Abstract
Objective: To report the role of nurses in an adult intensive care unit (ICU) for patients with COVID-19 in a public referral hospital in the south of the country. Experience report: This is a descriptive, narrative, experience report type study, referring to the nurse's performance in intensive care unit in the COVID-19 pandemic in a public reference hospital in Porto Alegre, RS-Brazil in May to August 2020. In nursing care for critically ill patients with COVID-19, we are faced with a new reality of care in intensive care nursing services. The admission of patients to the ICU requires the use of a range of technical-scientific interventions, given the physiological instability and health risks presented. Faced with this scenario, it is necessary to know technologies and knowledge about the care to patients with COVID-19 in order to guide our assistance in evidence-based care. Final considerations: The COVID-19 pandemic brought enormous challenges for nursing teams in terms of changes in care practices and readjustments in work management. Therefore, it is necessary to equip professionals with knowledge about the new coronavirus and provide adequate work environments.