A critical care technician is a relatively new job title that describes a group of unrelated tasks or chores that must be completed in a critical care or intensive care unit (ICU). In such a high-pressure environment, these tasks and chores have always required time and attention. Previously, they were the responsibility of the registered nurses on the unit (RNs). Those tasks that did not require a registered nurse’s education or clinical skills were quickly delegated to nursing assistants as the number of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) grew. To work as a critical care technician, you must be willing and able to perform non-clinical tasks in an intensive care unit.
A high school diploma or a general educational development (GED®) certificate is all that is required to work as a critical care technician. Critical care technicians, for example, are untrained and unlicensed in any paraprofessional or professional healthcare field, such as CNAs or RNs. Their only training may consist of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a brief introduction to their assigned unit and the hospital as a whole. As a result, their interaction with patients is restricted by their employer’s policies. While some facilities allow critical care technicians to assist patients with postural changes or activities of daily living (ADLs), others forbid any physical contact with patients.
The position of critical care technician is simply not recognized in the majority of Western hospitals. CNAs take on some of the responsibilities of a critical care technician, while other departments are in charge of other tasks. Restocking supply carts or linen carts, for example, is one of the critical care technicians’ responsibilities in those facilities that use them. A central supply technician might restock supply carts while a hospital laundry employee restocks the unit’s linen cart in hospitals that don’t have this separate title. The unit secretary is usually in charge of clerical duties and paperwork.
The majority of critical care technician jobs appear to be offered by large medical facilities or organizations affiliated with the US federal government. Applying to large medical centers or veterans hospitals instead of smaller community hospitals may help a job seeker become a critical care technician. An applicant’s previous work experience in the medical field may also help them become a critical care technician.