SOC 29-1141.03Bright outlook

    Critical Care Nurses

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

    Median pay
    $97,550
    Growth
    +5.6%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    180,800
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections · figures for the broader BLS group "Registered nurses"

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $68,940
    Median
    $97,550
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $137,470
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    3,379,720 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Critical care nurses provide specialized, life-saving care to patients in critical or coronary care units. In 2025, registered nurses earned a median annual pay of $97,550, with strong job growth projected over the next decade.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What critical care nurses do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

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

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Critical care nurses focus on assisting and caring for patients facing severe, life-threatening health issues. On a daily basis, these professionals monitor patient conditions, gather medical information, and solve complex problems under pressure. They must make quick decisions, identify critical changes in a patient's status, and document medical information accurately. Using computers and specialized medical equipment is a routine part of the job.

    This role requires strong skills in active listening, critical thinking, and social perceptiveness. Because they work directly with patients and their families, these nurses must have a strong service orientation and excellent communication skills. Important knowledge areas include medicine, biology, psychology, and customer service. To succeed, critical care nurses must display high stress tolerance, attention to detail, dependability, and self-control. They must also show deep empathy and caution while working in fast-paced hospital environments. This career primarily attracts individuals with social interests who enjoy helping and teaching others.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Most professionals in this field complete a college major in registered nursing, nursing administration, or nursing research and clinical nursing. Because this is a highly specialized role, most employers also require several years of related nursing experience.

    Depending on the state, a professional license may be required to practice. Additionally, nurses can earn professional certifications to demonstrate their expertise. Examples of relevant certifications include the Critical Care Registered Nurse (Adult) credential from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the Emergency Pediatric Care credential from the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for registered nurses, the broader group that includes critical care nurses, was $97,550. The lowest 10% of earners in this group made less than $68,940, while the highest 10% earned more than $137,470.

    This field is expected to grow by 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, which is faster than the average for all occupations. This growth, combined with normal staff turnover, is projected to result in 180,800 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    49 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    67 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    12 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    76 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    20 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    54 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    98
    Getting Information
    94
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    94
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    90
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    89
    Documenting/Recording Information
    88
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    86
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    86
    Working with Computers
    84
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    83
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Monitoring
    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Biology
    • Mathematics
    • Education and Training
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Chemistry

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Flexibility of Closure
    • Information Ordering
    • Near Vision

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Control
    • Cautiousness
    • Empathy
    • Adaptability
    • Integrity
    • Perseverance

    Also called

    CCU RN (Cardiac Care Unit Registered Nurse) · CCU RN (Coronary Care Unit Registered Nurse) · CCU RN (Critical Care Unit Registered Nurse) · Certified Critical Care Nurse · Critical Care Nurse (CCN) · Critical Care Nurse Practitioner · Critical Care Nurse Specialist · Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) · Critical Care Unit Nurse · CVICU RN (Cardiac ICU Registered Nurse)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to critical care nurses

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Critical Care Nurses$97,550 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      California State University-East Bay

      Hayward, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $139,123
      4 yrs after
      $150,921
      Median debt
      $18,751
    2. 2
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $145,008
      4 yrs after
      $150,102
      Median debt
      $13,331
    3. 3Dominican University of California logo
      Dominican University of California

      San Rafael, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $128,516
      4 yrs after
      $149,622
      Median debt
      $26,243
    4. 4Sonoma State University logo
      Sonoma State University

      Rohnert Park, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $134,423
      4 yrs after
      $143,886
      Median debt
      $12,500
    5. 5University of San Francisco USF logo
      University of San Francisco USF

      San Francisco, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $120,438
      4 yrs after
      $143,356
      Median debt
      $25,000
    6. 6Pacific Union College logo
      Pacific Union College

      Angwin, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $126,952
      4 yrs after
      $140,542
      Median debt
      $29,584
    7. 7California State University-Monterey Bay logo
      California State University-Monterey Bay

      Seaside, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $127,203
      4 yrs after
      $134,489
      Median debt
      $6,375
    8. 8Pacific College-California logo
      Pacific College-California

      Costa Mesa, CA · Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $132,148
      Median debt
      $32,611

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What critical care nurses may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 21.

    • Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
    • Clinical Nurse Leader
    • Clinical Nurse Specialist
    • Critical Care Nursing
    • Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing
    • Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
    • Forensic Nursing
    • Geriatric Nurse/Nursing
    • Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
    • Nursing Administration
    • Nursing Practice
    • Nursing Science

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    37 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about critical care nurses

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles for this career?

    People in this field are often called Critical Care Registered Nurses (CCRN), CCU RNs (working in cardiac, coronary, or critical care units), Certified Critical Care Nurses, or CVICU RNs.

    What level of education and experience is typically needed?

    Most critical care nurses need a bachelor's degree in nursing or a related field. They also generally need several years of experience working in healthcare before stepping into critical care units.

    How many people are employed in this field and what is the job outlook?

    There are 3,379,720 people employed in this broader nursing group. The field is growing faster than average, with 180,800 annual openings projected between 2025 and 2035.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.