Claire GozaWorking in a critical care setting can be one of the most rewarding yet demanding roles in nursing. It is a fast-paced, high-pressure environment that requires strong clinical knowledge, quick thinking, and emotional endurance.
Whether you are a new nursing school graduate or have years of nursing experience under your belt, each day in critical care presents a new set of challenges to tackle. However, with the right education and available tools, you can feel prepared to take on whatever is thrown your way in hospitals, clinics, or other medical settings.
Let’s discuss some strategies that will help you not only survive but thrive while working in Critical Care!
1. Seek Mentorship on your Critical Care Path
It is important to remember that you are not alone. Let the knowledge and experience of nurses around you be a pillar of support. The ICU can be an overwhelming place, but connecting with seasoned colleagues can provide guidance, confidence, and wisdom. By building a relationship with a more experienced nurse, you can utilize their wealth of knowledge to help you to navigate high-stress situations and make quick clinical decisions.
Clinical knowledge is not the only thing to gain from a mentor. The mentor can also act as emotional support and be a sounding board. They may have helpful coping strategies for how to deal with the more challenging days that are inevitable when working in critical care. Remember, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for advice or a second opinion is never a bad thing. Nursing is a team sport!
You can also consider joining a professional network, such as membership in a nursing association, attending conferences like the National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition (NTI), or participating in classes to both keep your skills sharp and network with other nurses in your field.
The Learn Without Limits Membership is an opportunity to both participate in online courses and receive mentorship directly from clinical nurse specialist, Nicole Kupchik. With enrollment, you will receive access to CE-accredited webinars at a discounted price and monthly opportunities for members-only office hours sessions where you can ask Nicole questions directly.
By surrounding yourself with experienced nurses, you gain knowledge, skills, a sense of camaraderie, and reassurance. Even just a little support can go a long way!
2. Set Personal & Professional Goals
To avoid feeling stagnant in your role, you can set personal and professional goals for yourself. These can be big long-term goals or easily achievable small goals.
A small goal could be to identify a skill that you feel less confident performing in the ICU and seek out hands-on opportunities to practice it. This would be a good opportunity to ask your mentor for guidance and gain constructive feedback about what you can improve on.
A long-term goal could be to get a subspecialty certification such as your CCRN or to become a nurse educator. Certifications can allow you to hone a specific skill set and sharpen your expertise. By becoming a nurse educator, you not only advance professionally and develop academically, but you can help future nurses to learn and grow.
3. Finding Educational Resources
Another essential for working in Critical Care is seeking the right educational resources to help you. Mastering your clinical knowledge is key to thriving in critical care. One awesome resource is Nicole Kupchik’s Critical Care Survival Guide. This bedside bestie is a concise, easy-to-access guide for anyone working in critical care, regardless of experience level. It is broken down into eight tabs to help you quickly locate information on various topics. Plus, each section includes “Survival Tips” (pictured below) designed to call out key information. This is an invaluable resource for quickly answering clinical questions you may have during your shift and confirming what you already know!
4. Prioritize Self-Care
Working in Critical Care means being faced with extremely intense situations, and because of this, many critical care nurses experience burnout. According to a study by the CDC, almost half of healthcare workers report burnout. There has been a 32% increase in feelings of burnout from 2018. Practicing self-care is not optional; it is essential. Self-care can look different to everyone. Taking a small stretch break during your shift, if you are able, practicing deep breathing, or engaging in mindfulness are coping mechanisms necessary for longevity in critical care. Maintaining your well-being while providing exceptional care for your patients is possible.
Although difficult, maintaining boundaries is also a key part of self-care. Working in critical care can be incredibly emotionally taxing. Maintaining a professional distance when possible is important especially when dealing with intense life-altering cases. It’s helpful to establish emotional boundaries with patients and their families. You can only be the best nurse you can be if you prioritize yourself. If a case becomes emotionally difficult, seek out a debrief from a colleague, attend a peer support session, or reach out to a therapist.
Creating a post-shift routine that includes destressing and debriefing can also be very beneficial, especially after particularly intense days. To process extra difficult days, finding an outlet to express your feelings, such as journaling or talking to friends and family, may be helpful. An established short after-work routine can make a big difference in your stress level and help you feel refreshed and ready for your next shift.
By seeking support from colleagues, setting goals for yourself, mastering your clinical skills with resources such as Learn Without Limits or The Critical Care Survival, and utilizing self-care practices you can have a long and fulfilling career in Critical Care!
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