How To Become A Coronary Care Unit Nurse: What It Is and Career Path

What is a coronary care unit nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Deborah Hopla DNP, APRN-BC, FAANP, FAAN

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a coronary care unit nurse. For example, did you know that they make an average of $35.21 an hour? That's $73,242 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 195,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a coronary care unit nurse?

Deborah Hopla DNP, APRN-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Professor, Francis Marion University

You can maximize your salary potential by negotiating. Bring your skills, experience, and never sell yourself short. This is the time to ensure the job is a right fit and that you are considering all the potential benefits and opportunities.

ScoreCoronary Care Unit NurseUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $73,242

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 9.17%

Black or African American 11.20%

Hispanic or Latino 9.18%

Unknown 4.27%

White 65.74%

Gender

female 83.82%

male 16.18%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a coronary care unit nurse

Explore coronary care unit nurse education requirements

Most common coronary care unit nurse degrees

Bachelor's

54.1 %

Associate

29.3 %

Master's

8.3 %

Start to develop specific coronary care unit nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Home Health	36.01%
Patients	23.00%
BLS	8.79%
Acls	3.91%
CPR	3.41%

Complete relevant coronary care unit nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New coronary care unit nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a coronary care unit nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real coronary care unit nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed coronary care unit nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed coronary care unit nurse in most of states. 43 states require coronary care unit nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

Research coronary care unit nurse duties and responsibilities

Utilize ACLS protocols in managing emergencies.
Organize and lead a cardiac rehabilitation program relate to physical and emotional health to ensure long-term patient well-being.
Certify in ACLS and BLS during this period.
Monitor EKG and hemodynamic status.

Prepare your coronary care unit nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your coronary care unit nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a coronary care unit nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable coronary care unit nurse resume templates

Build a professional coronary care unit nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your coronary care unit nurse resume.