Job Title: Registered Nurse - Intensive Care Unit
Profession: RN
Specialty: ICU
Duration: 13 weeks
Shift: Night
Hours per Shift: 12.5
Experience: Minimum 2 years
License: RN License
Certifications: BLS, ACLS, NIH Certification
Must-Have: Experience in a medical ICU
Description:
The Medical ICU is a 20-bed mixed unit.
It includes a combination of ICU and step-down patient care.
ICU patients are typically managed at a 2:1 ratio, while step-down patients are cared for at a 3:1 ratio.
Staff may float to take step-down patients at a 1:3 ratio or progressive level patients at a 4:1 ratio.
There is a commitment to weekend and holiday rotation.
Patient population includes:
- Severe respiratory failure, often requiring mechanical ventilation or high-flow oxygen support.
- Sepsis and septic shock, which frequently require vasopressors, invasive monitoring, and aggressive fluid management.
- Hemodynamic instability, including hypotension, arrhythmias, or shock states.
- Neurologic conditions such as altered mental status, metabolic encephalopathy, overdose, or stroke (non-surgical).
- Complex metabolic and endocrine disorders, including diabetic ketoacidosis and severe electrolyte abnormalities.
- Cardiac conditions not requiring immediate intervention, such as heart failure exacerbations or cardiomyopathy.
- Gastrointestinal and hepatic failure, including GI bleeding and acute liver failure.
Typical patient needs include:
- Continuous cardiac and hemodynamic monitoring.
- Management of invasive lines, such as arterial lines.
- Administration of NIH and TNK therapy.
- Use of mechanical ventilation, noninvasive ventilation, or advanced oxygen therapies.
- Titration of IV medications, including vasopressors, sedatives, and antiarrhythmics.
- Provision of enteral or parenteral nutrition.
- Frequent laboratory monitoring and management of complex medication regimens.