What Is An ICU Nurse And What’s Their Salary?
The intensive care unit houses patients with severe or life-threatening complications. ICU nurses assist in their diagnosis, charting, and their overall well-being. Working in intensive care is a stressful and demanding job. Some of the challenges of critical care nursing are long work hours and tough conditions both physically and mentally. When dealing with critical-care disease or physical injury, situations are bound to become intense. This is what makes nursing such a rewarding career.
How much does a Staff Nurse – RN – Intensive Care Unit make in the United States?
ICU nurses save lives on a regular basis. For this reason, ICU nurses are paid on average more than regular nurses. Plus, there are many ways to increase your salary as an ICU nurse and these differ by state.
The average Staff Nurse – RN – Intensive Care Unit salary in the United States is $78,268 as of January 27, 2022, but the range typically falls between $70,527 and $85,046. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
How to Become an ICU Nurse
Working in critical care conditions requires a vast amount of skill and knowledge. Becoming an ICU nurse is a mixture of education and on-the-job training. This is why they’re highly sought after; they bring the best of both worlds. Whether you’re taking the first steps to become a nurse practitioner or you’re currently on the path, it’s important to note what steps are necessary to become an ICU nurse.
- Schooling – The first step is to earn a nursing degree. This can come in the form of a BSN (a Bachelor of Science in Nursing) or an ADN (an Associate’s Degree in Nursing). Either of these two will put you in the classes necessary to learn about patient care and the various aspects of being a nurse. Here you will get to taste the variety of careers available to nurses—one of which being an ICU nurse.
- Becoming a Registered Nurse – These programs are all preparing you for the final exam, the NCLEX. The National Council License Examination is a test to determine whether or not someone is fit to be a registered nurse (an RN). These exams can be taken in any state and are accepted nationwide. However, there are a few states that require additional licensing.
- Work Experience – Most hospitals will not allow registered nurses access to the ICU until they have a few years under their belt. This often includes a year of working in a high-trauma environment like surgery.
- ICU Certified – Once a registered nurse has worked for a couple of years, they can take what’s known as the ICU certification exam. This is an exam offered by the AACN (the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses). Having this under your belt, while not mandated by all hospitals, will allow you to prove you are ready for any condition.
- Further Schooling – Although it’s not required to further your education, more graduate level programs are available to learn about nursing. These graduate programs help to deepen your understanding of medicine.