What is a Critical Care Nurse? (2024)

HEALTHCARE CAREER GUIDES

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OVERVIEW

If you’ve ever been seriously ill or visited someone in the hospital who was, you’ve likely encountered a critical care nurse. Often called ICU nurses because of the unit they commonly work in, critical care nurses are highly trained to understand and provide care for people of all ages who are recovering from life-threatening illnesses or injuries.

Today, there are more thanhalf a millioncritical care nurses working in the United States. But despite that number, critical care careers continues to be in high demand thanks to the recent registered nursing shortage.

Ifyou’rethinking aboutgetting into critical care nursing, you should knowit’sboth a demanding career and a rewarding one. From a patient’s first assessment to end-of-life care,you’llbe a vital part of lifesaving treatments and actions.You’realso caring for people who are at their very worst, physically. For this reason, it takes a special kind of nurse to work incriticalcare units.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

What Does A Critical Care Nurse Do?

Critical care nursing involves working with doctors and specialists to assess, treat, and monitor critically ill patients while also providing their basic care.

A typical shift as an ICU nurse can include things like assessing a patient’s condition and starting treatment, taking vital signs, communicating with patients and their families, setting up IVs, and administering medication. Many times, patients in the ICU are ventilated or have multiple IV drips. For this reason, registered nurses in critical care unites (also known as intensive care units or ICUs) need more knowledge of equipment and charting than other registered nurses.

While thisisn’ta complete list,a day-in-the-life of a nurseprovidingcarein the ICU might look like:

Assessing and treating patients. It’s fairly common that a patient sees a nurse in the ICU before a doctor, so ICU nurses will be expected to assess a patient’s condition and start treatment. This could include everything from taking vital signs to dressing wounds. They'll also be in charge of monitoring a patient’s progress and reporting back to the physician.

Ordering diagnostic tests. Many of thecritical care patientsyouwill see on a day-to-day basis will be suffering fromsome kind of injuryor illness, which meansthey’llneed diagnostic testing.It’soften up to the critical care nurse to send orders for x-rays, EKGs, orCTscans and then go over those results with the doctor to decide on a treatment plan.

Acting as a patient advocate. When critical care patients are physically at their worst, the nurse's role is to be there to provide support, education, and empathy. This is done in several different ways—from helping patients make informed decisions about their health, to translating complex medical terms, to acting as a liaison between patients and their doctor.
Monitoring medical equipment. Many critical care patients will be set up on cardiac monitors or ventilators, so their nurse will be the one in charge of setting up those machines and regularly monitoring and tracking a patient’s progress.

EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES

How to Become a Critical Care Nurse?

Step One: Become a registered nurse.

The first step in becoming a critical care nurse is completing abachelor’s degreein nursing. Most programs take four years for full-time students to complete. However, students who’ve already completed an associate nursing degree can apply to RN-to-BSN programs that let working nurses earn bachelor’s degrees in less time.

Step Two: Earn your critical care nursing licensure.

After earning your degree, you’ll be required to pass the NCLEX-RN exam and meet your otherstate’s other requirementsto be eligible for nursing licensure. This exam is a computer-generated test that’s offered by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The NCLEX-RN is divided up into four categories and six subcategories that cover the foundations of nursing practice and measure nursing competency.

Step Three: Get certified as a critical care nurse.

Nurses who want to establish their knowledge for nursing critically ill or injured patients should obtain the CCRN certification from the AACN. To be eligible for this exam, you’ll need to meet one of the following:

Practice as an RN or APRN (advanced practice registered nurse) for 1,750 hours in direct care of acutely or critically ill patients during the past two years. 875 of these hours must be accrued in the year preceding application.
Practice as an RN or APRN for at least five years with a minimum of 2,000 hours in direct care of acutely or critically ill patients. 144 of these hours must be accrued in the year preceding application.

Step Four: Explore additional certifications and education.

After working as a critical care nurse, you might decide to pursue amaster’s degreeor post-master's certificate in nursing. Or you may choose to earn specialty certifications depending on what type of patients you enjoy working with most.

These additional certifications could include:

CMC: providing care to critically ill cardiac patients
CSC: providing care to critically ill cardiac surgery patients
ACNPC-AG: providing care for very sick geriatric patients

Best Degrees for aCritical Care Nurse

Health & Nursing

Nursing (Prelicensure) – B.S.

A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a...

A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a baccalaureate-prepared nurse:

Locations:Due to in-person clinical requirements, students must be full time residents ofFL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, KY, NE, NV, NM, NC, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT to enroll in this program. The coursework in this program is offered online, but there are in-person requirements.
Tuition:$6,430 per 6-month term for the first 4 terms of pre-nursing coursework and $8,755 per 6-month term for the remaining 4 terms of clinical nursing coursework.
Time:This program has a set pace and an expected completion time of 4 years. Certain coursework may be accelerated to finish faster.
WGU offers the prelicensure program in areas where we have partnerships with healthcare employers to provide practice sites and clinical coaches to help teach you and inspire you on your path to becoming a nurse.
If you don't live in one of our prelicensure states or don't qualify to apply, consider getting ourBachelor's in Health and Human Servicesinstead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also working directly with patients who need help.

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Health & Nursing

Nursing – Leadership & Management (BSN-to-MSN) – M.S.

For registered nurses with a bachelor's degree who are ready for...

For registered nurses with a bachelor's degree who are ready for additional career opportunities.

Time: 68% of grads finish within 24 months.
Tuition: $4,795per 6-month term.
Courses: 15 total courses in this program.

This program is ideal for current RNs who have a BSN and are ready for the next step in their education.

Sample careers and jobs this degree program will prepare you for:

Director of Nursing
Chief Nursing Officer
Quality Director
Clinical Nurse Leader
Project Manager

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical and health services managers to grow 17% by 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.

SKILLS

What Skills Does a Critical Care Nurse Need?

Being a nurse in an intensive care unit is a demanding position—both physically and mentally. The physical demands might include working on your feet for long shifts, transporting patients by pushing or pulling wheelchairs, and lifting patients as needed. You’ll also be constantly monitoring highly unstable and at-risk patients, so strong analytical skills and the ability to make quick decisions under pressure is a must.

To be successful working in critical care you’ll need a mix of clinical and non-clinical skills. Some of these include:

Understanding medical technology and equipment
Strong knowledge of anatomy and physiology
The ability to create and implement patient care plans
Understanding how to use various medical devices, such as catheters and feeding tubes
In-depth knowledge of medications, including side effects and dosing calculations

Operating life support systems
Understanding patient safety and privacy rules and regulations
Good communication skills and the ability to work well in a team environment
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize
Comfortably handling end-of-life situations

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