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Cardiac Care Nurse

Clinical
Emergency
ASN or BSN

Cardiac Care Nurses treat patients suffering from heart diseases and conditions. According to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in US. 1.5 million heart attacks occur each year, and nearly 80 million Americans suffer from heart conditions, and the number of cardiac patients continues to rise. As a Cardiac Care Nurse, you can help a wide variety of patients, from children to the elderly, in surgical or ambulatory settings.

Things You'll Do:

  • Stress test evaluations
  • Cardiac and vascular monitoring
  • Health assessments
  • Electrocardiogram monitoring
  • Care for patients who have undergone bypass, angioplasty or pacemaker surgery

Your job characteristics:

  • Multifaceted
  • Structured
  • Patient-facing
How You'll Get There
  • Get Your
    Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
  • Pass Your
    National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN)
  • You can start working as a Registered Nurse.
    More about becoming an RN ›
  • You’ll need to work as an RN for a minimum of two years, and get at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience in cardiovascular nursing. Also, you’ll need to take 30 hours of continuing education classes, then you can apply to take the Cardiac Care Nursing Certification Exam.
  • Get Your
    Cardiac Vascular Nursing Certification (RN-BC) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  • You’ll need to renew your certification every five years.
    More about this certification ›
  • Become a
    Cardiac Care Nurse
More About this Specialty

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  • Where You
    Can Work

    • Coronary care and intensive care units in hospitals
    • Cardiac rehabilitation centers

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  • What Else You
    Can Expect

    • You’ll be certified in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.
    • Your salary depends on where you practice, the facility you work in, and how specialized you become—such as pediatric cardiac care, post-surgical, etc.

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