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Critical Care Nurses

Tasks

Core Tasks Include:

Identify patients' age-specific needs and alter care plans as necessary to meet those needs.
Provide post-mortem care.
Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures, based upon patients' clinical status.
Administer blood and blood products, monitoring patients for signs and symptoms related to transfusion reactions.
Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
Advocate for patients' and families' needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.
Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.
Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
Assess patients' psychosocial status and needs, including areas such as sleep patterns, anxiety, grief, anger, and support systems.
Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.
Collect specimens for laboratory tests.
Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.
Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.
Document patients' treatment plans, interventions, outcomes, or plan revisions.
Identify patients at risk of complications due to nutritional status.
Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.
Assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation, or elective cardioversion.
Ensure that equipment or devices are properly stored after use.
Identify malfunctioning equipment or devices.
Assess family adaptation levels and coping skills to determine whether intervention is needed.
Coordinate patient care conferences.
Participate in professional organizations and continuing education to improve practice knowledge and skills.
Participate in the development, review, or evaluation of nursing practice protocols.
Plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, interdisciplinary health care team members, or community members.
Supervise and monitor unit nursing staff.

The data sources for the information displayed here include: O*NET™. (Using onet291)