Intensive care describes the care that people receive when they suffer from life threatening or acute illnesses. To choose the best intensive care courses, your first step should be to determine which kind of health or medical profession you would like to work in and which kinds of qualifications you already have. A person who is in a graduate nursing program, for example, might take intensive care courses that are more rigorous than those taken by an individual who is training to become a physician's assistant. It also is important to make sure that the intensive care courses you choose can help you to earn the certification you need and that you are able to get some valuable firsthand experience.
Most medical and health professionals who deal directly with patients must undergo some intensive care training. Emergency medical professionals administer intensive care frequently, as do nurses in hospitals. Professionals who work in nursing homes and in mental health facilities commonly are required to have some intensive care training as well.
To choose the best intensive care courses, you first need to know where you are in your career. If you have just entered a medical program, for example, you probably first need to take some basic anatomy courses, as well as classes about illnesses and symptoms related to your field. For example, a person who studies psychiatric intensive care might need to diagnose psychotic and mood disorders. Aspiring cardiologists, on the other hand, take intensive care courses that focus on treating patients who are suffering from heart problems.
Many medical professionals believe that the best intensive care courses are those that provide students with the ability to practice treatments in real time. Some medical students might even treat real intensive care patients under the supervision of established professionals. While classroom training is essential to any intensive care program, it is impossible to master these concepts and practices without applying them to real world scenarios.
In some cases, intensive care courses might be available to people who are not trained medical professionals. For example, a person who works as a customer relations professional in a senior nursing home might need basic intensive care training in order to care for people during emergencies before medical emergency help arrives. If this is training you need, make sure that intensive care courses are official, that they are taught by qualified professionals, and that they can help you to earn whichever license or certification you need.