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90 critical care nursing essay topic ideas & examples, dr. wilson mn.

• April 20, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas , Samples

90 Critical Care Nursing Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Critical care nursing is a specialty area of nursing that deals with the care of critically ill patients. The role of critical care nurses is to provide continuous and comprehensive care to patients who are acutely ill or have life-threatening conditions. This type of nursing requires a high level of skill, knowledge, and expertise.

Critical care nursing is an essential aspect of healthcare, as it provides care to patients who require complex medical attention. Critical care nursing is not only important for the patient’s well-being, but it also impacts the healthcare system as a whole. In this post, we will provide examples of critical care nursing essay topics and why they are essential for students studying nursing.

What You'll Learn

Tips for writing an essay on critical care nursing:

• Understand the importance of critical care nursing in the healthcare system.
• Analyze the impact of critical care nursing on patient outcomes.
• Discuss the role of critical care nurses in multidisciplinary teams.
• Evaluate the ethical considerations in critical care nursing.
• Compare and contrast different models of critical care nursing.
• Examine the challenges faced by critical care nurses in their practice.
• Analyze the impact of technology on critical care nursing.

Critical care nursing is a challenging and rewarding specialty area of nursing that requires a high level of skill, knowledge, and expertise. As the healthcare system continues to evolve, critical care nursing remains an essential aspect of healthcare, providing care to patients who require complex medical attention. Students studying nursing can benefit from exploring critical care nursing essay topics, as it can help them understand the importance of this specialty area and prepare them for their future nursing careers.

Critical Care Nursing Essay Topics/Ideas:

• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with COVID-19.
• The impact of technology on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with traumatic brain injury.
• The ethical considerations in critical care nursing.
• The impact of nurse-patient ratios on critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in end-of-life care.
• The use of simulation training in critical care nursing education.
• The impact of COVID-19 on critical care nursing education.
• The importance of communication in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in preventing healthcare-associated infections.
• The impact of burnout on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with multiple chronic conditions.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with sepsis.
• The impact of cultural competence on critical care nursing practice.
• The use of telehealth in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
• The impact of interdisciplinary collaboration on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with opioid use disorder.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with diabetes.
• The impact of teamwork on critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with heart failure.
• The importance of evidence-based practice in critical care nursing.
• The use of mechanical ventilation in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with acute kidney injury.
• The impact of critical care nursing on patient outcomes.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with COVID-19 and limited resources.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with cancer.
• The importance of family-centered care in critical care nursing practice.
• The impact of stress on critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with stroke.
• The use of point-of-care ultrasound in critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with mental health disorders.
• The importance of self-care in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with organ failure.
• The impact of critical care nursing on healthcare costs.

Controversial Critical Care Nursing Essay Topics:

• The ethical considerations of withdrawing life support in critical care nursing.
• The role of critical care nurses in medical aid in dying.
• The impact of limited resources on critical care nursing practice during a pandemic.
• The challenges of allocating limited resources in critical care nursing practice.
• The impact of healthcare disparities on critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in advocating for patient rights.
• The use of restraints in critical care nursing practice.
• The impact of medical errors on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing culturally competent care in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in addressing healthcare inequities.
• The impact of burnout on patient safety in critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of end-of-life care in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in addressing healthcare-associated infections.
• The impact of healthcare policies on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing care to patients with limited English proficiency in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in addressing workplace violence.
• The impact of healthcare privatization on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing care to patients with substance use disorders in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in addressing healthcare fraud and abuse.
• The impact of healthcare mergers and acquisitions on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing care to patients with mental health disorders in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in addressing the opioid epidemic.
• The impact of healthcare funding cuts on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing care to patients with disabilities in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in addressing healthcare disparities in vulnerable populations.

Related Article: Introduction to critical care nursing essay

Latest Critical Care Nursing Essay Topics:

• The impact of critical care nurses in managing patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of critical care nurses in preventing delirium in critically ill patients.
• The impact of music therapy on pain management in critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with traumatic brain injury during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with sepsis and septic shock.
• The impact of virtual reality on critical care nursing education.
• The challenges of providing family-centered care in critical care nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with acute kidney injury caused by COVID-19.
• The impact of debriefing sessions on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing palliative care in critical care nursing practice.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with heart failure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The impact of nurse-led care on patient outcomes in critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with COVID-19 and comorbidities.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on stress reduction in critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing care to patients with substance use disorders in critical care nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with sepsis caused by COVID-19.
• The impact of interprofessional education on critical care nursing practice.
• The challenges of providing care to patients with mental health disorders in critical care nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of critical care nurses in managing patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure.

Critical Care Nursing Research Questions:

• How does the use of virtual reality in critical care nursing education impact student learning outcomes?
• What are the challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with COVID-19 and comorbidities, and how can they be addressed?
• What is the impact of music therapy on pain management in critically ill patients?
• How can critical care nurses effectively prevent and manage delirium in critically ill patients?
• What is the role of critical care nurses in managing patients with sepsis and septic shock, and what are the most effective interventions?
• How does the use of debriefing sessions impact critical care nursing practice and patient outcomes?
• What are the challenges of providing family-centered care in critical care nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how can they be overcome?
• What is the impact of nurse-led care on patient outcomes in critical care nursing practice?
• How can critical care nurses effectively manage patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19 ?
• What are the challenges of providing palliative care in critical care nursing practice, and how can they be addressed?
• How can critical care nurses effectively manage patients with heart failure during the COVID-19 pandemic?
• What is the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on stress reduction in critical care nursing practice, and how can they be implemented effectively?
• What are the challenges of providing care to patients with substance use disorders in critical care nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how can they be addressed?
• How can critical care nurses effectively manage patients with sepsis caused by COVID-19, and what are the most effective interventions?
• What is the impact of interprofessional education on critical care nursing practice, and how can it be implemented effectively?
• What are the challenges of providing care to patients with mental health disorders in critical care nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how can they be addressed?
• How can critical care nurses effectively manage patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure, and what are the most effective interventions?
• What is the impact of telehealth on critical care nursing practice, and how can it be implemented effectively?
• What are the challenges faced by critical care nurses in caring for patients with traumatic brain injury during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how can they be addressed?
• How can critical care nurses effectively manage patients with acute kidney injury caused by COVID-19, and what are the most effective interventions?
• What is the impact of simulation training on critical care nursing education, and how can it be implemented effectively?
• What are the challenges of providing culturally competent care in critical care nursing practice, and how can they be addressed?
• How can critical care nurses effectively manage patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what are the most effective interventions?
• What is the impact of nurse-patient ratios on critical care nursing practice, and how can they be optimized?

