Staffing the Intensive Care Unit

The ideal ratio of staff to patients largely depends on the intensity of patient management. The subspecialty of intensive care medicine has grown in sophistication in response to demands from the public and from within the profession. The unit specifically dedicated to critical/intensive care differs from the emergency room in that there are fewer non-life-threatening emergency patients, and therefore less dilution of staff away from critically ill cases. The American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care is a specialty organization that promotes advancement and high standards of practice for veterinarians involved in veterinary emergency and critical care. Specialty certification is available for both clinicians and nurses in the field of emergency and critical care. The nursing staff must implement most aspects of patient care and should be encouraged to demonstrate initiative and a logical, critical thought process.