Critical Care Nurses

What the job really is

Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.

At a glance

• Sector: Healthcare Practitioners
• O*NET-SOC code: 29-1141
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.
• Administer medications intravenously, by injection, orally, through gastric tubes, or by other methods.
• Monitor patients' fluid intake and output to detect emerging problems, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
• Prioritize nursing care for assigned critically ill patients, based on assessment data or identified needs.
• Compile and analyze data obtained from monitoring or diagnostic tests.
• Conduct pulmonary assessments to identify abnormal respiratory patterns or breathing sounds that indicate problems.
• Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
• Collaborate with other health care professionals to develop and revise treatment plans, based on identified needs and assessment data.
• Document patients' medical histories and assessment findings.
• Collect specimens for laboratory tests.
• Set up and monitor medical equipment and devices such as cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators and alarms, oxygen delivery devices, transducers, or pressure lines.

Tools and technology

Epic Systems, MEDITECH software, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft SharePoint, eClinicalWorks EHR software, Allscripts Professional EHR, American Association of Critical Care Nurses AACN Medicopeia, Amkai AmkaiCharts, Angiocaths, Apnea monitors, Arterial blood gas testing equipment, Arterial line catheters

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Acute Care Nurses
• Registered Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Clinical Nurse Specialists
• Paramedics
• Respiratory Therapists
• Nurse Midwives
• Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Critical Care Nurses — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.