Intensive care nurses have their work cut out for them. No wonder then that there are specific requirements needed in order for persons to meet the qualifications as intensive care nurses. Apart from the educational qualifications, there are levels of emotional and physical challenges that an intensive care nurse must be able to maintain in order to cope with the strain that can readily be experienced in this line of work.
Intensive care units and therefore the job role of the nurses who work within this area of a hospital, should not be confused with the role of a nurse assigned to the A and E department. A and E treats the initial problem as the patient enters the hospital, whereas the intensive care nurses may very well be caring and providing ongoing support for critically ill patients that need a long term stay within a suitable setting capable of providing life-saving equipment and constant monitoring to stabilise and treat a serious condition. The attention a person requires in terms of medical care, may be what decides that they should be transferred from a ward to an intensive care unit. This again highlights the strain intensive care nurses can experience when working in this department.
Basic first aid training is of course essential to the intensive care nurse. Jane Graham, founder of Action Plus First Aid has experience of being an intensive care nurse in the paediatric sector and experience as a teacher, passing on those necessary intensive care skills to other care providers and medical staff. She is therefore capable of teaching basic first aid, 3-day first aid courses, mental health first aid, and paediatric first aid.
Being part of a team of intensive care nurses has taught Jane how vital it is for someone on hand, at the time of an accident or other medical emergency, to have a knowledge and up-to-date training in first aid. For example, if someone suffers from a stroke, they may very well be admitted to an intensive care unit. However, the faster a person acts when they see the signs of a stroke, and how they support the person, may even prevent such measures from ever being required. For example, the medication that is given to a stroke victim is time-sensitive. Therefore, having someone on hand who knows the signs of a stroke, takes seriously the need to have medical prevention as soon as possible, and who knows how to provide CPR should the need arise, can clearly make the difference between a patient who becomes adversely effected by their trauma, and a person who can be successfully rehabilitated and make their way towards recovery.
The job of a first aider is therefore valued by all intensive care nurses. As a result, Jane Graham works hard to train people in such a way that they can use the knowledge provided and apply it in the everyday setting they are in. For more information, please contact Action Plus First Aid today.
