health. It's important to have good ways to handle this stress.
2. High Patient Acuity: Patients in the ICU, PICU, NICU are often very sick and need complex care. Taking care of multiple very sick patients can be physically hard and mentally tough.
3. Time Management: ICU, PICU, NICU nurses often have a lot of work with many tasks that need to be done in specific timeframes. Good time management skills are super important for figuring out what tasks to do first and making sure patient care isn't compromised.
To wrap it up, to succeed as an ICU, PICU, NICU nurse, you need a mix of clinical competence, critical thinking, communication skills, emotional resilience, attention to detail, and adaptability. These skills are key for giving top-quality care to seriously sick patients. However, it's important to know the challenges in this field, like emotional stress, high patient acuity, and time management. By thinking about these factors, you can make a well-informed decision about whether nursing is the right career for you.
Top 3 Authoritative Reference Publications or Domain Names Used:
1. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) - www.aacn.org
2. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) - www.napnap.org
3. American Nurses Association (ANA) - www.nursingworld.org