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Cardiac nurse specialist vs critical care nurse

The differences between cardiac nurse specialists and critical care nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a critical care nurse has an average salary of $76,788, which is higher than the $70,130 average annual salary of a cardiac nurse specialist.

The top three skills for a cardiac nurse specialist include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a critical care nurse are patients, BLS, and acls.

Cardiac nurse specialist vs critical care nurse overview

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistCritical Care Nurse
Yearly salary$70,130$76,788
Hourly rate$33.72$36.92
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs396,644594,859
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4444
Years of experience2-

Cardiac nurse specialist vs critical care nurse salary

Cardiac nurse specialists and critical care nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistCritical Care Nurse
Average salary$70,130$76,788
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $108,000Between $45,000 And $130,000
Highest paying City-Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Dignity Health
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between cardiac nurse specialist and critical care nurse education

There are a few differences between a cardiac nurse specialist and a critical care nurse in terms of educational background:

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistCritical Care Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Cardiac nurse specialist vs critical care nurse demographics

Here are the differences between cardiac nurse specialists' and critical care nurses' demographics:

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistCritical Care Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 19.6% Female, 80.4%Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between cardiac nurse specialist and critical care nurse duties and responsibilities

Cardiac nurse specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Work with patients to recover normal lifestyles post cardiac events including surgery, in a cardiac rehabilitation clinical environment.
  • Develop and implement exercise programs for cardiac and pulmonary patients, stress testing, cardiac monitoring, and patient education
  • Monitor and interprets data from EKG and telemetry within scope of nursing care.
  • Monitor for life threatening EKG changes and administer appropriate therapy in treating patient.
  • Identify critical conditions and take the appropriate action to contact the physician for surgery, rapid response, or ICU care.
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Critical care nurse example responsibilities.

  • Interpret laboratory results, EKG readings, cardiac monitors, managing medication drips, and ventilator settings.
  • Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
  • Work on the general units of rehabilitation, geriatrics, and telemetry.
  • Work in critical care floors ranging from MICU to SICU to regular ICU.
  • Perform emergency medical procedures such as BLS, ACLS, and other condition stabilizing interventions.
  • Care for patients with a wide variety of critical illnesses and are CCRN certify for many years.
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Cardiac nurse specialist vs critical care nurse skills

Common cardiac nurse specialist skills
  • Patients, 30%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Acls, 8%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Electrophysiology, 3%
Common critical care nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 11%
  • Acls, 8%
  • Life Support, 5%
  • Quality Care, 3%
  • Compassion, 3%

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