Intensive Care Unit; ICU Nurse

An ICU nurse is a nurse who works in the intensive care unit. An intensive care unit is a department in a hospital where critically ill patients go. These patients might be coming out of surgery or rapidly deteriorating because of an illness. Their conditions are so fragile that they require round-the-clock supervision in case they need immediate care.

Critical care nurses have specialized skills and extensive knowledge of disease pathology to provide interventions and sustain life. They should not be confused with emergency room nurses, who treat urgent patients and respond to crises.

While ICU nurses may work with different specialties, they have this in common:
They’re specially trained to respond to critically ill patients. Additionally, the staff-to-patient ratio is very low in this setting so that nurses devote time to only one or two patients at a time, rarely more.

• Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) and pursue licensure as a registered nurse in your state.
• Although certification isn’t necessary to be an ICU nurse, it can help you stay up to date on best practices and standards of care for acute and critical care patients. According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the accrediting agency for acute care certification, the critical care certification can help you get a job as an ICU nurse because it shows that you’re trained in the specialized area of critical care and committed to continuing education in the field.
• Some nurse students pursue a master’s degree in nursing to become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). APRNs tend to have more autonomy and sometimes prescriptive authority than their licensed practical nurse (LPN) and RN peers because they’ve had more education and training. This can be especially valuable in an ICU setting, where nurses must swiftly respond to patient needs.

Popular Programs Now Enrolling Students

List of programs accepting Virginia residents. If you reside in another state, enter your zip .

100% Online Accredited Programs Request Information

• Performing or arranging for tests such as blood draws.
• Coordinating care plans with other health care providers.
• Educating and informing patients and their families.
• Supervising LPNs and other nurses.

Being a critical care nurse requires a unique set of soft skills, beyond those necessary for all nurses, that includes performing under pressure. Critical care nurses need to be good communicators with their patients, patients’ families, and other health care professionals. Critical thinking and creative problem solving are two necessary leadership skills in this profession. Critical care nurses need to recognize problems, diagnose them and execute plans of action in a timely manner—there’s no time for self-doubt.

The best nurses are confident and up to date on their fields of specialization.

ICU nurses can be found in many departments of a hospital supporting patients of all ages and with varying degrees of emergency and threatening conditions.

• Coronary
  :
  The coronary intensive care unit (CICU) specializes in patients who have had heart surgery and life-threatening heart conditions.
• Neonatal
  :
  The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU, often pronounced “nick-you”) is where premature and newborn babies with life-threatening illnesses and conditions are cared for by specially trained nurses and doctors.
• Pediatric
  :
  The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU, often pronounced “pick-you”) is where health care staff care for critically ill infants, children and teenagers.
• Trauma
  :
  As the name implies, a trauma ICU is where patients who have been critically injured are cared for.
• Surgery
  :
  Patients in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) are cared for by specially trained ICU nurses who monitor vital signs and provide immediate care.

ICU nurses work wherever there are intensive care units—hospitals and health care centers. They work with other trained intensive care providers, such as doctors, radiologists, therapists and more.

• Neonatal and pediatric ICU nurses may work in the NICU or PICU of children’s…