FAQs Related to Critical Care Nursing:

What is critical care nursing.

Critical care nursing is a specialized area of nursing that involves providing care for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries.

What are some of the common conditions that critical care nurses manage?

Some of the common conditions include sepsis, respiratory failure, traumatic brain injury, heart failure, and acute kidney injury.

What qualifications do you need to become a critical care nurse?

To become a critical care nurse, you typically need to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and be licensed as a registered nurse (RN). You may also need to complete additional certifications or training in critical care nursing.

What are some of the key skills needed for critical care nursing?

Some of the key skills include excellent communication, strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and the ability to work well under pressure.

What is the role of critical care nurses in end-of-life care?

Critical care nurses play a critical role in end-of-life care, providing comfort and support to patients and their families and helping to manage symptoms and pain.

What is the impact of nurse-patient ratios on critical care nursing practice?

Research suggests that lower nurse-patient ratios are associated with better patient outcomes and lower rates of healthcare-associated infections.

What are some of the ethical considerations in critical care nursing?

Some of the ethical considerations include respecting patient autonomy, ensuring beneficence and non-maleficence, and promoting justice and fairness in healthcare.

How has technology impacted critical care nursing practice?

Technology has had a significant impact on critical care nursing practice, with advances in areas such as mechanical ventilation, monitoring equipment, and telehealth improving patient outcomes and facilitating communication and collaboration among healthcare providers.

What are some of the challenges faced by critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Some of the challenges include managing patients with a highly infectious disease, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the emotional toll of caring for critically ill patients.

What is the role of critical care nurses in preventing healthcare-associated infections?

Critical care nurses play a key role in preventing healthcare-associated infections by following proper infection control protocols, maintaining hygiene, and advocating for patient safety.

Conclusion:

Critical care nursing is a specialized field that requires advanced skills and knowledge to manage patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries. Critical care nurses play a critical role in providing care, managing symptoms, and supporting patients and their families throughout the care process. As technology continues to evolve, critical care nursing practice is also evolving, with new tools and techniques improving patient outcomes and facilitating communication and collaboration among healthcare providers. Despite the challenges faced, critical care nurses remain committed to providing the highest quality care possible to patients in need.

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Honoring Our Heritage – Building Our Future

Winning essay – “bringing florence nightingale to the bedside of the critically ill patient”.

In celebration of the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the Nursing Archives Associates of the Boston University Libraries’ Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center held an essay contest, open to nursing students enrolled at all levels of study— undergraduate, master’s and doctoral – and focused on Florence Nightingale’s influence on the evolution of nursing, both historical and contemporary. Although all Nightingale 2020 events were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are proud to announce the winner of the Muriel A. Poulin Nursing Student Essay Contest.

The winning essay is titled “ Bringing Florence Nightingale to the Bedside of the Critically Ill Patient ,” written by Laura Beth Kalvas, MS, RN, PCCN, Graduate Fellow, The Ohio State University College of Nursing. Here is the essay:

