What does a Registered Nurse In The ICU do?
A registered nurse in the ICU, or intensive care unit, is responsible for monitoring a patient's progress and performing regular reports to physicians and families. Most ICU patients require extensive attention and assessment, which will require a nurse to be more observant and proactive. A nurse may also have duties producing paperwork, arranging schedules, responding to various inquiries, and crafting a particular care plan. Furthermore, should there be any emergencies, it is crucial to inform the assigned physician right away.
Registered nurse in the icu responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real registered nurse in the icu resumes:
- Manage care of patients with HTN, DM, COPD, asthma, stroke, renal failure.
- Achieve initial CCRN this employment environment.
- Manage care for patients with multiple chronic/acute conditions including renal, cardiac, respiratory, GI and diabetic.
- Manage care of patients who require cardiac monitoring, including dialysis, COPD, CHF and pre/post surgical patients
- Manage central venous catheters, including PICC lines, arterial lines as required for administration of medication and nutrition support.
- Monitor and manage chest tubes and various drainage devices along with pacer wires, epidural lines, and PCA pumps.
- Provide care for patients throughout the hospital including ER, MICU, NICU, and the step-down unit.
- Work med-tele, or med-surg when there are no patients in ICU.
- Serve as a staff CVICU nurse providing care to post open heart surgery patients.
- Work closely with case manager identifying patient needs post hospitalization regarding home health care, iv therapy and wind care.
- Provide physical and psychological support by comfortably connecting patients to various telemetry equipment.
- Manage patients requiring blood transfusions, iv antibiotic therapy, complications from chemotherapy and radiation.
- Job duties include emergency department triage, managing critically ill and critically injure trauma patients.
- Design teaching materials for postoperative cardiac patients regarding discharge instructions, nutrition, exercise, and cardiac rehabilitation.
- Practice emergency medicine including triage and stabilization of a wide variety of patients in a critical access hospital.
Registered nurse in the icu skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Registered Nurse In The ICUs are proficient in Patients, BLS, and Acls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Critical-thinking skills, Communication skills, and Compassion.
We break down the percentage of Registered Nurse In The ICUs that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 24%
Delivered evidence-based care to critical cardiac, medical and surgical patients in Magnet accredited hospitals sole ICU.
- BLS, 15%
Registered Nurse in Trauma ICU - Rotated Charge Nurse Duties for Unit - Maintained ACLS, PALS and BLS certifications
- Acls, 10%
Down Provide ACLS and nursing interventions within the context of effective interpersonal relationships and with trans-cultural sensitivity following ANA/JCAHO/State standards.
- Acute Care, 6%
Utilized specialized skills in providing acute care to a diverse patient population
- Life Support, 5%
Utilize Advanced Cardiac Life Support techniques and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation during active cardiopulmonary arrests and life-threatening events throughout the hospital.
- Advanced Life Support, 3%
Perform therapeutic nursing interventions, such as stabilizing patients, providing advanced life support, administering medications and initiating corrective actions.
