Critical Care

Our ICU offers multidisciplinary critical care that manages medical, orthopedic and general surgery patients. To meet the complex needs of ICU patients, the team includes health care providers throughout New England Baptist Hospital:

• Intensivist. This physician specializes in critical care medicine and is the physician primarily responsible for all patients admitted to the ICU.
• Hospitalists. These physicians provide on-site night coverage to all ICU patients. They work under the direction of the intensivist.
• Nurse manager. This ICU-trained registered nurse (RN) oversees the patient care provided by the ICU nurses.
• ICU nurse educator. This ICU-trained RN ensures each nurse has the knowledge, skills and professional manner to care for our ICU patients.
• Physician specialists. These doctors specialize in a variety of fields such as cardiology, infection control, pulmonology, hematology and endocrinology. They consult with other specialists whenever necessary.
• ICU nurses. Clinical nurses are responsible for delivering patient care around the clock, while collaborating with all other members of the team.
• Respiratory therapists. These specialists care for all patients who require advanced respiratory management.
• Registered pharmacist. They visit each patient every morning along with the ICU team. The pharmacist assists the intensivist and nurses, performing a comprehensive review of medications and consulting on all pharmacologic issues.
• Nursing assistant. They help nurses perform daily patient care, such as bathing, toileting and walking.
• Physical therapists. This team aims to begin physical therapy (PT) as soon as the intensivist clears the patient for it. 
• Case managers. These RNs follow each patient’s care plan and actively work with the intensivist and nurses to monitor the patient’s progress. The case manager also facilitates the patient’s transfer once they are ready to move out of the ICU to another level of care.
• Lab and radiology personnel. These technicians are available to do bloodwork or imaging tests as needed.
• Nutritionist. This member of the staff works with the care team to address all nutritional needs to help manage medical conditions. 

We are committed to your health and safety as a patient in our care. One way we carry out this commitment is by maintaining a low nurse-to-patient ratio.

A low ratio means that we limit the number of patients that each RN cares for during each shift. Each ICU RN cares for two patients (at most) when on duty, often only one patient for each nurse. This allows us to be fully attentive to your needs. See below for data about our RN staffing ratios from the past several years.

Learn more about our commitment to patient safety and quality.