Critical care nurse vs staff nurse

The differences between critical care nurses and staff 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 $68,342 average annual salary of a staff nurse.

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

Critical care nurse vs staff nurse overview

	Critical Care Nurse	Staff Nurse
Yearly salary	$76,788	$68,342
Hourly rate	$36.92	$32.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	594,859	699,636
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
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 staff nurse do?

Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.

Critical care nurse vs staff nurse salary

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Staff Nurse
Average salary	$76,788	$68,342
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $130,000	Between $42,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Burlingame, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Dignity Health	Washington Hospital Healthcare System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between critical care nurse and staff nurse education

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Staff Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Critical care nurse vs staff nurse demographics

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Staff Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%	Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between critical care nurse and staff nurse 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.

Staff nurse example responsibilities.

Manage and further help stabilize elective and urgent care surgical patients in their post-operative/post PACU admission to the floor.
Accomplish extensive critical care course with EKG interpretation and yearly critical care medication exam.
Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Participate in discharge planning including teaching family members and patients wind care and medication administration process after discharge.
Provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings with an emphasis in critical care and PACU settings.
Prepare patients for surgery and endoscopy procedures including initiating intravenous lines, physical assessments and administering medications.

Critical care nurse vs staff nurse skills

Common critical care nurse skills

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

Common staff nurse skills

Patients, 28%
BLS, 9%
CPR, 6%
Acls, 5%
Acute Care, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Critical Care Nurse
Critical Care Nurse vs Staff Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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