- The Senior Registrar Intensivist will provide timely, evidence-based care to critically ill patients under the supervision of the Consultant Intensivist or Consultant Anaesthetist. The role supports daily intensive care unit (ICU) operations, emergency stabilisation, organ support and procedures within assessed competence. The role holder will coordinate care with the multidisciplinary team, supervise junior medical staff within delegated authority, and contribute to teaching, clinical audit and research. The clinical scope includes medical and surgical critical illness, including complications affecting cardiovascular, oncology and haematology patients.
Key Accountabilities And Responsibilities
Clinical patient management
- Assess ICU referrals and newly admitted patients, identify immediate priorities, and discuss admission, transfer and discharge decisions with the supervising consultant.
- Participate in daily multidisciplinary rounds, undertake comprehensive patient reviews, interpret investigations, and implement and reassess consultant-approved management plans.
- Manage sepsis, respiratory failure, shock, acute kidney injury, multiple organ dysfunction and postoperative complications within delegated responsibility, with prompt escalation of deterioration.
- Prescribe and monitor fluids, vasoactive medicines, analgesia, sedation, antimicrobials and blood products in accordance with approved protocols and consultant direction.
- Review daily goals for ventilation, sedation, nutrition, thromboprophylaxis, delirium prevention and mobilisation, in collaboration with nursing and allied health colleagues.
- Maintain accurate and timely electronic medical records, including assessments, treatment changes, escalation decisions, procedure notes, handovers and ICU discharge summaries.
Procedures organ support and emergency care
- Perform airway assessment, bag-mask ventilation and tracheal intubation within documented competence, obtaining senior support promptly for difficult airways or unstable patients.
- Undertake arterial cannulation and central venous access within granted clinical privileges, using ultrasound where trained and direct supervision until competence is confirmed.
- Initiate and monitor invasive and non-invasive ventilation under consultant direction, review blood gases, recognise complications and contribute to agreed weaning plans.
- Monitor patients receiving renal replacement therapy and other advanced organ support, working with the ICU and nephrology teams on prescribed treatment and escalation.
- Assist with chest-drain insertion, dialysis access, bronchoscopy and tracheostomy as indicated, with supervision appropriate to the procedure and assessed competence.
- Provide immediate stabilisation and lead the initial resuscitation response when assigned, while securing consultant support. Complete consent, safety checks, aseptic precautions and post-procedure monitoring.
Collaboration communication and continuity of care
- Coordinate daily care with consultants, junior doctors, ICU nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietitians and other relevant professionals.
- Liaise with emergency, theatre and ward teams on referrals, investigations and transfers, ensuring that proposed admissions and discharges receive appropriate consultant review.
- Provide structured handovers using the hospital-approved format, identifying current problems, organ support, outstanding tasks and agreed escalation plans.
- Update patients and families with empathy and clarity, within the agreed care plan, and participate in consultant-led discussions on prognosis and goals of care.
- Escalate concerns about deterioration, treatment response, staffing, equipment or patient safety promptly to the supervising consultant and relevant operational team.
- Support safe transfer and step-down care through documented plans, appropriate monitoring, medication reconciliation and direct communication with the receiving team.
Quality assurance and clinical governance
- Follow ICU protocols, infection prevention measures, medication safety standards and relevant procedural and transfer checklists.
- Apply and monitor prevention bundles for ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line-associated bloodstream infection and other device-related complications.
- Report incidents, near misses and adverse events promptly, and contribute to case reviews, morbidity and mortality meetings and agreed improvement actions.
- Contribute to data collection and review of ICU outcomes, including mortality, readmissions, ventilation duration and healthcare-associated infections.
- Complete at least one consultant-supervised clinical audit or quality improvement project annually and support implementation and review of resulting actions.
- Use antimicrobials, blood products, investigations and consumables responsibly, applying stewardship principles and escalating shortages that may affect care.
Teaching training and mentorship
- Provide bedside teaching and appropriate day-to-day clinical supervision to junior registrars, medical officers, interns and students assigned to the ICU.
- Contribute to induction of new medical staff and orientation of colleagues to ICU workflows, escalation arrangements and emergency procedures.
- Deliver case presentations, journal clubs, tutorials and simulation sessions relevant to critical care and resuscitation.
- Support multidisciplinary learning with nursing and allied health colleagues on ventilation, airway safety, sepsis recognition and patient monitoring.
- Give constructive feedback and contribute to workplace assessments where authorised, referring formal competency sign-off to designated assessors.
- Maintain a personal learning plan, seek consultant feedback and document clinical exposure, procedures and educational activities in an appropriate portfolio.
Research and professional development
- Support consultant-led research through literature review, protocol preparation, approved data collection and accurate maintenance of study records.
- Obtain required ethics approvals and patient consent before research activity, and protect the confidentiality of patient and research information.
- Develop a supervised research, case-report or quality improvement project relevant to ICU practice and service needs.
- Critically appraise emerging evidence and discuss appropriate changes to practice with the supervising consultant and multidisciplinary team.
- Maintain continuing professional development and current resuscitation certification, and attend relevant departmental educational meetings.
- Where employed within a formally approved residency training arrangement, maintain College registration and complete the required rotations, assessments, logbooks and research milestones.
Qualifications
Qualifications and experience
- MBBS, MBChB or an equivalent primary medical qualification recognised by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
- Full registration with the MDCN and a current annual practising licence within your country of resident.
- A pass in the Part I Fellowship Examination in Anaesthesia of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), or the Membership Examination in Anaesthesia of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS). Any proposed equivalent must be verified for eligibility at Senior Registrar level.
- Certification in Intensive Care Medicine (Intensivist Certification)
- Completion of the prescribed junior residency training in an accredited institution, with documented satisfactory assessments and ICU rotations.
- NYSC discharge or exemption certificate, where applicable.
- Documented hands-on ICU experience in the assessment, resuscitation and continuing care of critically ill patients, supported by a clinical logbook and supervisor references.
- Practical exposure to airway management, mechanical ventilation, invasive monitoring, haemodynamic support and multidisciplinary management of medical and surgical ICU patients.
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) or equivalent Advanced Life Support (ALS) certification.
- Training and assessed competence in point-of-care ultrasound, including vascular access guidance, lung ultrasound or focused cardiac assessment.
- Experience monitoring continuous renal replacement therapy and supporting care following complex cardiovascular or major cancer surgery.
- Experience caring for critically ill oncology or haematology patients, including immunocompromised patients.
- Additional recognised critical care, simulation, trauma or resuscitation training, and evidence of research presentations or publications.