In her Notes on Nursing (1969), Florence Nightingale argued that nature alone can cure the sick. Cautioning against an over-reliance on medical care, which could do nothing more than remove obstructions to the natural healing process, Nightingale encouraged nurses to put patients in the best possible conditions for nature to act upon them. Her environmental theory highlighted the importance of cleanliness, ventilation, limited noise, uninterrupted sleep, proper nutrition, and sunlight in promoting recovery of the sick (Hegge, 2013; Nightingale, 1969). Within this perspective, the role of the nurse was to provide an environment conducive to healing, support the patient in the healing process, and carefully observe the patient for signs of improvement or decline. Certainly when Nightingale cautioned against an over-reliance on medical care, she could little have imagined the treatments and technology available today, especially in the care of the critically ill. Yet her careful distinction between the practice of medicine and the practice of nursing remains relevant. In the complex critical care environment, where medical treatments are frequently lifesaving, what unique contribution does the nurse bring to the care of the critically ill patient? I would argue that the role of the critical care nurse remains the same; to put the patient in the best possible condition for nature to act upon them (Nightingale, 1969). Yet “so deep-rooted and universal is the conviction that to give medicine is to be doing something, or rather everything; to give air, warmth, cleanliness . . . is to do nothing” (p. 9), that this important aspect of nursing practice is easily undervalued. The phenomenon of pediatric delirium offers an interesting case study in the importance of high-quality nursing care in the modern intensive care unit. Delirium is a frequent, significant complication of critical illness consisting of acute changes in mental status that develop over a short period of time and fluctuate throughout the day (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Up to 65.5% of children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience delirium (Meyburg et al., 2017). Affected children exhibit signs of impaired attention, disorientation, agitation, hallucinations, and sleep/wake cycle disturbance (Holly et al., 2018). Children describe their delusional memories of the PICU as highly disturbing, including visual hallucinations of injured parents, monsters trying to eat them, and insects crawling on the walls (Colville et al., 2008). Furthermore, pediatric delirium is associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased length of stay (Smith et al., 2017), cost of care (Traube et al., 2016), and mortality (Traube et al., 2017). Although delirium has only recently caught the attention of the pediatric critical care community (Kudchadkar, Yaster, et al., 2014), it is not a new phenomenon. Through her observations, Nightingale (1969) noted that lack of sunlight, excessive noise, and fragmented sleep were associated with delirium. Today’s pediatric critical care environment is characterized by excessive light and sound exposure and frequent nighttime caregiving (Al-Samsam & Cullen, 2005; Cureton-Lane & Fontaine, 1997). This environment likely contributes to the altered sleep patterns experienced by critically ill children (Kudchadkar, Aljohani, et al., 2014). Providing support for Nightingale’s (1969) early observations, we now know that these environmental exposures and resulting sleep disruption can impair cognitive function (e.g., attention, working memory, emotional regulation; Durmer & Dinges, 2005; Kahn et al., 2013) and disrupt the circadian rhythm of melatonin release, which has neuroprotective properties (Claustrat et al., 2005). Environmentally-induced circadian rhythm dysregulation is one hypothesized pathway to the cognitive changes observed in delirium (Maldonado, 2017), and sleep/wake cycle disturbances are often observed in children with delirium (Holly et al., 2018). Nurses are uniquely positioned at the bedside to prevent delirium through environmental modification and regulation of the circadian rhythm; interventions which place the patient in the best possible conditions for recovery (Nightingale, 1969). Sleep promotion interventions in the adult ICU are associated with a decreased incidence and duration of delirium (Kamdar et al., 2013; Patel et al., 2014). However, few researchers have considered the role of sleep in the development of pediatric delirium (Calandriello et al., 2018), and few pediatric critical care clinicians implement sleep-promoting interventions to prevent or manage delirium (Kudchadkar, Yaster, et al., 2014; Staveski et al., 2018). Nurse scientists are needed in the medically-dominated field of pediatric delirium research to highlight the important role of the critical care nurse in preventing and managing delirium (Balas et al., 2012). As a doctoral nursing student, my interest in pediatric delirium is driven both by Nightingale’s (1969) mandate to the nursing profession and the Human Response Model, a conceptual model for nursing that depicts the complex interplay between the patient, their environment, and their health (Heitkemper & Shaver, 1989; Shaver, 1985). My dissertation work focuses on the relationship between exposures in the pediatric critical care environment (i.e., light and sound exposure, caregiving patterns), sleep disruption, and delirium in young, critically ill children. I chose to focus on PICU environmental exposures and sleep patterns because they are inherently nurse-driven; as the primary bedside caregiver, the nurse determines the type of environment in which children receive treatment. This dissertation study will inform future large-scale stu dies of sleep disruption and pediatric delirium, as well as the design and implementation of sleep promotion interventions for the PICU. The validation of sleep promotion as an effective, nurse-driven, non-pharmacological delirium prevention method has the potential to improve the neurocognitive symptom management and clinical outcomes of survivors of pediatric critical illness. In my future work as a nurse scientist, I will continue to root my research in the ideals espoused by Nightingale in her Notes on Nursing (1969). My long-term career goal is to become a leader in improving the neurocognitive symptom management, clinical outcomes, and long-term health of critically ill children by optimizing the pediatric critical care environment. In today’s complex critical care setting, full of advanced treatments and lifesaving technology, let us never forget the unique role of the nurse: To place critically ill patients in the best possible intensive care environment to receive life saving treatment, heal, and promote long-term health. References Al-Samsam, R. H., & Cullen, P. (2005). Sleep and adverse environmental factors in sedated mechanically ventilated pediatric intensive care patients. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 6(5), 562–7. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association. Balas, M. C., Vasilevskis, E. E., Burke, W. J., Boehm, L., Pun, B. T., Olsen, K. M., Peitz, G. J., & Ely, E. W. (2012). Critical care nurses’ role in implementing the “ABCDE bundle” into practice. Critical Care Nurse, 32(2), 35–8, 40–7; quiz 48. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2012229 Calandriello, A., Tylka, J., & Patwari, P. (2018). Sleep and delirium in pediatric critical illness: What is the relationship? Medical Sciences, 6(4), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci6040090 Claustrat, B., Brun, J., & Chazot, G. (2005). The basic physiology and pathophysiology of melatonin. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 9(1), 11–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SMRV.2004.08.001 Colville, G., Kerry, S., & Pierce, C. (2008). Children’s factual and delusional memories of intensive care. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 177(9), 976–982. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.200706-857OC Cureton-Lane, R. A., & Fontaine, D. K. (1997). Sleep in the pediatric ICU: an empirical investigation. American Journal of Critical Care, 6(1), 56–63. Durmer, J. S., & Dinges, D. F. (2005). Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. Seminars in Neurology, 25(1), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1055/s2005-867080 Hegge, M. (2013). Nightingale’s Environmental Theory. Nursing Science Quarterly, 26(3), 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318413489255 Heitkemper, M. M., & Shaver, J. F. (1989). Nursing research opportunities in enteral nutrition. The Nursing Clinics of North America, 24(2), 415–26. Holly, C., Porter, S., Echevarria, M., Dreker, M., & Ruzehaji, S. (2018). Recognizing delirium in hospitalized children: A systematic review of the evidence on risk factors and characteristics. American Journal of Nursing, 118(4), 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000532069.55339.f9 Kahn, M., Sheppes, G., & Sadeh, A. (2013). Sleep and emotions: Bidirectional links and underlying mechanisms. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89(2), 218–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.05.010 Kamdar, B. B., King, L. M., Collop, N. A., Sakamuri, S., Colantuoni, E., Neufeld, K. J., Bienvenu, O. J., Rowden, A. M., Touradji, P., Brower, R. G., & Needham, D. M. (2013). The effect of a quality improvement intervention on perceived sleep quality and cognition in a medical ICU. Critical Care Medicine, 41(3), 800–9. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0b013e3182746442 Kudchadkar, S. R., Aljohani, O. A., & Punjabi, N. M. (2014). Sleep of critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit: A systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 18(2), 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2013.02.002 Kudchadkar, S. R., Yaster, M., & Punjabi, N. M. (2014). Sedation, sleep promotion, and delirium screening practices in the care of mechanically ventilated children: A wake-up call for the pediatric critical care community. Critical Care Medicine, 42(7), 1592–1600. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000000326 Maldonado, J. R. (2017). Delirium pathophysiology: An updated hypothesis of the etiology of acute brain failure. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 1-30 https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.4823 Meyburg, J., Dill, M. L., Traube, C., Silver, G., & von Haken, R. (2017). Patterns of postoperative delirium in children. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 18(2), 128–133. https://doi.org/10.1097/PCC.0000000000000993 Nightingale, F. (1969). Notes on nursing: What it is and what it is not. Dover Publications, Inc. Patel, J., Baldwin, J., Bunting, P., & Laha, S. (2014). The effect of a multicomponent multidisciplinary bundle of interventions on sleep and delirium in medical and surgical intensive care patients. Anaesthesia, 69(6), 540–549. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.12638 Shaver, J. F. (1985). A biopsychosocial view of human health. Nursing Outlook, 33(4), 186–91. Smith, H. A. B., Gangopadhyay, M., Goben, C. M., Jacobowski, N. L., Chestnut, M. H., Thompson, J. L., Chandrasekhar, R., Williams, S. R., Griffith, K., Ely, E. W., Fuchs, D. C., & Pandharipande, P. P. (2017). Delirium and benzodiazepines associated with prolonged ICU stay in critically ill infants and young children. Critical Care Medicine, 45(9), 1427–1435. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002515 Staveski, S. L., Pickler, R. H., Lin, L., Shaw, R. J., Meinzen-Derr, J., Redington, A., & Curley, M. A. Q. (2018). Management of pediatric delirium in pediatric cardiac intensive care patients: An international survey of current practices. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 19(6), 538–543. https://doi.org/10.1097/PCC.0000000000001558 Traube, C., Mauer, E. A., Gerber, L. M., Kaur, S., Joyce, C., Kerson, A., Carlo, C., Notterman, D., Worgall, S., Silver, G., & Greenwald, B. M. (2016). Cost associated with pediatric delirium in the ICU. Critical Care Medicine, 44(12), e1175–e1179. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002004 Traube, C., Silver, G., Gerber, L. M., Kaur, S., Mauer, E. A., Kerson, A., Joyce, C., & Greenwald, B. M. (2017). Delirium and mortality in critically ill children: Epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric delirium. Critical Care Medicine, 45(5), 891–898. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002324

