Intensive Care Society

6-12 June 2022 was Intensive Care Week, celebrating intensive care as a specialty and all the brilliant people who work within it.

It marked our 52nd birthday and was a perfect opportunity to show off all the excellent reasons to choose intensive care as a career.

In 2021 our community you told us what they love about their work ICU, on in 2022 year we asked why they think others should choose a career in intensive care too. We shared stories from our Professional Advisory Groups, hosted a podcast by our nurses, and shared everyone's reasons for choosing ICU across our social media channels. 

We loved hearing and reading everyone's stories, and you can check them out below.

Stories from our Professional Advisory Groups

Caring for the sickest patients in our hospitals takes a large and diverse team of multi-professionals. Our members are doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and all other allied healthcare professionals who make up the ICU team.

There are many great reasons to start a career in intensive care, and plenty of things to love the job. But why take it from us? Hear from some of our members about what an average day looks like, why love working in ICU, and why they think you will too.

ST7 ICM Trainee
"We see people on the worst day of their lives, but with the support of my team we can make a huge impact and hopefully turn that round from the worst day to the best day when we discharge you."

Read Emma's story.

Clinical Specialist Critical Care Pharmacist
"I really enjoy the multi-professional team, the opportunities to learn and bounce ideas. I love teaching and developing others, and the feeling of actually making a difference in a patient’s hospital journey."

Read Rebecca's story.

Physiotherapy Service Lead
"My favourite part of my job is seeing patients progress. Physical rehabilitation is obviously very important, but more and more we are improving our holistic care approach, incorporating personal preferences and interests in our treatments with long term patients. "

Read Allaina's story.

Advanced Practitioner in Critical Care
"ICU can be a 'high octane' environment that’s tense, unpredictable, changeable and unprecedented. However, it can provide you with endless opportunities as a member of an extensive multi-professional team."

Read Sadie's story.

ST7 ICM Trainee
"We don’t often get to see people who have recovered from their critical illness but it really lifts the team when we get to see how we can impact people lives and get them better."

Read Fran's story.

Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist
"My favourite part of my job is the therapy team I work with who are all so passionate and motivated to provide early patient focussed rehabilitation."

Read Carmel's story.

Team Lead Physiotherapist
"The best part of my job is the opportunities to develop in multiple areas of my practice, and for the team to develop too."

Read Rebekah's story.

If you'd like to tell your story we'd love to hear it. Follow the link below to complete our submission form.

Tell your story  

Our Intensive Care Week Podcast

A career as an intensive care nurse can start in many ways and it can take you anywhere. From outreach, to research, to care by the bedside, if there’s one thing our Nurses Professional Advisory Group agree on it’s that it's all about the patients.

To celebrate Intensive Care Week 2022 four members of our Nurses Professional Advisory Group, Michaela Jones, Liz Staveacre, Pam Ramsay and Graham Brant, sat down to chat about how they came to be nurses in intensive care, and the contributions they feel they can make in their differing and varied careers.

It’s a great listen, full of insight into their profession, its future, and all the places it can take you. You can check it out at the button below, or wherever you get your podcasts by searching for ICS Radio in your podcast app.

Listen now

Your Pictures

During Intensive Care Week 2022 we asked you to share the reasons you think others should work in ICU. We loved watching your reasons rolling through during the week, and want to thank everyone who download our selfie card, and shared their images by tagging @ics_updates and using the hashtag #ICUWeek2022.

We shared quite a few across our social media channels, but you find them all at the button below.

Check them out!

Step up to support intensive care

For all those not working in ICU, there's a simple way for you to get involved this Intensive Care Week. This year we're asking you to step into the shoes of an ICU professional and match the number of steps they'd walk during an average shift during the pandemic.

At the height of their work during Covid-19 intensive care professionals walked about 30,000 steps per shift, so we're challenging supporters to match this during Intensive Care Week while raising money to help us support intensive care.

Find out how you can get involved.

Step up!