Levels I, II, III

Published

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Is level III better than level I when referring to ICU's ?

Or does it go the other way with a level I being the best?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

LIII NICUS are higher level so I'm assuming adult ICUs are the same.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, Flight.

Not sure about ICU's... level 1 trauma centers are the best over 2 & 3... Level 1 means trauma surgeon, OR staff, anesthesia etc are all in house 24/7 and specialty docs ie... neuro, cardiothoracic can be there asap if needed. Level 2 and 3 means they are close by and can get to the facility quickly. That's how it is in my facility.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, L&D, Home Health.

I work in a level I ICU- we're a trauma center. The last one I worked at was a level II, we'd get patients from rural counties that had Level III ICUs, but we never had big neuro patients or traumas like we do here. The level system was explained to me as being the number of different specialties you have on-call 24/7. It can be hard to be a Level I because they have to pay the docs on-call pay and it can get expensive to have that larger number of specialties. For traumas, you need a lot of specialties because you never know who you'll have to call in for a really bad case.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Thanks Ophelia. It's funny because all your specialties are EXACTLY what I want to try during my nursing career.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment