What Does it Take to Be a Critical Care Nurse?
Occupation Description Provide advanced nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
List of Critical Care Nurse Job Duties
- Ensure that equipment or devices are properly stored after use.
- Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
- Monitor patients’ fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
- Evaluate patients’ vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
- Assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation, or elective cardioversion.
- Provide post-mortem care.
Featured schools near , edit
Skills Needed to be a Critical Care Nurse
These are the skills Critical Care Nurses say are the most useful in their careers:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Other Critical Care Nurse Job Titles
- Critical Care Nurse
- Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse
- Critical Care Unit Manager
- Critical Care Unit Nurse
- Vascular Nurse
Job Opportunities for Critical Care Nurses
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 2,955,200 jobs in the United States for Critical Care Nurse. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 14.8% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 438,000 new jobs for Critical Care Nurse by 2026. The BLS estimates 203,700 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Critical Care Nurse are Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, Wisconsin, or Connecticut. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Critical Care Nurse Salary
Critical Care Nurses make between $50,800 and $106,530 a year.
Critical Care Nurses who work in Hawaii, California, or Oregon, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Critical Care Nurses in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $59,470 |
| Alaska | $89,310 |
| Arizona | $77,000 |
| Arkansas | $60,780 |
| California | $106,950 |
| Colorado | $74,240 |
| Connecticut | $81,220 |
| Delaware | $74,800 |
| District of Columbia | $92,350 |
| Florida | $66,210 |
| Georgia | $68,950 |
| Hawaii | $98,080 |
| Idaho | $67,110 |
| Illinois | $73,890 |
| Indiana | $64,860 |
| Iowa | $59,130 |
| Kansas | $61,030 |
| Kentucky | $63,100 |
| Louisiana | $63,970 |
| Maine | $67,610 |
| Maryland | $76,820 |
| Massachusetts | $92,140 |
| Michigan | $71,330 |
| Minnesota | $78,920 |
| Mississippi | $58,490 |
| Missouri | $65,130 |
| Montana | $67,450 |
| Nebraska | $64,470 |
| Nevada | $85,620 |
| New Hampshire | $72,760 |
| New Jersey | $82,750 |
| New Mexico | $71,730 |
| New York | $85,610 |
| North Carolina | $64,850 |
| North Dakota | $65,740 |
| Ohio | $66,820 |
| Oklahoma | $63,080 |
| Oregon | $91,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,390 |
| Rhode Island | $78,420 |
| South Carolina | $64,940 |
| South Dakota | $58,340 |
| Tennessee | $61,320 |
| Texas | $72,890 |
| Utah | $65,670 |
| Vermont | $69,160 |
| Virginia | $69,790 |
| Washington | $82,670 |
| West Virginia | $61,780 |
| Wisconsin | $71,470 |
| Wyoming | $67,360 |
What Tools & Technology do Critical Care Nurses Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Critical Care Nurses may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Office
- Web browser software
- Word processing software
- Microsoft SharePoint
- MEDITECH software
- Google Drive
- Epic Systems
- Oracle Taleo
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- eClinicalWorks
- e-MDs software
- Allscripts Professional EHR
- SOAPware EMR
- ChartWare EMR
- NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
- SynaMed EMR
- Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
- MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
- Cerner Millennium
- StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
How to Become a Critical Care Nurse
Learn what Critical Care Nurse education requirements there are.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Critical Care Nurse?
Where Critical Care Nurses Are Employed
Critical Care Nurses work in the following industries:
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Career changers with experience as a Critical Care Nurse sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Aleksahgabrielle via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
More about our data sources and methodologies.
GradDegree.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© GradDegree.com – All Rights Reserved.