The RJH HAU (8 beds) and VGH HAU (6 beds) are critical care units that are part of the critical care continuum and provides an intensity of care that is intermediate between that of a ward/unit level care and the ICU. The healthcare expectation is that admission to the HAU can restore acutely ill patients to a level of health that is acceptable to them. Patients most likely to benefit from HAU care have potentially reversible acute life threatening illnesses. Admission to the HAU assumes that there is an associated improvement in morbidity or mortality when compared to the care received on the hospital ward. This improvement may be a consequence of more intensive monitoring, increased nursing care, and access to broader therapeutic interventions as compared to general wards. ​

The clinical rotation in the HAU provides the Pharmacy Resident with training and experience in the various aspects of critical care pharmacotherapy. The rotation is based in the High Acuity Units at the Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH), Victoria General Hospital (VGH), or the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). Patients present with various medical and surgical issues – RJH and NRGH provide greater representation of cardiac and chronic renal failure populations, whereas VGH provides greater representation of neurosurgery and trauma populations.

The HAU team typically consists of critical care physicians (rotating weekly), registered nurses, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, dieticians, social workers, chaplains, and the clinical pharmacists. Multidisciplinary students and residents are regular participants in all of the units, and members of the HAU team are eager to provide teaching in their respective areas of expertise. The majority of rotation time is spent on direct patient care activities, including but not limited to active participation in daily patient care rounds. The remainder of the time is comprised of working on assigned projects and/or presentations and participating in scheduled therapeutic discussions. The resident is provided with informal feedback on a daily basis and is formally assessed at the rotation midpoint and at the end of rotation.