A day in the life of a Critical Care Associate Practitioner
By Michelle Curtain, Critical Care Associate Practitioner, Southampton Cardiac ICU.
As an associate practitioner in critical care, I am responsible for the 1-1 care of a patient within the intensive care unit following emergency or planned cardiac surgery, under the support of a registered nurse. Every day is different and each one brings new challenges. One day I can have a patient who is one day post op from a cardiac surgery and is ready to be discharged to the HDU and the next day I could have a long-term patient who is ventilated via tracheostomy and is on a complex respiratory and rehabilitation programme. Although I do not care for the “sickest” of ICU patients such as those on haemofiltration or immediately post-op, the patients I do care for still require careful nursing care and observations and they have the potential to deteriorate very quickly.
In the morning, we have a team huddle with our “pod” to give a brief handover of our patients and plans for the day including planned procedures and discharges. At this point I would discuss what infusions my patient is on and what is due during the shift. Although I am responsible for the care of my patient, the registered nurse I am working next to oversees as well and takes on some parts of my patient’s care including the preparation and delivery of medication infusions. This requires a lot of communication between me and other team members. It can sometimes feel like I am bothering another member of staff by asking for their assistance to give medications however I always offer to do something in return – reposition their patient or take an arterial blood gas for instance. This has helped create great working relationships.
The rest of the day varies greatly depending on the patient and their needs. It could include taking arterial blood gases, removal of chest drains and invasive lines, assisting physiotherapy teams with rehab, giving medications, daily assessments, providing nutrition and hourly observations.
Some days I will care for the same patient for the entire 12- hour shift. Other days I can discharge a patient and then take over the care of another patient. Some days there are not always patients that are suitable for me to look after due to the acuity of the patients on the unit. During these shifts, I support both the HCA team and the registered nurses. Having started as an HCA in critical care, I know the role well so I can assist the team with discharges and preparing for admissions. I can also assist the unit nurses with caring for their patients or relieving them for much needed breaks.
My role within critical care is currently part time as I also have a seconded role within the education team providing clinical teaching to new HCAs within the Trust. There are so many opportunities as an associate practitioner to develop professionally in both clinical and non-clinical areas. It is constantly developing, and I am always learning new skills. I feel like part of the nursing team and not “just a band 4”. It is a role that I would encourage anyone to pursue.