Cardiac Nursing is one of the most coveted nursing specialties. Cardiac nurses must be quick on their feet and can function well in high stress situations. From the name alone, you can tell that Cardiac nursing deals with cardiac patients. But, what does it really entail?

What is Cardiac Nursing?

Cardiac nursing is a field of nursing where the practitioner is dealing with patients suffering from cardiovascular cases and conditions. A majority of cardiac nurses work in a hospital setting. They may deal with patients in a critical care unit or provide acute care to cardiac patients. On the other hand, there are also cardiac nurses who provide home care to patients.

The cardiac nursing field easily intersects with pediatrics, geriatrics, critical care nursing, emergency nursing, ambulatory care nursing and home care nursing. Cardiac nurses get to be the best in their fields when they learn to interact with nurses from other specialties.  

Roles and Responsibilities of a Cardiac Nurse

A Cardiac nurse still practices the responsibilities of any regular registered nurse. They still continually monitor a patient’s vital signs, give meds, and administer health teachings. The only difference is that the cardiac nurse will be catering to a specialized set of patients.

Work Opportunities

There are a lot of work opportunities for Cardiac Nurses here and abroad. Nurses can apply in cardiac centers and units that specialize in the care of cardiac patients. They may also work in the Emergency unit as a cardiac nurse specialist that deals with incoming cardiac cases. Home care and ambulatory units are also in need of cardiac nurses. A cardiac nurse can also work in an OR setting assisting cardiothoracic surgeons in their procedures. They may also work in CathLabs assisting doctors in catheterization procedures.

The Cardiac Rehab Nurse

A well known subset of cardiac nursing is cardiac rehab. Cardiac rehab nurses work with patients that have chronic cardiac conditions. These conditions include hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary artery diseases, angina pectoris, etc. Here, nurse work with patients to formulate and implement plans for lifestyle changes. They may also be the ones to follow up a patient’s progress at home.

Organizations

In the US, cardiac nurses have several organizations to choose from. They can join one or more of these organizations in order to gain certifications. Organizations also provide their members with a certain set of benefits. Some American cardiac nurse organizations include: Council of Cardiovascular Nursing, American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Preventative Cardiovascular Nurses Association and more.

The Cardiac Nurse is a Silent Nurse

It is said that cardiac nurses have to be the quiet nurses. It’s because most cardiac patients require a quite environment free of loud sounds that can startle them. That is why a nurse has to be careful and mindful of her movements around the patient and in the station. Silence is also necessary to hear faint beeps and alarms emitted by the telemetry system.