| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Head of Department (Clinical) |
| Direct reports | Senior Resident Doctor, Resident Medical Officer, Respiratory Therapist |
| Experience | 3 to 8 years of ICU work, including 2 or more years as an intensivist |
Intensivist job description template
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Job title: Intensivist
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Head of Department (Clinical)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Intensivist is the specialist in charge of critically ill patients in the ICU: sepsis, respiratory failure, shock, multi-organ failure and patients recovering from major surgery. They lead ICU rounds, manage ventilators, lines and drugs that support failing organs, decide ICU admissions and discharges, and hold difficult conversations about prognosis. A good intensivist keeps infections and complications low, uses ICU beds for patients who will benefit, and gives families honest updates every day.
Key responsibilities
- Lead morning and evening ICU rounds, setting daily goals for ventilation, sedation, fluids, antibiotics, nutrition and mobilisation for each patient.
- Decide ICU admissions and step-down transfers with the referring consultants, based on need and the chance of benefit.
- Manage invasive ventilation, non-invasive ventilation and high-flow oxygen, including weaning trials and extubation decisions.
- Insert and look after central lines, arterial lines and other devices using infection-prevention bundles.
- Treat sepsis and septic shock with early antibiotics, fluids and vasopressors according to the hospital's sepsis protocol.
- Lead the rapid response and code blue team for deteriorating patients anywhere in the hospital.
- Meet families daily about the patient's condition and outlook, including end-of-life care discussions where appropriate.
- Review device infections, pressure injuries and ICU readmissions with the infection control and nursing teams.
- Supervise ICU residents, duty doctors and respiratory therapists, and teach procedures and ventilator management.
- Arrange dialysis, bronchoscopy, imaging and specialist opinions for ICU patients without delay.
Requirements
- DM, DrNB or IDCCM in Critical Care, or MD in Anaesthesia, Medicine or Pulmonary Medicine with critical care training
- Valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- FNB in Critical Care or EDIC is an advantage
- 3 to 8 years of ICU work, including 2 or more years as an intensivist
KRAs and KPIs for a Intensivist
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Device infections | Ventilator and central line infections per 1,000 device days within the infection control targets each quarter |
| ICU readmission | Readmission to ICU within 48 hours of transfer out below 5 percent |
| Sepsis care | Antibiotics started within 1 hour of sepsis recognition in 90 percent of cases |
| Rapid response | Rapid response team at the bedside within 5 minutes of the call |
| Family communication | A documented family update every day for 100 percent of ICU patients |
| Bed use | Patients ready for step-down moved out of ICU within 12 hours |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: ICU ventilators, Multipara monitors, Point-of-care ultrasound, Blood gas analyser, Infusion and syringe pumps, Bronchoscope, CRRT machine.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of Department (Clinical), Clinical Director
Interview questions for a Intensivist
- The ICU has one bed and two referrals: a young man with pneumonia and an 80-year-old with a massive stroke. How do you decide?
- Take me through weaning a patient off the ventilator after a week of ARDS.
- Your central line infection rate rose this quarter. What would you look at first?
- How do you tell a family that more ventilation will not help their father?
- When would you start dialysis in a septic patient?
- How do you get ward teams to call the rapid response team early rather than late?
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What does an intensivist do?
An intensivist looks after critically ill patients in the intensive care unit. They manage ventilators, drugs that support blood pressure, dialysis and other life support, treat sepsis and organ failure, perform procedures such as central lines, decide who needs ICU care and keep families informed about progress and outlook.
What is the difference between an intensivist and an anaesthetist?
An anaesthetist mainly gives anaesthesia and manages patients during surgery and recovery. An intensivist manages critically ill patients in the ICU over days or weeks. Many intensivists in India begin as anaesthetists or physicians and then train in critical care through DM, DrNB, IDCCM or fellowship courses.
What qualification is needed to become an intensivist in India?
An intensivist usually holds an MD or DNB in anaesthesia, medicine, pulmonary medicine or emergency medicine, followed by critical care training such as a DM or DrNB in Critical Care, IDCCM or an FNB. Hospitals also look for ACLS certification and several years of ICU experience.