What does a cardiac nurse do?
A cardiac nurse is a registered nurse who cares for patients with heart and vascular disease, before and after procedures, during acute events and in long-term rehabilitation and prevention.
Settings
Coronary care and cardiac ICUs, telemetry units, cardiac catheterization labs, cardiac surgery recovery, cardiac rehabilitation and clinics. Each uses different skills: from rhythm monitoring to patient teaching about diet and medication.
Certification
The American Nurses Credentialing Center offers cardiac-vascular nursing certification, and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses offers CCRN and progressive care credentials. All are voluntary and require practice hours.
Pay
Cardiac nurses are not a separate federal category. The median RN earned $97,550 in May 2025. Nurse practitioners are reported as one group, with a median of $132,300.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.