Description
Provide specialized care for critically ill neurological and neurosurgical patients in a Neuro ICU, delivering continuous neurological assessment, advanced monitoring, and complex interventions.
- • Assess psychosocial status and needs, including sleep, anxiety, grief, anger, and support systems.
- • Collaborate with neurology, neurosurgery, neurointerventional, and interdisciplinary teams to develop and revise plans of care.
- • Collect specimens, including blood, urine, and CSF from EVDs when ordered.
- • Compile and analyze data from monitoring or diagnostic tests, including ICP/CPP trends, EEG, and neuroimaging results.
- • Supervise and mentor unit nursing staff and support personnel.
- • Identify age- and neuro-specific needs and adjust care plans accordingly.
- • Provide post-mortem care.
- • Evaluate neurological status, vital signs, and labs to determine emergent intervention needs.
- • Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic neurocritical care procedures based on clinical status (e.g., EVD leveling/zeroing, ICP waveform checks).
- • Administer blood and blood products, monitoring for transfusion reactions.
- • Administer medications via IV, enteral, or other routes, including antiepileptics, hyperosmolar therapy, vasopressors, and antihypertensives.
- • Advocate for patients and families and provide emotional support.
- • Set up and monitor equipment such as ICP monitors, external ventricular drains, EEG, cardiac monitors, and mechanical ventilators.
- • Monitor fluid balance, electrolytes, and sodium targets to detect emerging problems.
- • Monitor for neurological deterioration, increased ICP, herniation, vasospasm, sepsis, or shock and initiate appropriate interventions.
- • Assess pain and sedation needs, using sedation interruptions for neuro exams when appropriate.
- • Conduct pulmonary assessments with attention to airway protection and abnormal neuro-respiratory patterns.
- • Document medical histories and comprehensive neurological assessments (e.g., GCS, pupils, NIHSS).
- • Document treatment plans, interventions, outcomes, and plan revisions.
- • Identify patients at risk of complications due to nutritional status or dysphagia and coordinate enteral feeding as indicated.
- • Prioritize nursing care for neurocritical patients based on acuity, ICP/CPP goals, and identified needs.
- • Assist providers with procedures such as lumbar puncture, EVD insertion/care, endotracheal intubation, and stroke thrombolysis administration or thrombectomy preparation.
- • Ensure equipment and devices are properly maintained and stored after use.
- • Identify and troubleshoot malfunctioning equipment or devices, especially neuro-monitoring systems.
- • Assess family coping and adaptation and initiate support or referrals as needed.
- • Coordinate patient care conferences, including goals-of-care and discharge planning.
- • Participate in neurocritical care education, certifications, and professional organizations to maintain competencies.
- • Contribute to development, review, or evaluation of Neuro ICU nursing protocols and care pathways (e.g., stroke, TBI, SAH).
- • Plan, provide, or evaluate neuro-focused education for staff, interdisciplinary teams, or community members.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
