ICU nurses play an important role in keeping the condition of their patients towards positive results. ICU nurses are trained and have the right knowledge on how to handle patients that need intensive care. ICU travel nursing jobs by Gifted Healthcare can be a good choice to work as an ICU nurse if you are looking for one. Before you start working as an ICU nurse, better know more about it.
What does an ICU travel Nurse do?
ICU travel nurses have to cover the following duties and responsibilities:
Monitor specific patients
ICU patients need close monitoring since their conditions are critical. ICU nurses should focus on one patient and be able to know all the necessary information about the patient to avoid getting them into vulnerable situations. Vital signs should be monitored and recorded accurately since there are some signs that may indicate that patients need medication or immediate action.
Respond to Life-Threatening Situation
ICU nurses should be trained to perform first aid procedures just in case their patients need them. ICU patients are vulnerable and need all the help they can get to make their conditions better. ICU nurses are trained and certified to respond when needed to keep their patients alive and keep them away from life-threatening situations.
Administer IV Medicines and other Procedures
As an ICU nurse, you should know how to administer IV medicines, since most patients take their medicine via this method. You should also know how to place catheters, trach tubes, and feeding tubes since all of these procedures are common among ICU patients.
Dressing and cleaning of wounds
Making the patient's wounds sanitary and regularly dressed and cleaned is part of the ICU travel nurse's duties. They have to make sure that the wounds are clean properly and given the right medication to make the healing faster.
What Skills are required to be an ICU Travel Nurse?
Apart from duties and responsibilities the following skills are also needed for ICU nurses:
Critical thinking
ICU travel nurses should know how to determine the needs of their patients. There will be citations when they have to decide and act fast to be able to revive the patient at that very moment. Being the ones on duty at that time they should know what is best to do instead of waiting for someone to tell them what to do. Immediate action is often necessary for an ICU.
Alertness
Being alert is important as an ICU nurse to be aware of what is happening around you all the time. You should be sensitive to any sudden changes in the monitoring machines or the action and response of the patients you are assigned to. You should know what are the signs that may tell that the person needs specific medical attention.
Flexibility
As an ICU travel nurse, you should be willing to work the extra mile. Since most of the time, you will have to extend to tasks that are not part of your duties and responsibilities. As a nurse, you should be flexible enough to adjust.
Clinical Skills
There are a lot of tools and equipment found inside an ICU, as an ICU travel nurse, you should know how to operate them. These include sheath removal, transducer set-up, cardioversion and defibrillation, and many others. Make sure to be familiar with the machines and the procedures inside the ICU.
Do you need the Experience to Be an ICU travel nurse?
ICU travel nurses are required to have at least one or two years of experience. Entry-level nurses are not usually hired since the tasks inside the ICU are for nurses who can perform specific duties and responsibilities. They need to have the required skills and experience.
Use the given amazing guide to the ICU travel nurse job to be part of the ICU team and escalate your knowledge and skills as you become one. ICU travel nurses can make their career better as they get exposed to the different working environments since they can get new experiences and knowledge as they hop from one healthcare facility to another. So grab the opportunity to advance your career and travel the world at the same time by becoming an ICU travel nurse.
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