What do they do?
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:
Acute Care Nurse, Cardiac Interventional Care Nurse, Cardiovascular ICU Nurse (Cardiovascular Intense Care Unit Nurse), Cardiovascular Surgery Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Cardiovascular Surgery ACNP), Charge Nurse, DSU Nurse (Day Surgery Unit Nurse), MSN (Medical Surgical Nurse), Progressive Care Unit RN (Progressive Care Unit Registered Nurse), Staff Nurse, Vascular Access Registered Nurse (Vascular Access RN)
No Data Available
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3.4%
Change
Ranks #54 in job growth rate7,630Job Openings
Ranks #10 in net job growth
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- Bachelor's degree (54%)
- Associate's degree (26%)
- Master's degree (12%)
- Some college, no degree (4%)
- Doctorate or Professional Degree (3%)
- High school diploma equivalent (1%)
- Less than high school diploma (<1%)
Most Popular Majors that prepare Acute Care Nurses
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#1
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Degrees Granted
252,542
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Female Students
219,224
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Male Students
33,318
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Median Starting Salary
$57,500
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#2
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Degrees Granted
15,152
-
Female Students
13,207
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Male Students
1,945
-
Median Starting Salary
$57,500
-
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#3
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Degrees Granted
9,196
-
Female Students
7,937
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Male Students
1,259
-
Median Starting Salary
$57,500
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#4
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Degrees Granted
7,992
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Female Students
7,117
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Male Students
875
-
Median Starting Salary
$57,500
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#5
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Degrees Granted
4,481
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Female Students
3,810
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Male Students
671
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Median Starting Salary
$57,500
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People in this career often have these skills:
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
People in this career often know a lot about:
- Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
People in this career often have talent in:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
People in this career often do these activities:
- Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
- Diagnose medical conditions.
- Treat medical emergencies.
- Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
- Adjust prostheses or other assistive devices.
- Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
- Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
- Administer blood or other fluids intravenously.
- Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
- Process healthcare paperwork.
- Collect biological specimens from patients.
- Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
- Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Prescribe medications.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
- Assess patient work, living, or social environments.
- Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests.
- Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
- Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
- Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
- Train medical providers.
- Evaluate treatment options to guide medical decisions.
- Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
- Establish nursing policies or standards.
- Advise patients on healthcare system processes.
This page includes data from:
Career data: O*NET 30.0 Database
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA
Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics
Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development
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