Critical care nurse vs nurse clinician

The differences between critical care nurses and nurse clinicians 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 $65,159 average annual salary of a nurse clinician.

The top three skills for a critical care nurse include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a nurse clinician are patients, patient education, and CPR.

Critical care nurse vs nurse clinician overview

	Critical Care Nurse	Nurse Clinician
Yearly salary	$76,788	$65,159
Hourly rate	$36.92	$31.33
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	594,859	596,073
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	2

What does a critical care nurse do?

A critical care nurse is responsible for providing quality care for patients confined in the intensive care unit of a health care facility. Critical care nurses maintain an organized medical chart to report the patient's condition to an attending physician and other medical professionals. They also administer medication, regularly check the patient's vital signs, and assist the doctors in conducting medical procedures and laboratory examinations. A critical care nurse also suggests care plans for the patients, especially during discharge, to ensure total recovery.

What does a nurse clinician do?

A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians. In some establishments, they may also perform administrative support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and organizing records. Moreover, a nurse clinician must maintain an active communication line with fellow medical staff to provide optimal services to patients.

Critical care nurse vs nurse clinician salary

Critical care nurses and nurse clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Critical Care Nurse	Nurse Clinician
Average salary	$76,788	$65,159
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $130,000	Between $48,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Dignity Health	Healthpoint
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between critical care nurse and nurse clinician education

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Nurse Clinician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Critical care nurse vs nurse clinician demographics

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Nurse Clinician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%	Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.6% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between critical care nurse and nurse clinician duties and responsibilities

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.

Nurse clinician example responsibilities.

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Provide high level nursing care for ER step down and ICU patients prior to transfer to critical care units.
Instruct ACLS and BLS classes.
Specialize care for telemetry and orthopedic patients.
Provide specialized nursing care to ICU medical cardiac patient populations.
Provide education regarding care of surgical patients as part of orientation to orienting telemetry nurses.

Critical care nurse vs nurse clinician skills

Common critical care nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 11%
Acls, 8%
Life Support, 5%
Quality Care, 3%
Compassion, 3%

Common nurse clinician skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Education, 5%
CPR, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Patient Outcomes, 3%
Educational Programs, 3%

Critical Care Nurse vs. similar jobs

Critical Care Nurse related careers

Critical Care Nurse related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Critical Care Nurse
Critical Care Nurse vs Nurse Clinician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs