by If someone is referred to as a critical care RN, it means that a person has been on training to learn how to take care of clinically unstable patients.
There are several work settings in which critical care RN work.
Those are ICU – intensive care units for adults, pediatrics, neonatal, neurological department, etc.
Critical care RNs are irreplaceable parts o every emergency room and trauma unit.
They also work in surgery centers, and recovery rooms, as well as in-flight nursing.
The main difference between critical care nurses and other nurses is that Critical care RNs are responsible for the maximum of two patients at a time.
How many patients a critical care RN will manage depends on the condition of the patient because clinically unstable patients require constant monitoring.
That is why critical care RNs are steady for clinical changes or condition deterioration that can occur.
The training for critical care RNs is focused on advanced emergency response.
For example, nurses who specialize in critical care in the ICU neonatal department focus their training in Neonatal Advanced Life Support terms (NALS).
The NALS allows the nurse to select the right medicaments and to perform rapid interventions to resuscitate the patients.
For example, trauma nurses receive training that will prepare him or her to stabilize all trauma patients suffering from gunshots, car crashes, or MVA.
All are different interventions, but critical care RNs are prepared to acct and provide appropriate care to the patient.
Other critical nurses are specialized for advanced interventions including medical equipment and advanced monitoring.
In that case, a nurse can manage multiple IV drips, ICP monitors, and ventilators.
Even though it may seem like a complex procedure, a critical care nurse is trained to act fast and to know every single detail about medical equipment and medical intervention.
To become a critical care RN, you will need a special certificate.
The American Association of Critical Care Nurses maintains specialty certifications for critical care nurses in all settings.
The certificate proves that a nurse is capable of handling the patients with an unstable clinical condition.
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