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4 thoughts on “ winning essay – “bringing florence nightingale to the bedside of the critically ill patient” ”.

Laura, Congratulations on winning the essay contest and thank you many times over for a fabulous scholarly essay.

Laura – Congratulations and thank you! It is so important to continue to evolve Nursology’s unique perspective on health and illness.

Congratulations and many thanks to this wonderful post! Your sentence: “Yet her careful distinction between the practice of medicine and the practice of nursing remains relevant” is important, and the post is well substantiated with research.

If we really make this distinction, my suggestion is to use NURSING DIAGNOSES (e.g. risk for acute confusion/acute confusion) instead of, respectively in addition, the medical diagnosis delirium. Or sleep nursing diagnoses (e.g.Insomnia/Sleep deprivation/Disturbed sleep pattern) instead of sleep disruption. Nursing diagnoses describe nurses’ clinical judgement concerning a human response to health conditions/life processes…..and provide the basis for selecting nursing interventions to achieve outcomes for which the nurse has accountability (Herdman, & Kamitsuru, 2018; NANDA International nursing diagnoses: Definitions and classification 2018-2020. New York: Thieme).

Some nursing diagnoses need further validation and more literature research. Therefore, your contribution to the above mentioned ones would be appreciated for advancing the knowledge base of nursing, and to name and make nursing visible. Thanks so much!

Excellent essay Laura!! Thank you for sharing your contribution to the advancement of nursing knowledge!

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Intensive Care Unit Nursing ( ICU)

Job descriptions, education and certification, professional activities, conclusion/ reflections, personal discovery.

• References / Bibliography

We live in a world wherein medical care becomes a very important part of the aging process. As we near the end of our life cycle, we find ourselves requiring more and more specialized medical care both at home and in the hospital. As such, nurses have slowly come to realize that additional information and training becomes necessary in order to keep abreast of the times. This is why Registered Nurses have slowly become aware of the need for specialized nursing skills in the ICU.

Intensive Care Unit Nurses are those specially trained nurses who handle critical care patients with life-threatening conditions within the confines of the Intensive Care Unit. These are usually patients who have had major surgery, are recovering from accidents, or experiencing multiple organ failures. These nurses, in other words, handle those patients who are caught on the demarcation line between life and death. Part of their duties and responsibilities, including assessing and monitoring patients in case their medical state should take a serious turn. According to Futures In Nursing (2003) ICU patients “who are admitted to critical care tend to be medically unstable, requiring constant cardiac and respiratory monitoring and continual adjustment of treatments, such as the titration and dosing of multiple intravenous medications and changes in ventilatory support. Critical care nurses must be able to interpret, integrate and respond to a wide array of clinical information. Because of the critical nature of patients’ conditions, nurses working in critical care are often confronted with dealing with end-of-life issues and sometimes other ethical dilemmas related to withholding, withdrawing or medical futile care.”

Certification and registration for ICU Nurares are actually optional. However, most nurses prefer to become certified through a job-related examination. In order to even qualify for the exam, the nurse must have been practicing critical care for at least 2 years. The certification is good for 3 years during which time the ICU nurse is expected to have continued extensive education and clinical experience requirements. These certified nurses are known as CCRN’s or Certified Critical Care Nurses.

Normally, the so called critical care nurses must be certified and licenseds as Registered nurses. After which the specific employer provided continuing education classes then become a necessity in acquiring the position. Due to the complexity of the work related to ICU nursing, ICU nurses now find it necessary to earn masters or doctoral degrees in nursing. Normally an RN would end up enrolling in masters classes specializing in Critical Care for at least 16 months in schools such as the Georgetown School of Nursing. This is after working as a regular nurse for at least 1 year. ACLS certification is required along with 1-2 years of medical or surgical experience.

Due to our rapidly aging population, the demand for ICU nurses will only continue to grow in the coming years. Due to the already existing nursing shortage, expect that there will be a rapid influx of nurses training within this area in the near future. The skyrocketing demand for Critical care nurses finds hospitals offering various come-ons in order to entice nurses to shift to ICU nursing. The American Association Of Critical Care Nurses (2008) indicated these incentives as “ sign-on bonuses, relocation bonuses, reimbursement for continuing education and certification, and other attractive benefits. In addition, many hospitals are launching critical care orientation and internship programs, such as the Web-based Essentials of Critical Care (ECCO) program, to attract and prepare experienced and newly licensed nurses to work in critical care.”

A quick check with the U.S Department of Labor shows why the hospitals are offering such lucrative incentives, 587,000 new ICU Nursing related jobs are expected to open up across the United States alone by the year 2016. The salary offerings for the position are also highly competitive. With each hospital trying to outdo each other in terms of benefits and perks. Even the starting salary offered on a per hour basis starts at higher than average. Starting rates vary between $30 and $33 per hour.

Job advancement in the area solely depends upon the requirements of the hospital employer and the patience of the ICU RN to continue studying various specialized nursing fields related to ICU nursing. For further career advancement opportunities and in order to keep abreast with CCN trends, ICU nurses can join the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, as well as any local nursing organizations endorsed by their hospital or state.

As a student of Critical Care Nursing, one would benefit education wise from subscribing to various CCN magazines and journals available on the market. One can procure a subscription to the American Journal Of Critical Care or purchase the Nursing Critical Care Journal which is published 6 times a year at the price of $29.94. Such journals contain vital discoveries and articles pertaining to Critical Care Nursing practitioners.

