Critical Care Nurses

Overview

Critical Care Nurses has a national median salary of $97,550 per year, with +5.6% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Support
• Achievement

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
• Monitor patients for changes in status and indications of conditions such as sepsis or shock and institute appropriate interventions.
• 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.
• Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Working with Computers
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Critical Care Nurses:

Video Resources