I look at the surgery schedule and patient profile then I contact the patient to confirm their identity. I write up a brief medical history and enter the information into the computer, then I review their chart and make a note of any medications they’re on or illnesses they have. After I collect all this data, I check for abnormalities and it's my job to contact the surgeon or anesthesiologist if there are any concerns.
CAREER
Acute Care Nurses
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$77,600
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+6.2% (as fast as the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Acute Care Nurses Do
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.
Other Job Titles Acute Care Nurses May Have
Cardiac Interventional Care Nurse, Charge Nurse, Progressive Care Unit RN (Progressive Care Unit Registered Nurse), Staff Nurse
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
- Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.
- Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Acute Care Nurses
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Associate's degree (50%)
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
Vocational
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
What I do isn’t an entry level position, so all the practical skills you’ll learn in school and on the job. In general, as a nurse, you need to know how to communicate effectively and be assertive. You can’t be meek because things are usually very busy and move fast, so you need to know how to get a message across effectively with limited time.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
High School Students
Go for it. Don't let the numbers scare you. Don't let the waiting lists scare you. Get your prerequisites done so that once you get into that nursing program you can focus. For underprivileged kids or people who can't afford university, look for scholarships, always refer to your counsellors and start taking those college prep classes. If you're just generally interested in nursing, take some general courses and see if you fall into it.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
