Critical Care Nurses: Career Overview
Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
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What Do Critical Care Nurses Do?
Typical responsibilities of critical care nurses cover:
- 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.
- Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.
- Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
- Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful critical care nurses combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- CCU RN (Cardiac Care Unit Registered Nurse)
- CCU RN (Coronary Care Unit Registered Nurse)
- CCU RN (Critical Care Unit Registered Nurse)
- CVICU RN (Cardiac ICU Registered Nurse)
- CVICU RN (Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse)
- Certified Critical Care Nurse
- Critical Care Nurse (CCN)
- Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
How Many Critical Care Nurses Are There?
There are roughly 516,210 critical care nurses working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +14.4% over the projection horizon.
Critical Care Nurses Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $65,103 |
| Hourly median | $31.30 |
| 10th percentile | $36,828 |
| 25th percentile | $50,966 |
| 75th percentile | $79,241 |
| 90th percentile | $93,378 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Critical Care Nurses Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $140,330 |
| Hawaii | $136,320 |
| Oregon | $123,990 |
| Washington | $112,180 |
| Alaska | $110,690 |
| New York | $105,600 |
| District of Columbia | $104,550 |
| New Jersey | $102,730 |
| Nevada | $101,990 |
| Massachusetts | $101,970 |
| Connecticut | $101,590 |
| Minnesota | $100,870 |
| Rhode Island | $99,960 |
| Arizona | $96,890 |
| Maryland | $96,830 |
| New Hampshire | $96,830 |
| Colorado | $96,520 |
| Delaware | $92,610 |
| Texas | $90,010 |
| Virginia | $88,820 |
| New Mexico | $88,260 |
| Pennsylvania | $87,610 |
| Georgia | $86,560 |
| Illinois | $86,410 |
| Idaho | $86,100 |
| Wisconsin | $86,070 |
| Michigan | $85,670 |
| Vermont | $85,150 |
| Maine | $82,860 |
| Florida | $82,850 |
| Utah | $82,270 |
| North Carolina | $81,860 |
| Wyoming | $81,790 |
| Montana | $81,560 |
| Ohio | $81,250 |
| Oklahoma | $81,160 |
| Nebraska | $81,020 |
| Indiana | $80,740 |
| West Virginia | $79,990 |
| Kentucky | $79,910 |
| South Carolina | $79,900 |
| Missouri | $79,770 |
| Tennessee | $79,030 |
| Louisiana | $78,880 |
| North Dakota | $78,260 |
| Kansas | $78,060 |
| Arkansas | $77,130 |
| Iowa | $76,960 |
| Mississippi | $74,470 |
| Virgin Islands | $73,890 |
| Alabama | $71,040 |
| South Dakota | $69,510 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,780 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for critical care nurses differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $132,415 | 14.5% | 0.87 |
| New England | $98,890 | 5.4% | 1.14 |
| Middle Atlantic | $98,793 | 15.7% | 1.04 |
| Southwest | $90,333 | 11.4% | 0.91 |
| Rocky Mountains | $89,709 | 3.3% | 0.84 |
| Great Lakes | $84,078 | 15.6% | 1.10 |
| Plains States | $84,012 | 7.7% | 1.13 |
| Southeast | $81,528 | 25.6% | 1.05 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $208,940 | 21,460 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $192,470 | 4,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $188,020 | 40,750 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $178,900 | 1,610 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $172,390 | 3,770 |
| Modesto, CA | CA | $169,460 | 5,260 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $169,210 | 23,400 |
| Yuba City, CA | CA | $144,220 | 1,070 |
Top Industries Employing Critical Care Nurses
The bulk of critical care nurses work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,790,380 | $93,170 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 134,180 | $95,870 |
| Educational Services | 89,070 | $74,360 |
| Finance and Insurance | 48,100 | $89,650 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 21,530 | $95,070 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14,310 | $96,360 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 4,750 | $80,060 |
| Retail Trade | 4,500 | $94,880 |
Below are examples of industries where critical care nurses work:
Software Critical Care Nurses Use
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of critical care nurses tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Consequence of Error
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level critical care nurses positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Physician Assistants (Supplemental)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Supplemental)
- Respiratory Therapists (Primary-Long)
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Future critical care nurses typically earn programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
21 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1141.03 (Registered Nurses).
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