Acute Care Nurses
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.
Tasks Include:
- Analyze the indications, contraindications, risk complications, and cost-benefit tradeoffs of therapeutic interventions.
- Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.
- Distinguish between normal and abnormal developmental and age-related physiological and behavioral changes in acute, critical, and chronic illness.
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
- Interpret information obtained from electrocardiograms (EKGs) or radiographs (x-rays).
- 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.
- Adjust settings on patients' assistive devices, such as temporary pacemakers.
more »
The data sources for the information displayed here include: O*NET™; US Department of Labor (BLS); Virginia Workforce Connection. (Using onet291)
Projections Quick View:
Virginia: +4.3%
National: +6.0%
Education
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Job Zone:
Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Income Range:
Highest ($50,000 and up)
Median Earnings:
National
$86,070.00
State
$84,100.00
Regional
