Critical Care Nurse Career Overview

Critical care nurses possess the same skills as a registered nurse and may undergo additional training to care for acute or critical illnesses. An average workday includes monitoring critical medical support equipment and tending to patients with life-threatening injuries. Critical care nurses require clear communication to interact with other nurses and interdisciplinary teams to stabilize emergency situations. Nurses also work with healthcare providers to administer medical treatments, and keep the patient’s family informed.

Critical care nurses apply their advanced training and expertise to various healthcare settings.

They typically work in intensive care units (ICU) but provide care in other healthcare facilities related to emergency injuries or long-term illness. Step-down units look after patients who don’t need as much immediate care as a patient in the ICU but aren’t stable enough to be sent to a medical floor or home. Some critical care nurses can even work from home by supporting other nurses from a teleICU.

Critical care nurses bear high-risk, high-reward careers because of the incredible amount of responsibility they carry when caring for patients in life-threatening situations. Nurses have to assume the job of advocate for unconscious patients and form bonds with the patient’s family throughout the patient’s admission. These situations add emotional weight to nurses’ professional lives and can take a toll on their mental health.

Although they carry this heavy burden, there are many benefits to critical care nursing. When working at an ICU or other healthcare facilities, the critical care nurses have access to the most up-to-date medical equipment and get to work alongside veteran professionals. A critical care nurse also has many opportunities to specialize and gain a higher salary or seek higher-level positions.

A critical care nurse’s salary varies from geographical location, but they receive a national annual median pay of $74,991. Los Angeles, California, boasts the highest salaries for critical care nurses, with nurses earning more than 51.7% above the national average. The more experience a nurse has plays a large part in their earnings with PayScale reporting that critical care nurses with 20 years of experience earn over $40 an hour.

The BLS projects that all registered nurses positions, including critical care nurse jobs, will grow by 7% from 2019 to 2029.

A critical care nurse requires an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing, which typically takes 2-4 years to complete. Along with this, a nurse needs to pass the NCLEX-RN exam to get their registered nurse license. Depending on the state or employer, healthcare facilities may also require certification from the AACN, which calls for a minimum of two years of professional experience.

A critical care nurse with a graduate degree has the ability to pick from a larger pool of job opportunities, but a graduate degree isn’t required to be a critical care nurse. A graduate degree, such as an MSN prepares nurses by providing them with additional education and training before starting their career.

More career opportunities open up for critical care nurses when they pursue higher education. Critical care nurses can specialize in specific fields like cardiac or neonatal. Critical care nurses who possess a master’s degree or doctorate have the option of working as a critical care nurse practitioner.