Educational Material

Top 5 Priorities for a New ICU Director During the First Year

 

During the first year, the ICU director should take a snapshot of the ICU situation and invest time and resources to acquire good and real data that will drive priorities of care and management. After that, implementation of basic protocols and creating a program to engage and protect the staff against burnout should be considered. Finally, we suggest integrating research and educational activities into the ICU routine.

Introduction

The role of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) director represents both a tremendous opportunity and a huge responsibility. One important question is “how to prioritize actions” in case you were promoted in your own institution or if you were hired and don’t know much about your new team and the new environment. In this brief review, we suggest the top five priorities for a new ICU director during the first year.

A snapshot: institutional culture, your introduction, a diagnosis of ICU structure, staff, process, and outcomes

The institutional culture can be defined as the purposes, actions, and values that drive the organization to meet its goals. It is crucial that as a new manager you understand the organization’s culture and are aligned with these values. After that, if you decide to go ahead, it is important to introduce yourself to the team. A formal meeting to present your goals focusing on transparency and tangible objectives is recommended. If you are new in the institution it is important to use the first weeks to observe and learn about the environment, the unit’s business and to create connections with key stakeholders and other institutional leaders (inside and outside the ICU) (Nguyen 2018).

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