Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become an Acute Care Nurse

Official title: Acute Care Nurses

Also called: Acute Care Nurse, Cardiac Interventional Care Nurse, Cardiovascular ICU Nurse (Cardiovascular Intense Care Unit Nurse), Cardiovascular Surgery Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Cardiovascular Surgery ACNP), Charge Nurse, DSU Nurse (Day Surgery Unit Nurse), MSN (Medical Surgical Nurse), PCU RN (Progressive Care Unit Registered Nurse), Staff Nurse, Vascular Access Registered Nurse (Vascular Access RN)

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.

Main 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).

How to become one

Registered nurses usually take one of three education paths: a bachelor's degree in nursing, an associate's degree in nursing, or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses must be licensed.

Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Nursing & Midwifery degrees, Offered by 15 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 31 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $97,550 a year The middle half earn $80,330 to $112,350.
About 3,465,400 people work in this job now, and about 3,660,100 are projected by 2035. (+5.6%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Acute Care Nurse?

How much does an Acute Care Nurse earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $97,550 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $80,330 to $112,350.

Is an Acute Care Nurse a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6% by 2035, from about 3,465,400 to about 3,660,100 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Acute Care Nurse?

Usually. 70% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an Acute Care Nurse?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the 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. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.