Acute Care Nurses
What is an Acute Care Nurse?
Acute Care Nurses are specialized nursing professionals who provide critical care to patients with severe, complex, and often life-threatening health conditions. They work primarily in hospitals, urgent care facilities, and specialized clinics, focusing on patients who require immediate attention and intensive medical intervention. These nurses are equipped to handle a variety of medical emergencies, including trauma, cardiac arrests, and post-operative recovery. Acute Care Nurses collaborate closely with physicians, specialists, and other healthcare team members to develop and implement comprehensive care plans tailored to the needs of their patients. They monitor vital signs, administer medications, and perform essential procedures, utilizing advanced technologies and equipment to ensure high-quality, evidence-based care. Their expertise extends to patient and family education, advocacy, and emotional support, enabling them to address both the physical and psychological needs of patients in acute settings. Acute Care Nurses must be adept problem solvers, capable of making quick decisions in high-pressure environments, and are often required to have advanced certifications and training in critical care nursing to effectively manage the complexities of their practice.
Tasks
- 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.
Technology Skills
- Medical software
- Presentation software
- Electronic mail software
- Spreadsheet software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Tools Used
- Surgical clamps or clips or forceps
- Medical or surgical suction or vacuum appliances
- Tablet crushers
- Emergency or resuscitation carts
- Cardiac pacemaker generators or cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers CRT-P
Knowledge
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Medicine and Dentistry
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
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Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
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Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Skills
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Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
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Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Abilities
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Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
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Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
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Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
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Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
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Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Education
How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation?
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Associate's degree
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Bachelor's degree
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Master's degree
Work Activities
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Assisting and Caring for Others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
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Documenting/Recording Information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
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Getting Information
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
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Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
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Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Detailed Work Activities
- Treat medical emergencies.
- Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
- Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Diagnose medical conditions.
Work Interests
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Social
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
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Investigative
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
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Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
Job Outlook
Projected salary and job growth
$63720.0 - $132680.0
This career will grow rapidly in the next few years and will have large numbers of openings.
Assessment
Related assessments and tests
No assessment available.