Who is who in the ICU
Getting to know the team caring for your loved one may seem overwhelming because there are so many providers. The ICU team is interprofessional, consisting of physicians, nurses, other health professionals and consulting medical teams.
Who are all the doctors taking care of my loved one?
There are several doctors in the ICU with different specialties working together to help and take care of your loved one. The ICU physician team is composed of the following:
- A staff intensivist is a physician specialized in Intensive Care Medicine, who leads the team on a weekly basis, from Thursday morning to the following Thursday morning. They are not at the hospital during the night, but they are on call 24 hours a day.
- An ICU fellow is a doctor who has completed specialty training in anesthesia, surgery, internal medicine or intensive care, and is now doing further training in Critical Care Medicine. Fellows assume medical responsibilities and decision-making under supervision of the staff intensivists. They are on call 24 hours a day.
- Residents are doctors currently training in different medical specialties, and working in the ICU for one or more months at a time. They are responsible for assessing patients, writing orders, and performing procedures under the supervision of the fellows and staff intensivists.
- Physician Consultants. When patients’ medical conditions become extremely complex, intensivists need the help of other specialists who can provide consultation, and help conduct medical investigations and treatments. For example:
- For patients with seizures, a neurologist (brain doctor) will be involved
- For patients with head traumas, a neurosurgeon (brain surgeon) will be involved
- For patients requiring dialysis, a nephrologist (kidney doctor) will be involved
- For patients diagnosed with cancer, an oncologist (cancer doctor) will be involved
Who are the staff taking care of my loved one?
Critical care nurses are registered nurses (RN), specialized in critical care so they can look after patients who are experiencing life-threatening health problems.
Charge nurses manage shift-to-shift unit operations, including staff assignments and transfers of patients in and out of the unit. They assist bedside nurses with problem solving and support them through their shift.
Nursing students training to work in the ICU might be assigned to care for a patient in the ICU. Students will be under constant guidance of an ICU nurse.
Patient Service Partners (PSP)
Patient Service Partners (PSP) help with turning the patients, routinely every 2 hours, or during procedures or personal care. PSPs also provide assistance during physiotherapy treatments, such as helping the patient sit up at the side of the bed and walk around the unit.
Patient Administrative Associates (PAA)
Patient Administrative Associates (PAA) sit at the nursing station, answer calls from the waiting room, and provide access to the ICU for families.
Chaplains are spiritual and emotional care providers, offering support to patients, families, loved ones, caregivers and staff of all faiths and no faith. Critical care chaplains are here to listen and offer compassionate care. There are also quiet spaces available for meditation, reading and worship:
- A Chapel;
- A Synagogue;
- A Muslim Prayer Room (with women’s prayer section). All are located on the ground floor of E wing near the McLaughlin Auditorium. Green spaces at Sunnybrook are available for contemplation and reflection. The critical care chaplain can be reached in person every weekday afternoon, and can be found on the critical care unit. You can also ask the staff to page the chaplain. To leave a non-urgent voice-mail message, please call at 416-480-6100 ext. 2723. Sunnybrook’s on-call chaplains are also available to help, and can be reached at 416-480-6100 ext. 4421 in the evenings and weekends.
Dieticians provide professional advice on food, nutrition and diet. The critical care dietitians guide nutrition therapy, identify patients’ nutrition needs, and develop plans for each patient to make sure they are receiving adequate nutrition for their progress.
Pharmacists review the patients’ medications, and ensure that medications are necessary, effective and safe. They also monitor for side effects and drug interactions, and recommend changes when necessary.
- During your loved one’s stay in the ICU, a pharmacist or another member of the pharmacy team may ask you about medications your family member was taking before being admitted to the hospital.
- If available, you can bring the list of medications and the doses, or you can also provide the pharmacist with the name and phone number of the pharmacy where your family member gets their prescriptions filled.
Physiotherapists play a key role in rehabilitation. They work to restore mobility, address impairments and prevent further decline. In the ICU, patients are assessed by a physiotherapist soon after admission. The physiotherapist carries out a wide variety of treatments including range of motion, strengthening exercises, deep breathing, coughing, and mobilization (e.g. sitting at the edge of the bed, sitting up in a chain, standing, and walking).
- Physical weakness happens when patients lose the strength and size of their muscles as a result of not moving for a period of time. The longer patients stay in bed, the worse and more common their weakness becomes.
- Early mobility in the ICU is one of the most important aspects of the rehabilitation process. Early mobility leads to more independence at hospital discharge, reduced delirium and less time on a breathing machine.
Occupational Therapists (OT) play an important role with patients in the ICUs who are presenting with cognitive, behavioural and functional changes as a result acquired brain injury, delirium, traumatic events, and other causes.
- OTs assist in the early identification/ management of cognitive impairment to implement strategies to improve patients’ overall cognition.
- OTs provide families with education about cognitive impairment and help minimize high risk behaviors.
- Since cognitive and physical impairments can hinder a patient's capacity to participate meaningfully in their own care and therapy treatments, OTs aim to implement treatment plans to optimize patients’ overall physical, cognitive and functional recovery while reducing their overall length of stay in the hospital.
- Occupational therapy treatment in the ICU may include: engaging patients’ in their own identified meaningful activities, cognitive activities, hand therapy/splinting, provision of adaptive devices, range of motion, positioning, and scar management.
Respiratory Therapists (RT) are responsible for managing the breathing machine (ventilator). They also assess the patient’s breathing and develop care plans. Read more about breathing machines.
Social Workers are experts in helping patients and families cope with critical care situations. They can help you connect with community resources and provide support regarding personal, family and financial concerns.
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP)
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) focus on the patient’s swallowing, speech and language capabilities, which can be affected in ICU patients. Prolonged use of a breathing tube (that connects the patient to the breathing machine) and/or tracheostomy tube can contribute to swallowing problems. SLPs may recommend a special diet for your loved one. It is important to follow the ordered modified food and liquid diet that the SLP recommended for the safety of your loved one. SLPs also provide education and counseling about swallowing and communication difficulties to patients and their families. Here are some strategies to communicate with your loved one safely and effectively:
- Using simple tools, such as an alphabet board, can make a positive difference in a patient’s ability to communicate with family members and participate in their own care.
- Communicating using simple words can help avoid added frustration for the patient.
- Connecting with the patient may include just sitting at the bedside and holding his or her hand. A familiar face, touch, or voice can be comforting to the patient.
Back to Main
Location and contact
Critical Care Medicine
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Avenue,
D-wing, 1st floor
room D1 08
Toronto, ON M4N 3M5
Phone: 416-480-4522
Fax: 416-480-4999
For information about patients admitted to Sunnybrook's Intensive Care Units, please contact the unit through the hospital switchboard at 416-480-6100
Sunnybrook ICU pamphlets
coming soon
Not everyone speaks English as their first language. The Intensive Care – Downloadable Patient Information is accessible in 19 languages.
