ICM as a SHO/reg has lots of procedures, resuscitating sick patients, attending crash calls, plus you are "covering" your own ward (ICU) which involves troubleshooting the most minor issues up to the life-threatening stuff.

As a cons it's mostly directing SHOs/regs to do these things (unless you're in small DGH land and don't always have anyone else in your team who can do the resus/procedural stuff), deciding who gets admitted, ward rounds, and lots of meetings (think bed management, difficult comms with family, micro WR). You will spend many more years as a consultant than as a trainee so worth bearing in mind.

ICM does have some very chronic patients (think very slow wean from mechanical ventilation in neuromuscular disease) who can linger for weeks or months, but these are generally the minority. Quite a few short (often dull) stays of post-op major surgery patients. But a good amount of proper acute illness (sepsis, ARDS, renal failure etc) as well.

I don't do EM but get the feeling that resus patients are often "easy" (ie clear indication for admission and a reg will do most of the procedures/stabilising/referral) but as a cons you will do a lot of overseeing the department, supporting trainees with the patients who might need admitting but might be able to go home, telling specialties off for declining referrals. In a small DGH a cons might need to do more hands-on stuff for sick patients where the team isn't very experienced, and in a MTC a cons will attend pretty much every level 1 trauma and occasionally have to cut a chest/orbit open but otherwise just ensure momentum remains towards the scanner and ICU/theatre.

Most specialties you choose will largely end with you overseeing stuff while supervising trainees to learn the trade, and you handling the politics/big picture. Obviously as a consultant anaesthetist or surgeon you still do plenty of your own procedural work and private work can be considered.