Table 1.

Obstacles to establishing critical care nursing.

Lack of hospital and nursing administration understanding of nursing role in critical care

Lack of funding for specialized training

Inability to provide adequate staffing for ICU nurse to patient ratios

The traditional role of nurses in the hospital including level of education, experience in critical care, cultural norms, and comfort surrounding communication with and respectfully challenging a physician’s orders

Inadequate compensation to encourage retention

Allowing nurses who are fully trained and invested to be allowed to remain in the pediatric intensive care units without frequent rotation and reassignment

The need for well-trained nurses to work as preceptors and mentors to new staff