Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Critical Care Nurses
Critical Care Nurses provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
Table of contents
What they do
Critical Care Nurses provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
- 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.
- Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.
- Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Critical Care Nurses identify patients’ age-specific needs and alter care plans as necessary to meet those needs. They evaluate patients’ vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs.
A typical day for a Critical Care Nurse will also include:
- 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.
- Assess patients’ pain levels or sedation requirements.
- Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
- Assess family adaptation levels and coping skills to determine whether intervention is needed.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Critical Care Nurses also participate in professional organizations and continuing education to improve practice knowledge and skills. They may also administer blood and blood products, monitoring patients for signs and symptoms related to transfusion reactions.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Critical Care Nurses assist physicians with procedures such as bronchoscopy, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation, or elective cardioversion. They might also provide post-mortem care.
In addition, they plan, provide, or evaluate educational programs for nursing staff, interdisciplinary health care team members, or community members.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them coordinate patient care conferences.
To some Critical Care Nurses, it is also their responsibility to participate in the development, review, or evaluation of nursing practice protocols.
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
74% said they were satisfied with their job and 82% said they found their job meaningful.
My name is Dr. Jenna Liphart Rhoads. I am a nurse, educator, and writer who has earned a BSN, MS, and Ph.D. in nursing education.
My first job as an RN was in an adult surgical/trauma critical care unit at a Level-1 trauma center. My typical day would start as I arrived on the unit around 6:40 am to get situated and begin looking up patient information before my shift started at 7 am. Most of the time I had two patients (2-1 patient-nurse ratio), but sometimes a patient was a 1-1 and I would have only one patient that day. I would receive the patient care report from the RN who had my patient(s) over the night shift (7p-7a) at the bedside of each patient. Once shift change and report was over, I would start an assessment on each patient and administer their medications. During this time the critical care team would be making rounds to visit all of the patients and I would need to be present to give a report to the attending surgeon or senior resident. The rest of my day comprised of various duties: oral care for vented patients, trach care, central line care, turning and positioning patients, administering medications and titrating IV medications, taking patients for CT scans or MRIs, assisting the surgeons in bedside procedures, answering family member’s questions, and keeping a very close eye on my patients to keep them alive.
Pros and Cons
The pros of being a critical care nurse include a small nurse-to-patient ratio, working closely with primary care providers, performing high-level nursing skills, and the fast pace of patient care in the ICU. Some of the cons include not very much interaction with the patient because they are often heavily sedation and intubated, enduring very emotional situations because the patients are very sick, and the pressure of literally working all day to keep people alive. I hope this information is helpful.
Pros
Suitable for people who like to help and teach others.
Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
It is not too difficult to get into this career. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.
Normal working hours (40 hours per week).
Cons
Not suitable for people who like to follow routines.
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Critical Care Nurses with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $53,410 to $61,630 per year or $26 to $30 per hour.
| Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $116,230 | $56 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $93,590 | $45 |
| Median | $75,330 | $36 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $61,630 | $30 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $53,410 | $26 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Critical Care Nurses based on their average annual salary.
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Business Support Services | $106670 | $51.28 |
| Federal Executive Branch | $96230 | $46.26 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | $92110 | $44.29 |
| Other Investment Pools and Funds | $91990 | $44.23 |
| Office Administrative Services | $89490 | $43.02 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $89300 | $42.93 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | $89040 | $42.81 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | $88660 | $42.63 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | $84800 | $40.77 |
| Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers | $84450 | $40.60 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Critical Care Nurses work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Critical Care Nurses including the average salary in that industry.
| Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 1729200 | $81680 | $39.27 |
| Offices of Physicians | 192300 | $71660 | $34.45 |
| Home Health Care Services | 169630 | $75870 | $36.48 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 150380 | $89300 | $42.93 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | 143250 | $72090 | $34.66 |
| Federal Executive Branch | 86860 | $96230 | $46.26 |
| Specialty Hospitals | 63910 | $82910 | $39.86 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 54500 | $62170 | $29.89 |
| Employment Services | 51860 | $75300 | $36.20 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | 39840 | $77250 | $37.14 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
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Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Group discussions
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Public speaking
How often does this job require you to do public speaking?
Level of competition
How much competitive pressure is in this job?
What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant majors
Relevant work experience
How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?
On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.
They also like working with ideas and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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