"patients," "bls," and "acls" are among the most common skills that registered nurse in the icus use at work. You can find even more registered nurse in the icu responsibilities below, including:
Critical-thinking skills. The most essential soft skill for a registered nurse in the icu to carry out their responsibilities is critical-thinking skills. This skill is important for the role because "registered nurses must assess changes in the health status of patients, such as determining when to take corrective action." Additionally, a registered nurse in the icu resume shows how their duties depend on critical-thinking skills: "provide safe and effective patient care using critical-thinking skills. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform registered nurse in the icu duties is communication skills. Registered nurse in the icus responsibilities require that "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Registered nurse in the icus also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assist non-tele units with telemetry analysis, escalation of care guidance, communication and lead placement. "
Compassion. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of registered nurse in the icus is compassion. This skill is critical to many everyday registered nurse in the icu duties, as "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "promote compassion and a therapeutic environment. "
Detail oriented. For certain registered nurse in the icu responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of a registered nurse in the icu rely on this skill, as "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what registered nurse in the icus do: "detailed patient assessment admissions & discharges medication administration total patient care nicu cross trained / float. "
Emotional stability. Another crucial skill for a registered nurse in the icu to carry out their responsibilities is "emotional stability." A big part of what registered nurse in the icus relies on this skill, since "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." How this skill relates to registered nurse in the icu duties can be seen in an example from a registered nurse in the icu resume snippet: "initiate emergency codes and assist in emergency procedures including cardiopulmonary resuscitation provide emotional support to patients and their families"
Organizational skills. While "organizational skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to registered nurse in the icu responsibilities. Much of what a registered nurse in the icu does relies on this skill, seeing as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of registered nurse in the icus: "trained and organizationally certified to perform crrt, icp monitoring, and pa catheter-hemodynamic monitoring. "
The three companies that hire the most registered nurse in the icus are:
- Kindred Hospital - Baytown693 registered nurse in the icus jobs
- MedPro Healthcare Staffing561 registered nurse in the icus jobs
- Stability Healthcare432 registered nurse in the icus jobs
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Compare different registered nurse in the icus
Registered nurse in the icu vs. Icu staff nurse staff
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a registered nurse in the icu are more likely to require skills like "acute care," "patient safety," "assessment data," and "team work." On the other hand, a job as an icu staff nurse staff requires skills like "ccrn," "med-surg," "hospital policies," and "patient assessment." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Icu staff nurse staff tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $68,704. In contrast, registered nurse in the icus make the biggest average salary, $79,394, in the health care industry.On average, icu staff nurse staff reach similar levels of education than registered nurse in the icus. Icu staff nurse staff are 1.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Registered nurse in the icu vs. Staff nurse
An Intensive Care Unit Nurse is specialized in providing care in intensive care units of hospitals. They assist in the treatment of acutely ill patients with life-threatening conditions.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that registered nurse in the icu responsibilities requires skills like "life support," "compassion," "home health," and "assessment data." But a staff nurse might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "surgery," "infection control," "triage," and "dexterity."
Staff nurses may earn a lower salary than registered nurse in the icus, but staff nurses earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,739. On the other hand, registered nurse in the icus receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $79,394.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Staff nurses tend to reach similar levels of education than registered nurse in the icus. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Registered nurses in the icu in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Beverly Malone Ph.D.
President and CEO, National League for Nursing
Virtual learning may also benefit students in the area of telehealth. An increase in virtual learning will help students prepare to support their future patients through telehealth visits and help them be more comfortable during the virtual interview process and diagnosis. It may keep older adults at home or in nursing home care settings, rather than the frequently difficult transition to hospitals.
Virtual learning widens the pool for preceptors in remote locations across the nation and around the world. Without the limitations of geography, compatible matching of students and preceptors is more easily facilitated. Telehealth and mobile apps can also help close the gaps in care that have been documented throughout underserved communities.
Registered nurse in the icu vs. Intensive care unit nurse
A clinical research nurse is responsible for conducting research studies on various health conditions, illness treatments, and healthcare methodologies, analyzing existing scientific research to make new reports. Clinical research nurses also communicate with other health professionals and health organizations for their insights and recommendations for a specific medical study, ensuring to report their findings to doctors and medical researchers for further validation and clinical trials. A clinical research nurse must have excellent knowledge of communication, both written and spoken, as well as expertise in the medical industry.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from registered nurse in the icu resumes include skills like "acute care," "medication administration," "assessment data," and "team work," whereas an intensive care unit nurse is more likely to list skills in "nicu," "picu," "compassionate care," and "patient assessment. "
Intensive care unit nurses earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $68,718. Registered nurse in the icus earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $79,394.Most intensive care unit nurses achieve a similar degree level compared to registered nurse in the icus. For example, they're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Registered nurse in the icu vs. Clinical research nurse
Types of registered nurse in the icu
Updated January 8, 2025
