ICU Nurse role...

getoverit, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 22, 2008

disaster preparedness class wants to know how an ICU nurse's role would change? I"ve been through a lot of disaster/mass casualty classes and never been asked that. but in answer, it depends on the hospital's disaster management plan. I'm on a decontamination response team if that need should arise. Mostly it would be different because you would have to assist with the emergency dept. triage and tx, you may or may not have an influx of patients for admission depending on the type of disaster.

A natural disaster such as a hurricane or flood could present with a much different response as opposed to a train derailment with hazardous material exposure in an urban setting or a bus wreck full of school kids on the interstate.

ukstudent · Feb 22, 2008

During a disaster, mass casualty, the ICU nurses are meant to report to the disaster controller by phone to get orders. The ICU's are put on reduced staffing (1 ICU nurse for 6-10 pts) all weaning and titration is stopped, pt's placed on holding orders. All pts that could leave the hospital or get less acute care are moved. All scheduled surgery is stopped. ICU nurses help in the trauma/ER/stagging area to stabilize pts and get them moving to the needed department.

This is a synopsis of what is written in my hospitals disaster preparedness folder.

altusjg · Sep 8, 2010

Hi Can someone please tell what is the role of a rn in florida, do you guys do bedbath, change soiled diaper etc....please let me know...I live in Canada and we do almost everything....which increases our workload......

I'm not sure about Florida but im in Texas and we definately do all those things. I would imagine that you would hear the same from nurses in Florida or just about anywhere else for that matter. As much as we may all wish otherwise it's simply part of the job.