Acute Nurse - Pacific Ocean

The deepest, and largest ocean in the world would welcome an acute nurse as a kindred spirit. How can this be?

Why the Pacific Ocean?

The largest and deepest ocean, described as 'The Peaceful Sea' with occasional tropical storms of great power. Temperatures range from freezing to 30 degrees Celsius.

It appears calm most of the time, with sudden outbursts of frantic activity and tremendous energy. Sailors describe the Pacific Ocean as ‘capable of anything’.

Characteristics of an Acute Nurse

You will enjoy working in an acute setting, where patients tend to stay a short time. You will be passionate about the art of nursing and honing your skills. Your colleagues will be organised, adapting to situations and responding with swift accuracy.

You’re able to deal with rapidly changing situations while remaining calm, and bringing calm to those around them.

You will be a high performance, team player. You enjoy technology and clinical situations and will be dexterous and capable.

You work in exciting unit-based job roles where every action could be critical, and the atmosphere is often adrenalin fuelled. However you will also have long periods where nothing much happens, followed by a burst of activity, so there is a need to be able to remain focused – like a goalkeeper at a top football team. 

The average patient stay is usually brief, so the primary relationship is with the job itself. However there will also be a need for high level emotional engagement - especially with communication with relatives and patients through changing conditions.

There is a strong team ethic, which you will take a great deal of pleasure from. You will probably be uniformed and work shifts. 

Roles for Acute Nurses

Typical roles in this area include: Child and Adult A&E, Triage, A&E Observation, Trauma, Theatre, Renal Unit, ITU, Cardiac Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, CCU (Coronary Care Unit), Acute Respiratory Units, Vascular surgery, Neonatal SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit), MAU (Medical Admissions Unit). Mental health nurses would work in acute admissions/ crisis stabilisation, sectioned patients/ secure forensic short stay.