Furthermore, it is believed that continuous education is of the utmost importance in achieving a degree of professionalism in this field. Jut like a doctor never finishes studying in his field of specialty, so does an Intensive Care Nurse. How many course and how often one working in this field will have to study all depends upon the requirements and needs of their current hospital employer.

As I spent time researching the requirements and answers to the required questions within this paper, I have drawn the conclusion that I am but one of the few who has the major calling to care for my fellowman via a nursing career that specializes in Intensive Care Nursing. Since I have parents who continue to age and will, in the future, require specialized nursing care as well, I feel that I have made the right decision.

Finding out that the career opportunities are not limited to simply being a Critical Care nurse in the ICU was the deal breaker for me. Some people view nursing as the dead end profession of the medical field. The things I discovered during my research proved that nothing could be further from the truth. Amongst all the medical fields, CCN is the most challenging because of the highly strict requirements one must meet in order to even be considered for entrance to a educational institution that requires one to be a Registered Nurse before even considering one for any other position in the nursing field.

References 

Critical Care Nurses, American Association Of. (2009). American journal of critical care. Web.

Critical Care Nurses, American Association Of. (2008). About critical care nursing .

Critical Care Nurses, American Association Of. (2009). Continuing nursing education program approval .

Ferguson. (2008). Encyclopedia .

Mitchell, Joyce, & Haroun, Lee. (2005). Introduction to health care . Singapore: Thomson Learning

Novonty, Jean M., Lippman,Doris T., Sanders, & Fitzpartick, Joyce J. (2003). 101 Careers in nursing . New York: Spring Publishing Company.

Nursing, Critical Care. (2009). Nursing 2009 critical care .

swimmer2007. (2007). Georgetown school of nursing (question regarding icu experience . 

Nursing, Futures In. (2003). Nursing careers in spotlight: Critical care/ intensive care (ICU) nursing .

Nursezone.com. (2009). ICU and critical care nurses . Web.

RNSearch.com. (2009). Nursing education requirements for critical care .

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April 15, 2024

An ICU Nurse Explains the Vital Role of Family Caregivers in Loved Ones' Health

Family caregivers provide critical support and familiarity to patients, but can also experience burnout

By Courtney Graetzer & The Conversation US

Self-care, although often neglected by caregivers, is critical when looking after a loved one.

manassanant pamai/Getty Images

The floor nurse had just told me that my new patient – let’s call her Marie – would not stop screaming.

Marie landed in the intensive care unit where I am a bedside nurse because she was too agitated and needed more oxygen. We immediately tried to fit her with a more advanced oxygen mask, but the screaming continued and her oxygen level worsened. No matter how much I comforted her, it was not my hand she wanted to hold. She was screaming for her daughter, April, who was on her way.

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April had been Marie’s caregiver at home for the past few years after Marie was diagnosed with end-stage Alzheimer’s. April is Marie’s familiar face, her source of comfort when she gets disoriented. Now Marie had been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, and April had not left her side.

As a seasoned bedside critical care nurse, I see firsthand the benefits that family caregivers bring to patient care in the hospital. I also witness the emotional stress that caregivers experience when their loved one comes to the ICU.

After years of helping families and physicians navigate the complicated course of an ICU hospital stay, I have some advice for caregivers to take with them.

Caregivers often battle anxiety and depression

From making medical decisions to advocating for their loved one, family caregivers have many important roles when their loved one is in the hospital. Their presence not only provides a sense of security, but also strongly influences a patient’s response to treatment .

For example, Marie refused to take walks during physical therapy until we found out from April that she felt safest in her pink New Balance shoes, which April brought to the hospital. April’s unique knowledge of Marie’s specific needs proved to be invaluable to guiding Marie’s treatment plan at the hospital.

Including the family in the patient’s treatment plan, also known as family-centered care, can help shorten a patient’s hospital stay and can even reduce hospital costs. However, caregivers carry heavy emotional burdens while supporting loved ones at the hospital .

In fact, family caregivers are at high risk of developing long-term psychological health problems . Up to 70% of first-degree relatives of ICU survivors suffer from anxiety symptoms, more than a third suffer from depression , and many can experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder , or PTSD.

There are ways to help ease this emotional burden, and most of them come down to consistent and open communication between the patient, their caregivers and the medical team.

But how should you, as the caregiver without much medical knowledge, communicate with hospital staff when your loved one can’t speak for themself?

Communication is critical

First, exchange contact information with the primary medical team, which may include a passcode for patient privacy. This will ensure that you receive the most updated information about the patient and will give you the peace of mind knowing that you can call at any hour of the day or night to receive updates on your loved one.

Second, let the medical team know what the patient is normally like at home, which can include the patient’s medications, their baseline functional capabilities, any cultural or religious preferences, and their end-of-life wishes, just in case. With this information, the medical team can develop a reasonable treatment plan specific to your loved one, avoid unnecessary and uncomfortable tests, and provide a better insight into their prognosis and recovery.

As you provide information about the patient at home, the medical team should be giving you updates about the patient’s condition in the hospital. This is a good time for you to keep a diary to write down essential information and questions to ask them.

Knowing what to ask is essential to effective communication at the hospital. First, get yourself oriented to the hospital unit you are on: Ask about the visitation policy, unit phone number and even where the cafeteria and the bathrooms are.

Once familiar with your new environment, you may feel more at ease to truly be present for your loved one. Other important questions you can ask each day include:

What is happening to my loved one?

What is the plan for the next day?

What will the treatment be like for my loved one?

These are good first questions for setting daily expectations for the patient’s hospital stay. You can also find answers by participating in the patient’s clinical rounds. Every day, the interdisciplinary medical team sees each patient to discuss updates and treatment plans, and answers questions for the patient and their family. Research has also shown that rounds relieve anxiety and stress among family caregivers due to the consistent daily communication and emotional support that they provide.

Nurses can be helpful

After clinical rounds, the interdisciplinary team of doctors and nurses establishes a daily plan of care for your loved one, which will be carried out by your bedside nurse. The nurse will give the ordered medications, perform necessary clinical tasks and assess the patient for their response to the treatment. If you normally take care of the patient’s basic needs at home, offering to help your nurse with feeding or bathing may provide emotional reassurance to you and your loved one.

Nurses are the most accessible resource you have when your loved one is in the hospital. They can provide emotional support and coping strategies during this stressful time and can act as a translator between you and the physicians.

