ICU nursing is a rewarding career choice and not just because of the opportunity to help patients who are suffering from critical illness or are in a rapidly deteriorating condition. To successfully navigate the ICU requires exceptional attention to detail, and expert knowledge regarding advanced technology and pathophysiology of disease processes, often leading nurses to seek out additional education, training, and certification.
While the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't list nursing pay by every specialty, it does indicate that nurses who work in a hospital environment make more on average than those that work in doctor's offices, residential care facilities, or education. The average annual salary for RNs working in hospitals is around $75,030.
Qualified ICU nurses may be able to increase how much they make through overtime and other perks, and those who are willing to travel can often make more as a travel ICU nurse providing critical care in areas experiencing a shortage.
While ICU nursing can be incredibly physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging, many nurses also find great satisfaction in caring for patients in their hours of greatest need.
ICU Nurse Salary
Critical care nurses made on average around $7,000 more per year than med-surg nurses, one of the most common nursing specialties. They also reported a higher mean income than nurses in specialties such as geriatrics, pediatrics, long-term care, rehab, public health, or ambulatory care.
In 2018 average yearly pay for RNs working in critical care environments was around $75,717. However, nurses that took steps to earn additional credentials made an average of around $92,314 working in critical care environments.
Browsing the job postings on NurseFly indicates that travel nurses able to work in this specialty can make $1,900 to $3,000+ per week on assignment.
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ICU Nurse FAQs
What are the best agencies for ICU Nurse jobs?
The agencies on NurseFly that currently have the most ICU Nurse jobs are TaleMed (2346), American Mobile Healthcare (1619), and trustaff (1270).
How Much Do ICU Nurse Jobs Pay?
For jobs available on NurseFly as of Friday, September 18th 2020, the average weekly pay for ICU Nurse jobs is $1,971, but can pay up to $4,160 per week. In 2020, Intensive Care Unit Nurses jobs on Nursefly paid a gross average weekly pay of $2,077 per week working an average of 36 hours per week. This includes non-taxable compensation like living stipends, meal stipends, and housing which add up to an average value of $1,297 per week.
- min - $612
- avg - $1,971
- max - $4,160
What does an Intensive Care Unit Nurse do?
ICU nurses typically work in the various specialty intensive care units of hospitals. They treat patients that are admitted with a critical illness, but also care for patients that are rapidly deteriorating in other areas of the hospital. ICU RNs work with other healthcare team members to help return patients to a more stable state so that they can be treated in less critical areas of the facility and progress towards recovery.
ICU nurses may work with post-op surgical patients who need special treatments during recovery. They also work with patients who are suffering from highly acute conditions and may need special life sustaining equipment, such as respirators, continuous dialysis, and ECMO. Because of this, ICU RNs must be extremely proficient in technical nursing skills, and must be comfortable using, monitoring, and troubleshooting medical devices and machinery. In the ICU, nurses are constantly evaluating any minor change in patient conditions in order to make real time decisions about care.
Because ICU nurses work so closely with doctors and other medical team members, they must be able to employ excellent communication skills. Intensive care unit nurses may work with patients that can't speak for themselves and they have to act as advocates for their patients. ICU nurses also help families communicate with impaired patients and help them navigate the overwhelming world of ICU care.
Where do ICU Nurses Work?
ICU mostly work inside closed units at acute care facilities. However, someone who is qualified to work as an ICU nurse has typically demonstrated the experience and knowledge needed to work in a wide variety of environments, such as emergency departments, operating rooms,. cath labs, outpatient procedural areas, and even outpatient clinics. Critical care nurses may also be able to work for specialty organizations, such as non-profit relief agencies, where their skills may be called upon during emergency situations or disasters.
How to Become an Intensive Care Unit Nurse?
While some organizations do hire RNs without certifications or specific experience and train them in ICU nursing, many hospitals look to hire professionals with degrees, certifications and relevant experience. A common path to working in the intensive care unit might follow the steps below.
Graduate with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from an accredited school or from a program that appropriately prepares you to take the NCLEX-RN.
Take and pass the NCLEX-RN and take the steps to obtain your RN license in the appropriate state (or your nurse compact license).
Begin working as a nurse to obtain clinical experience, especially with critically ill patients. You may need 2-5 years worth of experience before you can become certified.
Decide what type of critical care certificate you need to continue working in the ICU. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses offers a number of certifications, including options for specializing in adult, pediatric or neonatal care.
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