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Acute Care Nurses

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$93600	189100	4.9%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$93600

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

189100

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

4.9%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

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.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree

Related Work Experience: N.A.

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Detailed Work Activities

Evaluate treatment options to guide medical decisions.
Diagnose medical conditions.
Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
Treat medical emergencies.
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
Adjust prostheses or other assistive devices.
Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
Record patient medical histories.
Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
Collect biological specimens from patients.
Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests.
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
Prescribe medications.
Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
Administer blood or other fluids intravenously.
Advise patients on healthcare system processes.
Assess patient work, living, or social environments.
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
Establish nursing policies or standards.
Process healthcare paperwork.
Train medical providers.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members.
Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.
Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.
Assess urgent and emergent health conditions, using both physiologically and technologically derived data.
Set up, operate, or monitor invasive equipment and devices, such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines.
Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.
Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
Interpret information obtained from electrocardiograms (EKGs) or radiographs (x-rays).
Perform administrative duties that facilitate admission, transfer, or discharge of patients.
Obtain specimens or samples for laboratory work.
Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments.
Assess the needs of patients' family members or caregivers.
Participate in patients' care meetings and conferences.
Treat wounds or superficial lacerations.
Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in acute care.
Provide formal and informal education to other staff members.
Collaborate with patients to plan for future health care needs or to coordinate transitions and referrals.
Analyze the indications, contraindications, risk complications, and cost-benefit tradeoffs of therapeutic interventions.
Distinguish between normal and abnormal developmental and age-related physiological and behavioral changes in acute, critical, and chronic illness.
Assess the impact of illnesses or injuries on patients' health, function, growth, development, nutrition, sleep, rest, quality of life, or family, social and educational relationships.
Participate in the development of practice protocols.
Assist patients in organizing their health care system activities.
Adjust settings on patients' assistive devices, such as temporary pacemakers.
Prescribe medications and observe patients' reactions, modifying prescriptions as needed.
Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests and screening procedures based on assessment results, differential diagnoses, and knowledge about age, gender and health status of clients.
Refer patients for specialty consultations or treatments.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the 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. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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