Once you establish a good relationship with your nurse and the medical team, spend quality time with your loved one. Even when the patient isn’t responsive, talk to them about familiar people in their life, FaceTime other family members, play their favorite music or TV show, and always remind them of the date and that they are in the hospital.

The importance of routines and familiarity

Since it’s easy for patients to lose track of the normal day-night cycle, they can be at high risk of ICU delirium , which is an acute and severe state of confusion. Preventing ICU delirium through reorientation and familiar faces can help prevent this serious complication and can even reduce their hospital stay.

Finally, one of the most important but often neglected task for you to do is self-care .

Research advises caregivers to tend to their own health and emotional needs by eating regularly, getting adequate sleep and taking breaks from the hospital. You have been strong for others and can continue to do so, but only if you take care of yourself as well.

Most families that come to the hospital describe the support they received from the medical team in a positive way . Your nurses and the rest of the medical team are all on your team, and we want the best possible outcome for your loved one.

This article was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article .

72 Intensive Care Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best intensive care topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on intensive care, ⭐ simple & easy intensive care essay titles.

• The Nursing Workflow in the Intensive Care Unit This article summarizes the nursing workflow in the intensive care unit among the enlisted nurses in research conducted in mainland China.
• Role of Nurse Practitioners in Acute and Intensive Care The innovative education of ICU nurses to become acute care nurse practitioners will push the limits of current nursing techniques and healthcare provision in several ways. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Palliative Care in Intensive Care Unit Palliative care is an important field of the healthcare industry that allows terminally ill patients and their families to feel cared for, which is why the services at this unit should be of the highest […]
• The Nurse Manager’s Role in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit On the basis of the observation of Anderson’s skills, behaviors, and strategies that this leader exhibits, it is possible to say that he may be regarded as an efficient leader and nurse manager who obtains […]
• Intensive Care & Critical Care Skills in Nursing Therefore, the current research examines the importance of intensive and critical care skills in nursing. Due to this, ICU and critical care training can be considered most beneficial in nursing.
• Why Intensive Care Unit Nurses Have Low Work Morale The diagram above analyzes the root causes of the low work morale of nurses working in the intensive care unit at the hospital where I am employed.
• Actors Influencing How Intensive Care Unit Nurses Allocate Their Time Show Less Given the importance of all of the above factors, the purpose of my work is to determine whether the allocation of nurses and patients is adequate to provide quality services.
• Confusion Assessment Method in Intensive Care Unit According to Richardson et al, the reliability of a screening tool is confirmed by comparing the results to the gold standard of diagnosis.
• Use of BIS Brain Monitors in Intensive Care Unit The objectives of the innovation project are to measure the present use of BIS in sedation at a specific facility and evaluate patient outcomes for BIS-guided sedation compared to routine clinical assessment.
• Nosocomial Infections in Intensive Care Units The choice to insert the urinary catheter ought to be made with the awareness that it entails the risk of causing infections with a prolonged hospital stay.
• Hiring New Registered Nurses for Intensive Care Unit The purpose of this paper is to outline methods for analyzing the ICU job, drafting the job description, and future changes that may affect the future of the job description.
• Intensive Care Units Standards and Services Thus, in the cases of unplanned extubation, both self and accidental, the quality of care is observed through the nurse’s ability to react according to an incidence, with emphasis on the patient’s safety and the […]
• Comfort Care of the Patient in Intensive Care The relationship between nurses’ comforting interventions and the patients’ comfort is the foundation of the theory. The purpose of the comfort theory is to establish the link between nursing interventions and patients’ comfort.
• Resuscitation of Patients in Intensive Care Units The project utilizes a quasi-experimental design to choose the sample and manipulate the independent variable, the nursing training program of capnography use during CPR, to influence the dependent variable, the number of CPR cases with […]
• Public Health: The Intensive Care Units To achieve this, the program will transform the work culture within the ICU to be more rigorous and goal oriented. It is important that all of the hospital critical-care stakeholders to distinguish and enforce imperative […]
• Nurse Staffing, Medical Staffing and Mortality in Intensive Care In order to discuss the contribution of different types of personnel to the survival of patients in ICUs, the researchers provided different hypotheses for the relationship between the number of nurses and rates of patient […]
• Clinical Personal Experience in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit I had the opportunity to provide adequate care and patient support in the ICU. Such leadership styles are applicable in health care organizations to promote the quality of care provided to patients.
• Comparison of Remifentanil Sedation with Conventional Regimen in Intensive Care Unit Studies have proposed that analgesia-based sedation using remifentanil reduces the duration of ventilation and period of stay in the ICU compared to a conventional regimen.
• Ethics Review: ‘Living Wills’ and Intensive Care However, some opponents of the move to legalize advance decisions in England and Wales are of the idea that legalizing advance decisions will be tantamount to euthanizing the patients illegally.
• Having Visiting Hours in the Intensive Care Unit A family member selected to visit the patient will be in position to give feedback concerning the patient to the rest of the family members and friends.
• Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in the Intensive Care Unit Kleinpell and Robert Grabenkort, the authors of the article under consideration, tell that nursing practitioners and physician assistants play a very important role in the intensive care unit, however, their participation is still not well […]
• Intensive Care Unit Nurses’ Education Needs The reason for choosing this target group is the affiliation of the researcher: since the researcher is a nurse who works in the ICU of KFH, the analysis of the educational needs of the nurses […]
• Medication Errors in Intensive Care Unit The majority of medication errors take place at the stage of administration; however, mistakes also occur during prescription, preparation of medication, and transcription.
• Cross-Training in Intensive Care Unit The students who took this course will exhibit the mastery of: Assessment of the need for care under time constraints and in adverse conditions; Provision of assistance to critically ill individuals with precision, speed, and […]
• Constructive Alignment in Intensive Care Nursing Education Given the potential benefits of CA for education, CA needs to be considered in terms of ICU nurse training to determine if it applies to the settings of ICU.
• Evidence-Based Practice in the Intensive Care Unit The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges that are associated with the implementation of an evidence-based approach in a clinical environment and describe strategies that can be used for implementing this approach.
• Intensive Care Unit Patients Therapy Differences The meta-analysis study explored the differences between burn ICU and general ICU patients. The differences are brought about by the fact that the injuries of burn patients are both external and internal.
• Bloodstream Infections in Intensive Care Department The scope of the essay is limited to the discussion of the risks of contract in infectious diseases, which nurses may face in the context of the ICU environment in a hospital.
• Management of Burns in Intensive and Acute Care The article can be viewed as the review of the currently used practices to cope with burns in intensive care units, and the author describes procedures that are necessary in order to provide the respiratory […]
• Early Mobilization Therapy in Intensive Care Units The PDSA plan will be as follows: Plan: It will be needed to identify the setting, sample selection criteria, the intervention, and the type of data to be collected.
• Early Mobility Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit Particularly, the advantages and the disadvantages of the early mobility therapy compared to the non-early mobility therapy for patients who are in intensive care will be analyzed.
• Implementation of Physical Restraints in the Intensive Care Unit Once the tool determines the total number of FTEs needed for the ICU patients, they will be distributed throughout the day according to the trends of the patient volume.
• Pain Management at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Safety Score Improvement Plan For By-Faith Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• Seizure Detection in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• The Association Between Brain Volumes and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Intensive Care Unit
• Measuring Parent Satisfaction With Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units
• Nurse Burnout and Stress in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Care for Critical Ill Patients With COVID-19 in Intensive Care Unit
• Early Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Therapy
• Implementation of an Intensive Care Unit Pharmaceutical Care Model
• Premature Triplets: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cook
• Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit
• The Nature of Caring Work in an Intensive Care Unit
• Intensive Care Admission and Early Neuro-Rehabilitation
• Alarm Problems Going Off in the Intensive Care Unit
• Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury Admitted to the Ward or Intensive Care Unit
• Stress and Burnout of Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit
• Pain-Related Stress During the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Stay
• Expert and Competent Non-expert Visual Cues During Simulated Diagnosis in Intensive Care
• Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit
• Intensive Care Nurses’ Views and Practices on Eye Care
• Risk Factors for Intensive Care Unit Admission in Patients With Autoimmune Encephalitis
• Chronic Pain and Chronic Opioid Use After Intensive Care
• Premature Infants’ Physiologic Outcomes in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• The Relationship Between Safety Climate and Performance in Intensive Care Units
• Intensive Care Unit Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Treatment of Severe Infections in the Intensive Care
• The Needs of Bereaved Parents in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness
• Nosocomial Infections and the Infant Intensive Care Unit
• Complications and In-Hospital Mortality in Trauma Patients Treated in Intensive Care Units
• The Uniform Need for Critical and Intensive Care Skills in All Branches of Nursing
• Moral Distress Among European Intensive Care Nurses
• Capacity Planning for Intensive Care Units
• Real-Time Predictive Analytics for Therapeutic Plans in Intensive Care
• Nursing and the Importance of Intensive Care
• Abuse of Drugs and Alcohol in Intensive Care Unit
• Physician Scheduling for Continuity: An Application in Pediatric Intensive Care
• Monitoring Oxygenation and Gas Exchange in Neonatal Intensive Care Units
• Mortality in Intensive Care Unit Patients
• The Requirement for Supplementary Nurses in an Intensive Care Unit
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IvyPanda . "72 Intensive Care Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/intensive-care-essay-topics/.

