An acute care nurse is a medical professional who is trained to look after patients with critical illnesses. Acute care is where a patient gets short term treatment from critical illnesses and may require special care before and after surgery. Acute care nurses are responsible for improving their patient’s health within a given time frame. Acute care nurses look after few patients because they need complex and continuous care.
Settings An Acute Care Nurse Woks In
Acute care nurses work in the following facilities:
- Emergency rooms
- Intensive care unit
- Inpatient and outpatient specialties such as cardiology
- Nursing homes
- Surgical rooms
- Trauma units
Duties of an acute care nurse
The duties of acute nurses may differ depending on the setting the are in. here are the most common roles:
- They are role models and mentors to upcoming acute care nurses during team work
- They allocate duties to RNs and support staff depending on their experience and needs of a patient
- They ensure a safe surrounding for the well-being of the patient
- They share their knowledge and expertise with their colleagues and interns
- They supervise LPNs
- They promote initiatives that enhance the safety of patients
- They team up with interdisciplinary team to assess the healthcare services
- They create a patient care plan
- They assess a patient’s condition to determine the necessary patient care plan and record the findings
- Report to the physician about a patient’s condition and changes if any.
- Use time management skills to complete tasks assigned to them during their shift
- Administering medication as prescribe by physicians
Advantages and disadvantages of being an acute care nurse
If you are passionate about being a nurse, it is good to know the pros and cons of each specialty.
Advantages of acute care nursing
- Impact people’s lives: The best thing about being an acute care nurse is that you see the outcome of you hard work immediately. You might have been helping patients from worsening or maybe recovering, this view is pleasing and you feel proud of your good work.
- Energizing work setting: Working in a busy facility allows a passionate nurse to enjoy the benefits of using skills such as critical and fast thinking, problem solving and flexibility of moving from one duty to the other.
- Interesting learning experience: Being an acute care nurse, you care for a lot of patients with different conditions and you get to learn a lot from them as you will apply different nursing skills to each of them. These patients make your work more engaging and exciting as you serve them.
Disadvantages of acute care nursing
- Long working hours: An acute nurse may be required to work for long hours throughout the week which may affect their family life because it becomes hard to balance work and family. However, most facilities offer you 3-4 days off to rebuild your energy.
- Mental stress: As an acute care nurse with a demanding schedule, you are required to stand for long hours usually 12-14 hours and at time stretching and turning your patients. The level of stress in an acute care setting is higher than that of other professionals and it is not easy to work under such conditions. This goes to an extent where you have to get back on your feet fast in case you lose a patient.
- Increased risk of burn out: The stress of this job can cause high risk of burnout to nurses no matter how dedicated they are to the job. Emotional attachment with patients is good but you have to look after your health as well.
Tips to becoming an acute care nurse
The following are the essential requirements of being an acute care nurse:
1. Nursing certificate
You must first study to become a registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse and apply for a nursing license. Study for a nursing degree for example bachelor’s degree in nursing from a certified institution.
2. Experience
After completing your degree, look for an acute care center so you gain experience. It should take you at least 2 years and experience enable you to develop skills such as communication, critical thinking and flexibility
3. Consider advanced learning
Consider adding other certifications such as Certified Emergency Nurse or Critical Care Registered Nurse.
Conclusion
For you to be an acute care nurse, consider pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing because it offers high level training and growth after completion. The feeling you get after saving people’s live or helping them recover is what keeps you going and loving your career. However, it can get depressing seeing patients you have willingly taken care of worsening or even passing on especially children. An acute nurse should always be prepared to handle any problem because conditions can take a sudden turn at any moment. This job tends to be demanding because the patients involved have critical conditions and are at great risks. A good acute care nurse should possess skills such as flexibility, dependability and quick problem solving. The decision to being an acute care nurse should be driven by passion and willingness to serve people. We hope this guide had provided you with the most vital information you need about acute care nursing.
FAQs
1. What are the roles of nurses in an acute care setting?
Acute care nurses from different age groups in a healthcare facility. Their roles include: assessing the patient, cleaning and dressing wounds and monitoring vital signs in patients. They also administer medication prescribed by physicians.
2. What are acute conditions?
These are sudden and severe attacks of any illness such as asthma or fractured bones.
3. What are the most common acute medical conditions?
The most reported conditions in an acute medical setting are: heart conditions, respiratory conditions, acute illness in elderly adults and gastrointestinal bleeding.
4. What are the top qualities of an efficient acute care nurse?
For an acute care nurse to be considered professional, he/she must have the following qualities: have good communication skills, empathetic, positive mindset, hardworking and knowledgeable as well as maintaining professionalism.