Medical Intensive Care Unit

The Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) is a 24 bed inpatient adult medical intensive care unit located on the south wing of the eleventh floor in the Patient Services Building.

The unit consists of all private ICU capable rooms including two negative isolation rooms. Monitoring capabilities include a Phillips Monitor at each bedside, which provide continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring, pulse oximetry, noninvasive blood pressure and invasive pressure monitoring capabilities.  There is central monitor in the nurse station. Video viewing/monitoring is also present at in the nurse station on 8 patient rooms located distal to the central nurse station.  Care is provided 24 hours per day 7 days per week.  Average bed occupancy is 96%.

Learn more about:

• Descriptions of Patient Populations
• Nursing Care
• Health Care Team

Patient Population and Monitoring

Patients are admitted to MICU from the Emergency Department, from the acute care units and as hospital-to hospital transfers.  Common diagnoses of patients in the MICU include multi-system failure, liver failure (especially those awaiting transplant), GI bleed, sepsis, respiratory failure (especially those with COPD exacerbation, asthma and pneumonia), infectious diseases, diabetic ketoacidois, and cancer.  Patients on this unit include adolescents, adults and older adults.  Average length of stay in the MICU is 3.78 days.

Nursing Care

Nursing care is focused on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation/monitoring of the critically ill adult patient and less critically ill patients.  Special emphasis is placed on the use of critical thinking in the ongoing assessment of the ICU patient. Nurses utilize a multi-disciplinary POC to deliver consistent goal directed care.  Patients and family education and discharge planning are also important components of nursing care delivered in the unit.

Health Care Team

The Medical Director of MICU is a physician who is board-certified in pulmonary medicine.  The faculty and residents provide 24 hour medical care of the ICU patients 7 days per week.  Scheduling of rotations is maintained through the Department of Medicine.  Multidisciplinary, comprehensive care of patients and families is provided by medicine, nursing, social work services, case management, pastoral care, food and nutritional services, pharmacy, rehab services, cardiopulmonary services and other health care providers as indicated by the patient’s health status and identified needs.

Nursing management for the unit includes registered nurses in the positions of Nurse Manager and Nurse Leader. Department of Nursing staff is provided training experiences to attain and maintain competence as defined by the unit/role specific job descriptions and departmental education plan. Unit Clerks provide clerical support and central monitor support for the direct patient caregivers. The Registered Nurse is responsible for guiding care of the patient based upon the individualized plan.  Nursing care delivered by PCAs is coordinated under the direction of the Registered Nurse.