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A nurse’s reflections on supporting families in ICU

Phoebe Coghlan is an ICU nurse and tells us about her experiences and reflections about supporting families of critically ill patients:

I’ve been a nurse on the Intensive Care Unit for two years, and one of the most challenging parts of my job is ensuring that families receive the best possible support. There are so many demands on my time during a shift, and juggling that time between patient care, and supporting a family who I can see are distressed and hurting, becomes a delicate balancing act. This article is a reflective piece about how I and my unit try our best to accommodate families and children who come to visit somebody they care about very much.

When families visit loved ones in induced comas on our ICU, they invariably have two burning questions. ‘When will they wake up?’ and ‘Can they hear me?’ As the bedside nurse, I have no straightforward answers. I tell them we’ll assess the situation day by day. It’s a lot to take in, and some family members will rephrase their first question, hoping to receive the answer they desire; an answer I cannot deliver. As to whether patients can hear what’s going on around them, it’s difficult to tell. Some patients wake up and remember nothing, while others recall snippets of conversation or traces of a familiar voice. So I always encourage visitors to talk and to touch, whether that’s holding a hand or kissing a cheek. It can help them feel closer to the person they love and can conquer feelings of physical and emotional separation they may be experiencing within a shocking and unfamiliar circumstance, and an alien hospital environment.

As nurses, we are taught to care for our patients and their families holistically and, of course, that includes providing emotional support. I am lucky to be part of a lovely nursing team – we are generally a kind and cheerful bunch – and we usually build up a strong rapport with families. We encourage sharing photos and stories and questions and conversations until we feel we know our sedated patient who is in a coma, even though we’ve never had a chance to properly meet them. This period of waiting for the unknown is an agonising and traumatising time for families, and we endeavour to make them feel safe and comfortable. We see them through the peaks and troughs, and when patients who have been discharged return with their families, it is always emotional. When an eighteen-year-old woman suffered a traumatic brain injury following a car crash, nobody knew whether she would recuperate, and it was the most wonderful thing when she walked back onto our unit a year later, fully recovered. And our entire nursing team was overjoyed when a woman with young children, who had suffered a string of cardiac arrests, popped by to thank us for our care after being discharged home. But for every happy ending, there is a sad one, and in these cases, we sit with, talk to, cry with, and hug the families we have come to know so well over a period of days or weeks or months. We all have patients and families we will never forget.

