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There are presently two critical care units comprised of Intensive Care and Cardiac Care located on the 2nd floor. The nursing staff alternates between both units. The staffing ratio on average is 1:2 providing 14 hours of care to each patient daily. The staffing consists of Registered Nurses, Patient Care Assistants, and a Unit Secretary on the day shift. The nurses in Critical Care take the lead in responding to medical emergencies throughout the building as respondents to cardiac arrest (Code Blue) and Rapid Response Calls. Nurses on these units are expected to complete the Critical Care Course and maintain certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). There are six nurses who have received national certification in Critical Care Nursing. The units will be undergoing major construction to physically combine the space into one large unit. This will improve the patient bed flow, and modernize the facility with state- of-the-art equipment. The nurses working in the Critical Care Units are focused on melding the art and science of nursing practice. Several nurses participate on the Ethics Committee and the Palliative Care Committee and have developed protocols to provide comfort to patients and their families during the end of life process. |
