International Nurses Association

Critical care nurses work with patients that are considered in a very vulnerable state. Patient ratio is lower for critical care nurses, as the patients require more one on one care.  Critical care nursing, often referred to as intensive care, or ICU nursing is a specialty field of nursing. This position requires extreme focus and attention to detail, in addition to a great amount of experience to play an active role in monitoring patients. These nurses care for patients with life threatening conditions, which often makes this particular field of nursing very high in demand. Unlike other areas of nursing, where patient care involves vitals, assisting with mobility, bathing, etc. critical care nurses focus on complete patient medical care, essentially keeping the patient alive.  Patients can worsen very quickly in ICU, and the nurse that cares for them is there to stay one step ahead in recognizing problems. As a general rule, critical care nurses are only responsible for one and o