What can I expect from a critical care unit?

The world of critical care is complex and varies greatly based on your or your loved ones' illness and the type of care required. Critical care units can go from calm to incredibly busy, noisy, and intense when a medical emergency occurs. A large amount of staff tends to work in even a small ICU and you can expect to see several new individuals every day. 

Overall, an ICU is a place that is laser-focused on the recovery of patients. Many people find them very similar to how an operating room looks on television: clean, sterile, sparse, and with large amounts of medical equipment. There are few comforts of home such as bathrooms, televisions, or eating areas. Once a patient has recovered from their period of critical illness, they will be transferred to a traditional hospital floor that has more features of a hotel room and less in common with an operating room.