But equally, there are times when we don’t have the chance to build that strong relationship. Some weeks ago, I was caring for a man who had been admitted less than twenty four hours earlier, after suffering multiple cardiac arrests. He continued to deteriorate despite maximum support for his failing organs. He had an extensive past medical history and almost certainly wasn’t going to make it. The doctors spoke to the family and filled out a ‘do not resuscitate’ order at the beginning of my night shift. The plan was to continue treatment throughout the night, and most likely withdraw and palliate in the morning. The patient’s wife was in complete shock. I didn’t have much time to comfort her because I was running around titrating infusions, changing ventilator settings, taking bloods and recording observations. It was the nurse in charge who gave her an hour of her time, and phoned in the whole family to stay by the patient’s side, including his teenage child. When my patient had a near cardiac arrest again at 1am, and I had to pull the crash buzzer, the family were sleeping in the waiting room. We managed to re-stabilise the patient, and afterwards I wondered how the three of us (myself and two doctors) would have balanced looking after the patient and the family simultaneously. His family spent the rest of the night by his bedside. They were so anxious. His wife told me over and over how his life was in my hands, begging me to save him, telling me she had spent all night praying to God for a miracle. I gently repeated there was a significant chance he wouldn’t make it through till the morning. She responded by saying he was a fighter, positive he would pull through. I really wanted to try my best for him, I really wanted to return him to his family. They needed him. The teenage child sat on a chair in complete silence, and when I asked if he had any questions, he shook his head. I softly told him he could hold his dad’s hand. He said ‘ok’ but didn’t take it. The night shift was non-stop and I hadn’t the time to build up a rapport with this family, and they hadn’t the time to process everything. By the end of my shift, it was clear that he would be palliated during the day. The patient died two hours after my shift ended. It was my last night shift, my last of four back to back 12.5 hour shifts, and I was exhausted. I went home and fell into bed. I was shattered but my mind raced with guilt. I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about that teenage boy. I should have stayed an extra ten minutes, I should have tried harder to connect with him, to let him share what was on his mind. I often wonder how he’s coping with a deceased father, a heartbroken mother and GCSE exams to revise for. When somebody passes away, we give the family booklets, and these have links for support groups and bereavement services. It is not enough.

Like everywhere else in the NHS, our unit is extremely busy and sometimes we are back and forth, hopping from bed to bed, helping our colleagues on either side with admissions and discharges, washes and emergencies, running back to our own comparatively stable patient to silence syringes that are bleeping because a medication is finished, or machines that are alarming because a lead has slipped from our patient’s finger. We know our patient is fine, but families do not, and they sit there wide eyed and terrified, wondering what on earth is going on in this noisy, intimidating and chaotic place as I promise they needn’t worry and vow to be back in five minutes. I can only apologise for these moments. Of course, once all the patients on the bay are settled and safe, my own patient’s family have my unreserved time and attention.

I’ve been a child on the other side too. When I was nine, my three year old brother nearly died of appendicitis, and two weeks later my mum had a stroke causing left sided paralysis. That month, I was surrounded by so much love and support from family, friends and school, and though I knew things were bad, I was largely shielded from the immense gravity of it all. As a nine year old, I was completely unaware that my parents were worrying about the future – would our flat need adjustments? Would we need home help? Would we cope financially? There is not enough support for families going through medical emergencies, both financially and emotionally. I am shocked by close relatives who come to visit their loved ones using ‘unpaid leave’, because their employers lack the empathy and kindness to grant them compassionate leave. My family were very lucky. Both my brother and mum fully recovered. I now work in neuro intensive care and when I see children visiting parents who have suffered a bleed on the brain, or a stroke, it gives me goosebumps.

Recently I cared for a patient who had suffered a sudden heart attack in the community. He was receiving maximum support for his weak heart, and a CT scan showed he had a hypoxic brain injury; insufficient blood had been pumped to his brain during the cardiac arrest, causing widespread cell death. He would never recover. He would never wake up. I sat with the consultant as he broke the news to his wife; broke the news that her two year old and six year old no longer had a dad. That evening, I read my patient the ‘get well soon’ cards his children had written him, plastered with hearts and kisses and rainbows. We gave his wife a list of picture books, like ‘Badger’s Parting Gifts’, that help explain death in a gentle way. The next day, he passed away and donated his organs, saving others with the gift of new life. I hope those kids grow up knowing just how much of an absolute hero their dad was.

When it comes to children visiting patients in intensive care, we provide the ICUsteps booklet Visiting the Intensive Care Unit which we find works really well. A literature review of children and young people’s experiences of a parent’s Intensive Care admission highlighted four main themes – children feeling a strong sense of separation from their parents, the unfamiliarity of the ICU environment, the overwhelming impact of the patient’s illness, and feelings of being overlooked as a close relative (often because information was disseminated to the adults around the bedside, as opposed to the children). The ICUsteps book addresses these concerns, as it provides a gateway to conversation and understanding. The booklet includes a trip round the bed space which children can do with nurses and other family members, and in this way, unfamiliar equipment and tubes and sounds are explained, and a safe space is created for the child to ask any questions. This helps children engage with their loved one and the wider situation, and through active participation and conversation, we hope they feel included, valued and at ease to communicate any worries or thoughts. Even as a qualified nurse, I found my first day on Intensive Care a daunting and overwhelming experience, so I cannot begin to imagine how I would feel if my first trip to ICU was to visit a loved one. The environment has a dystopian, eerie feel to it, and it was this that prompted me to write a poem to try and explain it all, and to reassure children; at first sight, ICU seems scary, but the patients are asleep with plenty of pain killers to keep them pain free. And the daunting amount of machines and medicines? They are there to help and heal, not something to be feared.

Visiting Hospital

I’m standing right here by your hospital bed, I hold your pale hand, plant a kiss on your head, I know your mind’s deep in an ocean of sleep, Dancing on waves with your dreams soft and sweet.

Those tubes in your mouth, in your nose, on your chest, The bleeping machines and the daily blood test - Are we in space? Or a robot-run land? I feel quite afraid and grasp tightly your hand.

The wires look scary but really they’re kind, They help with your breathing for our peace of mind, And care for your needs and your bones and your brain And your heart, should it soar like a fast, high-speed train.

We love you so much and we cry but hold on While you’re whistling away to the dream fairy’s song, And if I knew magic I’d chant my best spell And you’d wake up all happy, for you would be well.

I whisper a lullaby into your ear, I know you’re asleep so perhaps you won’t hear. The soft sun is setting - it winks and it gleams, I whisper goodnight – you sleep tight now, sweet dreams.

Phoebe Coghlan

In conclusion, it is a shock to see somebody you love lying in an Intensive Care hospital bed. As nurses, we do try and offer support as much as we can, and we do have aids, such as the ICUsteps book, that try to make the experience gentler and more understandable for children. But please do speak up if you are visiting somebody and you feel overwhelmed or you feel like you would like more support. And we will try our best, always.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Critical Theory — Why I Want to be a Critical Care Nurse

Why I Want to Be a Critical Care Nurse

• Categories: Critical Theory

About this sample

Words: 624 |

Published: Mar 28, 2019

Words: 624 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Works Cited

• American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). American Nurses Association.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Registered Nurses. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm.
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• Nurse Journal. (2022). Critical Care Nurse. Retrieved from https://nursejournal.org/critical-care-nursing/critical-care-nurse/.
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