The ICU team includes the following members:
CCOT: Critical Care Outreach Team
The Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) includes a critical care consultant, registered nurse and respiratory therapist. It responds to medical emergencies on the wards and can be consulted by anyone who is concerned about a patient’s condition.
The CCOT also provides follow-up care for patients after discharge from the Critical Care Unit until the patient’s transition to the ward has stabilized.
Dietitian
The MSICU and CSRU have a dedicated ICU dietitian who manages the unique dietary needs of patients in critical care. The dietician carefully monitors patients' lab results and response to their diet.
Patients who cannot take food by mouth may be fed either directly into the stomach or intestines with a tube, or intravenously.
Leadership
- Patient Care Operations Manager: The operations manager of critical care is accountable for the operating budget and is responsible for managing the human and physical resources required to provide optimal patient care.
- Patient Care Clinical Manager: The clinical manager is accountable for nursing practice and staffing coverage.
Nurses
- Bedside Registered Nurses (RNs): There are over 200 RNs who work full-time, part-time, job share or casual in both the MSICU and CSRU. Every RN in the MSICU is a registered nurse with further training in critical care. Some have further certification from the Canadian Nurses’ Association as Certified Nurses in Critical Care, Canada (CNCC-C). Each RN is assigned to one or two patients during a shift. They are responsible for on-going monitoring of the patient’s condition. RNs provide therapies, co-ordinate care with other members of the team, provide for physical care and comfort, and are a great source of information and support to patients and their families.
- Charge Nurses: Charge nurses are a group of RNs who provide 24-hour coverage for both the Medical-Surgical ICU and Cardiac Surgery Recovery Unit (CSRU). As expert critical care nurses, their role is to facilitate patient flow (e.g., admissions, discharges, etc.), ensure appropriate staffing for patient needs and support the bedside staff. They have many years of critical care experience and are an excellent resource for staff, patients, and families.
- Clinical Nurse Educators: The MSICU and CSRU have three clinical nurse educators. They are critical care RNs, with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree, who specialize in new staff orientation, on-going education, and evidence-based practice for the bedside RNs in the fast paced, ever-changing environment of the MSICU.
- Clinical Nurse Specialist: The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is an advance practice nurse assigned to the MSICU. The clinical focus of the role is to provide continuity and consistency in the plan of care for specific groups of patients, their families, and the Medical-Surgical ICU team. This role also supports Critical Care Nursing Journal Clubs.
Pharmacist
- There is a dedicated pharmacist for the Medical-Surgical ICU. This individual supports the MSICU team with specialized knowledge about the pharmacology and unique challenges of caring for critically ill adult patients.
Physicians
- Physicians who work in the Medical-Surgical ICU include consultants, residents, and consultants from other services. Visit the MSICU physicians' webpage for more information.
Physiotherapists
- Physiotherapists provide prevention and treatment therapies for patients with problems related to acute or chronic respiratory failure, critical illness and immobility.
Personal Support Worker
- Reporting to the Coordinator of the Patient Care area, the PSW, is an unregulated caregiver who is assigned and supervised by a Regulated Healthcare Professional. Their scope of practice includes the provision of care focusing on the patients’ activities of daily living.
Respiratory Therapists
Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRTs) are regulated health care professionals who assess and manage heart and breathing issues. They work as part of the Critical Care team.
Most patients in the MSICU require some support for their breathing. This includes oxygen therapy, and possibly a breathing machine (ventilator). In order to have the machine work, a special airway or tube may have to be inserted by the physicians or the RRTs. The RRTs manage the ventilator in order to make sure the patient is comfortable and respiratory needs are met. RRTs also set-up and maintain the heart and blood pressure monitoring systems and assist in transferring critically ill patients safely throughout the hospital and occasionally to other hospitals as well.
Respiratory therapists work 12-hour shifts and provide 24-hour per day coverage. Each RRT is responsible for a set of assigned patients.
Details
There is a dedicated social worker for Medical-Surgical ICU. This role provides support and counseling for family members, helps organize family conferences with the medical team, and provides referrals to community agencies as needed.
Social workers can help ensure your family has the resources it needs to get through this difficult time.
Spiritual Care
- London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) recognizes spiritual and religious need as a significant element in the holistic care of patients and families. Spiritual Care is a professional service that provides person-centred care by sensitively working with patients, families, partners, faith communities, and other hospital professionals. Visit the Spiritual Care webpage for more information.
Unit Clerks
- There are unit clerks, or otherwise known as communication clerks, who staff our Critical Care Units between 7:00 am-11:00 pm Monday to Friday, and between 7:30 am to 7:30 pm on weekends and holidays. These clerks answer the phones, coordinate the flow of information in the MSICU, and assist with maintaining the charts. Unit clerks are a valuable resource to staff, patients, and families.
Volunteers
The volunteers who staff the ICU waiting room are a valuable bridge between our MSICU staff and our patient’s loved ones. These individuals can help you find your way to the bedside of your loved one or get you in touch with a nurse. Volunteers staff the waiting room most days from noon until 8:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, a volunteer may be able to help!
