Acute Care Nurses
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.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-1141.01 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Acute Care Nurses separately. These are the figures for Registered Nurses (29-1141), its parent occupation.
Median annual wage, U.S.$97,550
Employment, U.S.3,379,720
Median hourly wage$46.90
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $68,940 | $80,330 | $97,550 | $112,350 | $137,470 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 54,340 | $77,080 | 1.18 |
| Alaska | 7,510 | $109,480 | 1.06 |
| Arizona | 73,150 | $99,500 | 1.04 |
| Arkansas | 29,400 | $78,940 | 1.04 |
| California | 338,940 | $140,270 | 0.86 |
| Colorado | 54,490 | $100,260 | 0.87 |
| Connecticut | 40,110 | $102,740 | 1.09 |
| Delaware | 14,290 | $99,520 | 1.36 |
| District of Columbia | 11,440 | $102,540 | 0.75 |
| Florida | 229,940 | $84,190 | 1.07 |
| Georgia | 100,950 | $93,550 | 0.95 |
| Hawaii | 12,940 | $136,320 | 0.95 |
| Idaho | 16,880 | $92,460 | 0.91 |
| Illinois | 138,910 | $95,990 | 1.05 |
| Indiana | 68,980 | $83,500 | 0.99 |
| Iowa | 34,420 | $78,630 | 1.02 |
| Kansas | 33,800 | $79,320 | 1.08 |
| Kentucky | 50,300 | $81,040 | 1.16 |
| Louisiana | 48,970 | $80,230 | 1.16 |
| Maine | 16,540 | $86,990 | 1.19 |
| Maryland | 52,910 | $99,790 | 0.88 |
| Massachusetts | 88,200 | $104,550 | 1.12 |
| Michigan | 104,950 | $94,300 | 1.10 |
| Minnesota | 70,110 | $101,510 | 1.09 |
| Mississippi | 29,060 | $77,090 | 1.15 |
| Missouri | 76,310 | $81,780 | 1.20 |
| Montana | 10,950 | $85,280 | 0.99 |
| Nebraska | 24,720 | $84,730 | 1.11 |
| Nevada | 27,070 | $103,670 | 0.80 |
| New Hampshire | 15,390 | $99,700 | 1.04 |
| New Jersey | 92,680 | $106,500 | 0.99 |
| New Mexico | 17,980 | $94,340 | 0.95 |
| New York | 205,810 | $109,440 | 0.98 |
| North Carolina | 111,120 | $84,350 | 1.03 |
| North Dakota | 11,340 | $80,730 | 1.21 |
| Ohio | 143,730 | $82,510 | 1.19 |
| Oklahoma | 38,270 | $82,920 | 1.03 |
| Oregon | 39,730 | $129,010 | 0.93 |
| Pennsylvania | 146,520 | $96,430 | 1.11 |
| Rhode Island | 10,090 | $100,640 | 0.93 |
| South Carolina | 49,750 | $82,360 | 0.99 |
| South Dakota | 14,710 | $78,060 | 1.48 |
| Tennessee | 72,200 | $81,500 | 1.01 |
| Texas | 271,380 | $95,970 | 0.89 |
| Utah | 27,420 | $84,600 | 0.73 |
| Vermont | 7,410 | $97,460 | 1.12 |
| Virginia | 77,490 | $93,600 | 0.87 |
| Washington | 69,260 | $124,200 | 0.90 |
| West Virginia | 23,430 | $80,130 | 1.54 |
| Wisconsin | 68,060 | $95,530 | 1.06 |
| Wyoming | 5,330 | $83,760 | 0.87 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nurse Practitioners | 5 | 0.983 |
| 2 | Sports Medicine Physicians | 5 | 0.980 |
| 3 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | 5 | 0.980 |
| 4 | Hospitalists | 5 | 0.979 |
| 5 | Clinical Nurse Specialists | 5 | 0.978 |
| 6 | Nurse Midwives | 5 | 0.978 |
| 7 | Critical Care Nurses | 4 | 0.976 |
| 8 | Exercise Physiologists | 4 | 0.976 |
| 9 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 5 | 0.975 |
| 10 | Physician Assistants | 5 | 0.973 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Acute Care Nurses, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
None at these thresholds.
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Acute Care Nurses, excluding software Acute Care Nurses already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Epic Systems | 12 of 20 | 8.8x |
| MEDITECH software | 12 of 20 | 7.2x |
| Greenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITE | 7 of 20 | 29.4x |
| Allscripts PM | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| Automatic Data Processing AdvancedMD EHR | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| Benchmark Systems Benchmark Clinical EHR | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| CareCloud Central | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| Cerner PowerWorks Practice Management | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| Epic Practice Management | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| GE Healthcare Centricity Practice Solution | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.50 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 4.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.75 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.25 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4.81 | 5.65 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.30 | 5.21 |
| Education and Training | 4.29 | 4.80 |
| English Language | 4.05 | 4.65 |
| Psychology | 3.80 | 5.58 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 3.62 | 4.25 |
| Administration and Management | 3.45 | 3.70 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.43 | 3.57 |
| Biology | 3.40 | 3.89 |
| Mathematics | 3.00 | 2.79 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.95 | 3.28 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.90 | 3.40 |
| Administrative | 2.90 | 3.35 |
| Law and Government | 2.81 | 2.95 |
| Chemistry | 2.78 | 3.32 |
| Telecommunications | 2.67 | 1.90 |
| Communications and Media | 2.55 | 2.25 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.50 | 2.42 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.29 | 2.81 |
| Foreign Language | 2.24 | 2.19 |
| Production and Processing | 2.00 | 1.60 |
| Physics | 1.90 | 1.33 |
| Mechanical | 1.90 | 1.30 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.80 | 1.25 |
| Transportation | 1.71 | 1.05 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.70 | 1.16 |
| Geography | 1.62 | 1.11 |
| Design | 1.42 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.35 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.29 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.25 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.20 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.10 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.25 | 4.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.25 | 4.50 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.25 | 4.38 |
| Oral Expression | 4.25 | 4.25 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Information Ordering | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 4.00 | 3.75 |
| Speech Recognition | 4.00 | 3.62 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Speed of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Number Facility | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.62 | 2.00 |
| Stamina | 2.38 | 1.75 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.38 | 1.75 |
| Static Strength | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Reaction Time | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.25 | 1.50 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 1.50 |
| Response Orientation | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 1.25 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.12 | 1.25 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Rate Control | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.25 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.12 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Teams hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAP software hot
- eClinicalWorks EHR software hot
- Allscripts Professional EHR
- Amkai AmkaiCharts
- Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
- Cerner Millennium
- ChartWare EMR
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- IBM Lotus Notes
- Medscribbler Enterprise
- MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR
- NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR
- SOAPware EMR
- StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite
- SynaMed EMR
- Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR
- e-MDs software
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Acute Care Nurses separately. These are the figures for Registered Nurses (29-1141), its parent occupation.
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgantown, WV | 4,510 | 3.08 | $80,130 |
| Rochester, MN | 6,390 | 2.39 | $101,660 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 10,980 | 2.30 | $103,450 |
| Gainesville, FL | 7,470 | 2.25 | $81,870 |
| Greenville, NC | 3,770 | 2.15 | $81,670 |
| Iowa City, IA | 4,090 | 2.00 | $85,940 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 7,680 | 1.98 | $75,350 |
| Charleston, WV | 4,320 | 1.92 | $80,230 |
| Springfield, IL | 4,110 | 1.87 | $84,220 |
| Mayaguez, PR | 2,070 | 1.83 | $39,280 |