Kenya Registered Critical Care Nursing (KRCCN)

Critical care nursing is the field of nursing with a focus on the utmost care of the critically ill or unstable patients following extensive injury, surgery or life threatening diseases.

Kenya Registered Critical Care Nursing (KRCCN)  programme is a specialty nursing programme focused on the care of unstable, chronically ill or post-surgical patients and those at risk from life-threatening diseases and injuries.

Critical care nurses can be found working in a wide variety of environments and specialties, such as general intensive care units, medical intensive care units, surgical intensive care units, trauma intensive care units, coronary care units, cardiothoracic intensive care units, burns unit, paediatrics and some trauma center emergency departments. These specialists generally take care of critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation by way of endotracheal intubation and/or titratable vasoactive intravenous medications.

A critical care nurse treats patients with acute, even life-threatening injuries or medical issues. The critical care nurse has received specialized training that enables him or her to manage and monitor those patients who are the most seriously ill or injured. To do the job properly, a critical care nurse must have the ability to think and work quickly in stressful conditions and stay alert after many hours of intensive work.

Objectives of Kenya Registered Critical Care Nursing (KRCCN)

This Kenya Registered Critical Care Nursing (KRCCN) programme ensures that the critical care nurse has received specialised training that enables him or her to manage and monitor patients who are seriously ill or injured. 

Upon comleting this Kenya Registered Critical Care Nursing (KRCCN) programme the graduate is expected to be able to:

• Clean and bandage patient wounds.
  
• Track life support equipment such as heart monitors.
• Immediately respond to changes in the patient?s condition.
• Evaluate vital signs such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature.
• Administer medications through an intravenous tube, gastric tube, orally, by injection, or other methods, as determined by the patient?s condition.
• Infuse blood products and monitor patients for reactions.
• Care for the patient?s body immediately after death and arrange for transportation to a hospital, burial facility, or morgue.
• Identify patient needs according to age and level of consciousness and create a care plan to meet them.
• Diagnose patient illnesses and injuries.