The Critical Care areas of Mercy Medical Center consist of 24 beds; 14 are Intensive Care (ICU) and eight are Intermediate Care (IMC) beds. The Intensive Care Unit is a combined unit providing the care for surgical, medical, cardiac or neurological patients. We utilize pulmonary artery catheters, arterial lines, central venous catheters, cranial intra-ventricular catheters, and ventilators in the ICU. The patients in IMC are primarily surgical and this unit does accept arterial lines and central venous pressure monitoring. All rooms are equipped for hemodialysis, and we are equipped for negative pressure isolation. There is an intensivist dedicated to the ICU at all times. The intensivist medically manages all patients except some surgical patients. We do not utilize medical residents in the ICU or IMC, except for surgical services. We have an all RN staff and, as a resource, we use Critical Care Technicians (CCT). The CCT may assist you with vital signs, I&O's, foley insertions, suctioning, 12 lead ECG's, peripheral blood draws, and ADL's. Each unit also has a Patient Services Representative (PSR). The PSR will transcribe orders, place phone calls, and enter computer requests for you. Also as a resource, the ICU also has a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). The CNS will coordinate your personalized orientation with a preceptor. For new graduates, we offer our new Critical Care Internship which includes class time along with clinical experience. Mercy functions under the Shared Governance model, and the nursing staff plays a very important role in managing the critical care areas. We have a nursing led Governance Council which develops all policies, procedures and protocols. The Nursing Governance Council works very closely with the Intensivist group to ensure the highest quality care. In addition, there is a Nursing Quality Improvement Council, and a Scheduling Committee for computerized, self scheduling. We also are fortunate to have a very strong Advanced Clinical Nurse group. The members of this group are bachelor's prepared, critical care certified nurses who work alongside the CNS in maintaining competency and providing education. We use state of the art equipment, including a Hewlett Packard Veridia monitoring system. All supplies are centrally located on supply carts which are stocked daily by Central Supply. Each room has a "Herman Miller" brand supply cart which is stocked twice daily by our Critical Care Technicians (CCT). Mercy Medical Center uses the Meditech computer system for a large amount of tasks. The ICU/IMC at Mercy Medical Center is a great place to begin, or enhance your nursing career. We pride ourselves on our outstanding quality care provided by our outstanding nursing staff.