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Between two worlds i.c.u.12/16/2023 ![]() ![]() What characteristics make a great ICU nurse? When we get this right, it can make a huge difference for a patient and their family. In saying that though, I equally love the palliative care element that occurs in the ICU (yes 5-10% of what we do is palliative care) the facilitated change in trajectory from the hope of survival to the hope of a peaceful death. I admit, I always loved the adrenaline rush of working under the pump, a race against time to stabilise someone, to bring them back from the edge of deterioration they were teetering on. I think the things that I love about ICU nursing are the strictly ratio-ed care and support structures that we are mandated to have in place, the quality we strive for through systematic care processes, the autonomy ICU nurses have in managing their patients and the expectation of critical thinking and higher-level clinical reasoning. Sometimes it can be calm and quiet (and when we utter those words it almost invariably sees chaos erupt), other times it’s intensely busy with lots of high acuity patients. It also depends on how busy it is, who’s working, what time of day it is, what the patient cohort is, what family members are in the unit, whether there are any particular cultural activities being undertaken, or whether there are unexpected activities going on (ie patient deteriorations, procedures or resus). The latter can actually be quite deceiving because a lot can go on behind those closed doors. The ICU environment varies depending on where you work, whether it’s on open unit, with beds divided by curtains, or a more segmented unit with single rooms that can be closed off by doors. Write for us Describe the ICU environment/atmosphere – why do you love it? Part 2 below is our interview with Canberra-based ICU Nurse Educator Rachel Longhurst, who provides a unique perspective on the characteristics of a great ICU nurse, and shares her advice for anyone considering a career in the critical care environment. What is the take away message you would like the readers to remember?.What advice would you give your ‘junior nurse self’ if you could?.How do you deal with grief and death in the workplace? How do you de-stress after a shift and what self-care strategies do you utilise?.What are the ingredients of a ‘good’ resus compared to a ‘bad one’?.What advice do you have for nurses to deal with the crashing patient?.What are the biggest challenges you find new ICU nurses face or struggle with?.When you interview for your ICU transition program or other roles what are you looking for? How do you choose a candidate?.Should nurses consolidate within non-critical care environments prior to starting ICU? And which clinical areas are the best ones to prepare nurses who want to work in ICU?.What characteristics make a great ICU nurse?.Describe the ICU environment/atmosphere – why do you love it?.
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