Job Description
Critical care nurses deal with human responses to life threatening health situations. They typically work in intensive care units, (including medical, surgical, neurological, pediatric, and cardiac-centered units). Some of these nurses may also work in emergency departments and can act as transport nurses when critically ill patients need to be transferred to other facilities.

A critical care nurse usually has a smaller patient load (1-2 patients) because the care of an acutely ill patient tends to be complex. A critical care nurse is also expected to attend to the psychosocial and emotional needs of the patients and their families.

Median Salary
$61,853

Education Requirements
RN license.

Job Outlook
Like most nursing specialties, critical care nurses are in high demand and job growth in this specialty is expected to remain steady over the next ten years.