The Medical Step-Down Unit (MSD) is a 12-bed unit that provides an intermediate level of care between the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Medical-Surgical Unit. The unit serves patients with a variety of diagnoses, including Rapid Response patients who have deteriorated on medical surgical floors, renal failure, advanced respiratory illness, gastrointestinal bleeding, alcohol withdrawal, pulmonary hypertension, sepsis, medication overdoses, end-of-life care, and mental status changes of unknown origin. Nurses in this unit perform critical care assessments, patient education, cardiac monitoring, hemodynamic monitoring, and manage high-risk medication initiation and titration. The unit requires nurses to be oriented in the MICU, ACLS certified, and to attend a 15-week intensive course for critical care nursing. Collaboration with interdisciplinary teams is essential to provide care for these patient populations, with the goal of stabilizing sick patients with chronic and complex needs and promoting wellness. Patients may transfer out of the MSD to a Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) environment or to the medical/surgical floor.
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Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees