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What Does it Take to Be a Critical Care Nurse?

Critical Care Nurse Example Provide advanced nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.

Life As a Critical Care Nurse

  • 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.
  • Identify patients at risk of complications due to nutritional status.
  • Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.
  • Advocate for patients’ and families’ needs, or provide emotional support for patients and their families.
  • Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.

Critical Care Nurse Needed Skills

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.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Types of Critical Care Nurse Jobs

  • Intensive Care Registered Nurse (Intensive Care RN)
  • Telemetry Nurse
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse
  • Vascular Nurse
  • ICU Nurse (Intensive Care Unit Nurse)

Critical Care Nurse Employment Estimates

There were about 2,955,200 jobs for Critical Care Nurse in 2016 (in the United States). 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.

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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.

Average Critical Care Nurses Salary

The average yearly salary of a Critical Care Nurse ranges between $50,800 and $106,530.

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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 do Critical Care Nurses Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Critical Care Nurses:

  • Microsoft Office
  • Web browser software
  • Word processing software
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • MEDITECH software
  • Google Drive
  • Epic Systems
  • Oracle Taleo
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • eClinicalWorks
  • Allscripts Professional EHR
  • SOAPware EMR
  • e-MDs software
  • ChartWare EMR
  • NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
  • Cerner Millennium
  • MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
  • SynaMed EMR
  • Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
  • Amkai AmkaiCharts

How to Become a Critical Care Nurse

What education or degrees do I need to become a Critical Care Nurse?

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Critical Care Nurse?

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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.

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