How to Become an ICU Nurse

• There are many different specialties of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing, including Medicine ICU, Trauma ICU, Cardiac ICU, Pediatric ICU and more.
• The answer to ‘how to become an ICU nurse’ starts with evaluating your personal attributes, credentials, and professional goals.
• ICU nursing roles often produce higher nurse salaries, but come with physical, emotional, and intellectual strain for many.

Have you been thinking about stepping into a new specialty? Do you want a more fast–paced environment? Something that challenges you and pushes you every day to be a better nurse? A job in the ICU will do just that. If you are wondering how to become an ICU nurse, look no further!  

Intensive Care Units across the country are in demand of highly skilled nurses and thus yield some of the highest nursing salaries for both staffed and traveling critical care nurses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, critical care nurses work in hospital ICUs, “providing care to patients with serious, complex, and acute illnesses and injuries that need close monitoring and treatment.“

As a previous ICU nurse, I can speak from experience in saying that ICU nursing can be a very challenging role that comes with many obstacles and pushes you physically, intellectually, and emotionally. It can also be very rewarding.  

I started ICU nursing straight out of school at a Trauma I, University Teaching Hospital in Cardiovascular and Thoracic ICU…and let me tell you, ladies and gents, I was BAPTIZED. BY. FIRE. 

It was my first nursing job straight out of school, I only had an associate degree at the time, and I had NEVER worked in any healthcare role. The only experience I had was clinical from nursing school.  

And it was HARD. 

The day I started working there, I also thought it would be a great idea also to begin my bachelor’s degree online. Take it from me: If you must go a similar route, it is possible, but if you can avoid it, don‘t do it the way that I did. It made me a stronger and well-rounded individual and nurse for it, but man, it was tough.  

If you are a nurse currently wanting to transition into the ICU setting, then you already have some nursing experience under your belt. You can use that experience as the foundational building blocks for your future career as an ICU nurse.  

It’s important to note that there are many different specialties of ICU nursing. You can work in the Medicine ICU dealing with very sick, mainly pulmonary–based patients. You can work in the Trauma ICU, Cardiac ICU, Neuro ICU, or, if in smaller facilities, a general ICU with a “come–one–come–all“ setting. Whatever area of ICU nursing you choose; you will be rewarded for the care you provide to your patients and their families.  

How to Become an ICU Nurse: Ask Yourself These Questions

1. Do you have the right personal attributes?

Critical care nurses need to possess sound clinical judgment, a sense of advocacy, and strong morals as it pertains to patient care, a compassionate and caring demeanor, and an extensive body of nursing knowledge.

They must also be able to think critically, question and evaluate practices, and collaborate well with others, including fellow healthcare providers, patients, and family members.

2. Do you have these credentials or have plans to attain them?

 According to job and staffing companies such as Indeed, many ICU nurse positions require a Bachelor’s in Nursing, an active RN license, CCRN, BLS, ACLS, and NIHSS certifications, clinical nursing experience, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to thrive under pressure and fast-paced, stressful environments in Nursing, an active RN license, CCRN, BLS, ACLS, and NIHSS certifications, clinical nursing experience, and strong interpersonal skills/ the ability to thrive under pressure and fast-paced, stressful environments.

Although depending upon your institution, you may not have to have all the certifications at the entry-level, but they may be required within so many months of hire.

3.  Are you prepared to put in the hard work?

Working in an ICU may require extra studying outside of the work environment. You are working with very sick patients, often very labile, that require quick judgment and sharp critical thinking skills.

Some ICUs require preceptorship programs, as you work alongside a more seasoned ICU nurse while you learn the basics of ICU care including treatment with multiple drips, new equipment, and varying tubes.

Once you these questions for yourself, you will better understand how to become an ICU nurse and if it is something you truly want to do. If you are willing to put in the effort and the heart, you will be blessed with good days and bad days. You will remember your patients, their families, your losses, and your co-workers. It will make you a stronger and more adaptable nurse, one who can handle any challenge.  

So, go on! Take the plunge and see for yourself how rewarding the ICU specialty is.  

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