Role of the Cardiac Nurse | Chron.com

In 2009, heart disease was the cause of one in every four deaths in the United States, killing more than 600,000 people (reference 4). Cardiac nurses play a pivotal role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular health issues. Cardiac nurses are critical in the fight against heart disease and are needed not merely to care for patients, but also to promote healthy lifestyle choices.

Cardiac nurses must be registered nurses. RNs have completed a two-year associate's or a four-year bachelor's degree in nursing and passed a national licensing exam. RNs who have trained in cardiovascular care can receive a Cardiac Nursing Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. To be certified, RNs must have at least two years of nursing experience and 2,000 hours of clinical training in cardiovascular nursing; take 30 hours of continuing education classes; and pass the Cardiac Care Nursing Certification Exam.

Cardiac nurses administer stress tests and electrocardiograms -- or EKGs -- to patients suspected of having heart murmurs, blockages and other cardiovascular complications. Cardiac nurses monitor patients' vital signs, prepare them for open-heart surgery, and administer medications. They report their patients' statuses to doctors and surgeons and communicate with their families and friends. Cardiac nurses are also educators who reach out to their communities to teach people to preserve their cardiovascular health.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses earned an average of $69,110 in 2011. Nurses in general medical and surgical hospitals took home $69, 810 a year. Cardiac nurses with advanced education and training -- specifically nurse practitioners -- earned substantially more than other In February 2012, Advance for NPs and PAs, an online medical journal, released a survey of nurse practitioner salaries. Cardiac care NPs earned an average of $90,370 a year in 2011, according to the survey.

The BLS predicts employment for registered nurses will increase by 26 percent from 2010 to 2020. According to the Center for Disease Control, one person dies of heart disease every minute in the United States, as of 2012. Cardiac nurses, doctors, surgeons and other health professionals will be needed to promote heart health and decrease the financial strain that heart disease imposes on our country by educating patients before they become ill.

Registered nurses earned a median annual salary of $68,450 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, registered nurses earned a 25th percentile salary of $56,190, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $83,770, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 2,955,200 people were employed in the U.S. as registered nurses.

Justin Pratt began writing professionally in 2006. He primarily writes articles about law, business, history, and health and fitness. He lives in Omaha, Neb., and works as a Workers' Compensation Claims Adjuster at Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies.

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Role of the Cardiac Nurse | Chron.com