Qualifications/Skills of a CVICU Nurse

Once you have met the qualifications to become an RN, you can start on the career path of how to become a CVICU nurse. Most hospitals or other types of employers are looking for experience in their CVICU job candidates, and they typically will require hands-on patient care experience before hiring an RN to fill a CVICU nurse job. 

Once you have the appropriate qualifications and CVICU nursing skills that can be applied in a CVICU setting, it is important to focus on the necessary CVICU nurse certifications. At a minimum, most CVICU nurses will be required to have their Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications. 

Some hospitals may also require a CVICU nurse to have additional certifications, depending on the CVICU nurse job description and the patient population. Certification is an excellent way to validate your knowledge and skills while demonstrating your commitment to excellence to both your patients and your colleagues. 

According to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), there are variations of the Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification that are applicable to CVICU nurses. 

For example, for CVICU nurses, the CMC for cardiac medicine could be a great certification to obtain. According to the AACN, “it is a subspecialty certification for certified nurses who provide direct care to acutely/critically ill adult cardiac patients. Nurses interested in this certification may work in areas such as cardiac care units, medical ICUs, telemetry, progressive care, heart failure clinics, home care, interventional cardiology, cardiac cath labs and/or electrophysiology units.” (AACN also notes the availability of a CSC certification for nurses who provide direct care to adult cardiac surgery patients.) 

Read More About CVICU Travel Nursing Salary and Requirements from the link below.