Career Overview
Provide advanced nursing care for patients with acute conditions such as heart attacks, respiratory distress syndrome, or shock. May care for pre- and post-operative patients or perform advanced, invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
Also Known As
- Cardiovascular ICU Nurse (Cardiovascular Intense Care Unit Nurse)
- Cardiovascular Surgery Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Cardiovascular Surgery ACNP)
- Charge Nurse
- Staff Nurse
Alternate Job Titles
- Acute Care Nurse
- Admission Nurse
- Admission Nurse Coordinator
- Cardiac Interventional Care Nurse
- Cardiovascular ICU Nurse (Cardiovascular Intense Care Unit Nurse)
- Cardiovascular Surgery Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Cardiovascular Surgery ACNP)
- Care Transitions Manager
- Care Transitions Nurse
- Charge Nurse
- Chronic Condition Nurse
- DSU Nurse (Day Surgery Unit Nurse)
- ICU RN (Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse)
- ICU Travel RN (Intensive Care Unit Travel Registered Nurse)
- MSN (Medical Surgical Nurse)
- Nurse
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members.
- Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.
- Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.
- Assess urgent and emergent health conditions, using both physiologically and technologically derived data.
- Set up, operate, or monitor invasive equipment and devices, such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines.
- Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Information Ordering
- Speech Recognition
- Near Vision
- Speech Clarity
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Stress Tolerance
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Self-Control
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Achievement
- Support
- Working Conditions
- Independence
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Word
- SAP software
Tools & Equipment
- Alligator forceps
- Angiocaths
- Apnea monitors
- Arterial blood gas testing equipment
- Arterial line catheters
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Automated medicine dispensing equipment
- Autotransfusion systems
- Backboards
- Bedpans
- Bilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilators
- Blood drawing syringes
- Blood glucometers
- Blood pressure monitors
- Breast pumps
Work Environment
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Registered Nurses occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Acute Care Nurses.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $66,030 |
| Median | $93,600 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $135,320 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 3,282,010
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Registered Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Critical Care Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Paramedics
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $58,410
Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.