Acute Care Nurses
Also known as: Acute Care Nurse, Admission Nurse, Admission Nurse Coordinator (+21 more)
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.
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What You'll Do
- 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.
- Assess the impact of illnesses or injuries on patients' health, function, growth, development, nutrition, sleep, rest, quality of life, or family, social and educational relationships.
- Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments.
Essential Skills
Career Fit Overview
Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.
Top passions
- Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
- Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
- Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
Common styles
Integrity, Attention to Detail, Concern for Others, Self-Control, Adaptability/Flexibility
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Key Abilities
This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:
Technologies & Tools
Work Environment & Style
Common Styles for This Career
- Integrity (High importance: 4.76/5)
- Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.71/5)
- Concern for Others (High importance: 4.71/5)
- Self-Control (High importance: 4.71/5)
- Adaptability/Flexibility (High importance: 4.67/5)
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Most employers require a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Some positions may also require experience through internships, co-ops, or entry-level work to strengthen your candidacy.
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Also Known As
This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:
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