• Susan I Liu, Andrew Greenway, Kathryn Sobocinski, Anjile An, Robert J Winchell, and Philip S Barie.
• Susan I. Liu is a nurse clinician, Department of Nursing, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 2024 Mar 1; 33 (2): 140144140-144.

BackgroundDuring the first COVID-19 pandemic wave, non-intensive care unit (non-ICU) nurses were deployed to temporary ICUs to provide critical care for the patient surge. A rapid critical care training program was designed to prepare them to care for patients in either temporary or permanent ICUs.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of this training program in preparing non-ICU nurses to provide critical care for COVID-19 patients in temporary ICUs.MethodsA survey was used to evaluate the impact of rapid critical care training on nurses' critical care skills and compare the experiences of nurses deployed to temporary versus permanent ICUs. Data were analyzed with χ2 and Spearman ρ tests with α = .05.ResultsCompared with nurses in other locations, nurses deployed to temporary ICUs were less likely to report improved capability in managing mechanical ventilation; infusions of sedative, vasoactive, and paralytic agents; and continuous renal replacement therapy. Nurses in temporary ICUs also reported being less prepared to care for critically ill patients (all P < .05).ConclusionsThe rapid training program provided basic critical care knowledge for nurses in temporary ICUs, but experiences differed significantly between those deployed to temporary versus permanent ICUs. Although participants believed they provided safe care, nurses with no critical care experience cannot be expected to learn comprehensive critical care from expedited instruction; more formal clinical support is needed for nurses in temporary ICUs. Rapid critical care training can meet emergency needs for nurses capable of providing critical care.©2024 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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