# Critical Care Nurses

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/critical-care-nurses
- SOC code: 29-1141.03
- Career family: Healthcare practitioners
- Median annual pay: $97,550 (10th percentile $68,940, 90th percentile $137,470)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.6%
- Openings a year: 180,800
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Registered nurses".

## Interest profile (code SIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 49 |
| Investigative (I) | 67 |
| Artistic (A) | 12 |
| Social (S) | 76 |
| Enterprising (E) | 20 |
| Conventional (C) | 54 |

## What you'd do

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

## 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

## 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)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5138) (CIP 5138, 1,954 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [California State University-East Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-east-bay-368) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $139,123 | $150,921 | $18,751 |
| [San Francisco State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/san-francisco-state-university-2349) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $145,008 | $150,102 | $13,331 |
| [Dominican University of California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dominican-university-of-california-828) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $128,516 | $149,622 | $26,243 |
| [Sonoma State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/sonoma-state-university-2438) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $134,423 | $143,886 | $12,500 |
| [University of San Francisco USF](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-san-francisco-usf-3034) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $120,438 | $143,356 | $25,000 |
| [Pacific Union College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-union-college-2063) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $126,952 | $140,542 | $29,584 |
| [California State University-Monterey Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-monterey-bay-373) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $127,203 | $134,489 | $6,375 |
| [Pacific College-California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-college-california-2055) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | not reported | $132,148 | $32,611 |

## Related careers

- [Acute Care Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/acute-care-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Registered Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/registered-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Nurse Practitioners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nurse-practitioners): $132,300 median pay
- [Clinical Nurse Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/clinical-nurse-specialists): $97,550 median pay
- [Paramedics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/paramedics): $60,600 median pay
- [Respiratory Therapists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/respiratory-therapists): $82,280 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.