Ready to move from the cath lab to the cardiac ICU? Learn the skills, training, certifications and steps to make the switch with confidence.

<p class="">If you love heart care and want to follow patients beyond the procedure, the cardiac ICU (CVICU) could be your next move. Cardiac ICU nurses care for the sickest heart patients, including people recovering from open heart surgery, severe heart attacks and heart failure. Your cath lab skills give you a strong head start. Here is how to build on them.</p>
<h2 class="">What Does a Cardiac ICU Nurse Do?</h2>
<p class="">A cardiac ICU nurse provides close, round-the-clock care to critically ill heart patients. Because patients are so sick, you usually care for one or two at a time.</p>
<p class="">Common cardiac ICU tasks include:</p>
<ul style="margin-left:20px">
  <li class="">Caring for patients right after open heart surgery</li>
  <li class="">Managing ventilators (breathing machines) and continuous IV drips</li>
  <li class="">Reading heart rhythms and pressure readings around the clock</li>
  <li class="">Caring for patients with heart pumps and other support devices</li>
  <li class="">Responding fast to rhythm changes, bleeding or low blood pressure</li>
  <li class="">Supporting families through serious illness and recovery</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="">Why Cath Lab Nurses Make Great Cardiac ICU Nurses</h2>
<p class="">You already bring skills the cardiac ICU values:</p>
<ul style="margin-left:20px">
  <li class=""><strong class="">Heart rhythms:</strong> You spot changes quickly</li>
  <li class=""><strong class="">Pressure readings:</strong> You understand what the numbers inside the heart mean</li>
  <li class=""><strong class="">Heart medications:</strong> You know the drugs used in cardiac emergencies</li>
  <li class=""><strong class="">Emergency response:</strong> You stay calm when a patient crashes</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="">What Is Different in the Cardiac ICU</h2>
<p class="">The biggest change is time. In the cath lab, you care for a patient for a few hours. In the cardiac ICU, you care for the same patient for a full 12-hour shift, often for days.</p>
<p></p>
<table class="">
  <tbody class="">
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="1" class="">Area</td>
      <td data-row="1" class="">Cath Lab</td>
      <td data-row="1" class="">Cardiac ICU</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="2" class="">Time with patient</td>
      <td data-row="2" class="">A few hours around a procedure</td>
      <td data-row="2" class="">Full shifts, often for several days</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="3" class="">Breathing support</td>
      <td data-row="3" class="">Short-term sedation</td>
      <td data-row="3" class="">Ventilators and weaning</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="4" class="">IV medications</td>
      <td data-row="4" class="">Mostly during the procedure</td>
      <td data-row="4" class="">Multiple drips adjusted all shift</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="5" class="">Schedule</td>
      <td data-row="5" class="">Day shifts plus call</td>
      <td data-row="5" class="">12-hour days or nights, no call</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="6" class="">Family contact</td>
      <td data-row="6" class="">Brief</td>
      <td data-row="6" class="">Ongoing support and education</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>
<h2 class="">Cardiac ICU Requirements</h2>
<p class=""></p>
<table class="">
  <tbody class="">
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="1" class="">Requirement</td>
      <td data-row="1" class="">What It Usually Looks Like</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="2" class="">License</td>
      <td data-row="2" class="">Active RN license</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="3" class="">Life support</td>
      <td data-row="3" class="">BLS and ACLS</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="4" class="">Experience</td>
      <td data-row="4" class="">ICU experience preferred; many hospitals offer critical care training for nurses moving from other units</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="5" class="">Certification</td>
      <td data-row="5" class="">CCRN preferred by many units; the CSC or CMC can be added later</td>
    </tr>
    <tr class="">
      <td data-row="6" class="">Travel roles</td>
      <td data-row="6" class="">Usually at least 1 to 2 years of recent ICU or cardiac ICU experience</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>
<h2 class="">How to Go From Cath Lab to Cardiac ICU in 6 Steps</h2>
<h3 class="">Step 1: Refresh Your Critical Care Basics</h3>
<p class="">Review ventilators, sedation, continuous drips and full-body assessments. Free and low-cost critical care courses can help you get up to speed.</p>
<h3 class="">Step 2: Talk to Your Cardiac ICU Team</h3>
<p class="">If your hospital has a cardiac ICU, ask the manager about transfers, shadow shifts and training programs. Many cath lab nurses already know the cardiac ICU team from handing off patients.</p>
<h3 class="">Step 3: Look for a Critical Care Training Program</h3>
<p class="">Many hospitals offer fellowships or training programs for nurses new to the ICU. These give you classes, a preceptor and time to build confidence.</p>
<h3 class="">Step 4: Build Your ICU Hours</h3>
<p class="">Once you start, focus on learning post-op heart care, ventilators and drips. Your first year in the cardiac ICU builds the experience you need for certification and travel roles.</p>
<h3 class="">Step 5: Earn Your CCRN</h3>
<p class="">The CCRN is the critical care board certification from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). You need 1,750 hours caring for acutely or critically ill adults in the past two years to qualify. Already hold the CV-BC? You can hold both credentials at the same time.</p>
<h3 class="">Step 6: Add a Cardiac Subspecialty Certification</h3>
<p class="">Once you hold a specialty certification like the CCRN, you can add the CSC (cardiac surgery) or CMC (cardiac medicine) from AACN. For the CSC, at least 875 of your 1,750 hours must be with cardiac surgery patients in the first 48 hours after surgery. The CSC exam costs $150 for AACN members and $240 for nonmembers.</p>
<h2 class="">How Long Does It Take to Move From Cath Lab to Cardiac ICU?</h2>
<p class="">Many nurses make the switch within a few months once a position opens. Plan on about one to two years in the cardiac ICU to feel fully confident, qualify for the CCRN and become eligible for most travel cardiac ICU roles.</p>
<h2 class="">How Much Do Cardiac ICU Nurses Make?</h2>
<p class="">The median pay for registered nurses in the U.S. was $97,550 per year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cardiac ICU pay depends on location, experience, shift and certifications. Travel cardiac ICU nurses often earn more through weekly pay packages that can include housing support and travel reimbursement.</p>
<h2 class="">Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to the Cardiac ICU</h2>
<h3 class="">Does cath lab experience count as ICU experience?</h3>
<p class="">Usually not. Most employers count cath lab time as procedural experience. It is valuable, but you will still need ICU hours for most ICU travel roles and the CCRN.</p>
<h3 class="">Will I lose my cath lab skills?</h3>
<p class="">Not at all. Your rhythm, pressure reading and emergency skills get even stronger in the cardiac ICU, and many nurses move back and forth between the two over a career.</p>
<h3 class="">Do cardiac ICU nurses take call?</h3>
<p class="">Usually not. Most cardiac ICU nurses work scheduled 12-hour shifts instead of call.</p>
<h3 class="">What certification should I get in the cardiac ICU?</h3>
<p class="">Start with the CCRN. Then add the CSC if you care for many open heart surgery patients, or the CMC if you care for medical heart patients.</p>
<h2 class="">Build Your Cardiac Career With Cross Country</h2>
<p class="">Whether you are building ICU experience or ready to travel, Cross Country can help you find cardiac roles at hospitals across the country. Start by learning <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/how-travel-nurses-identify-high-quality-assignments" rel="noopener noreferrer"  class="">what makes an assignment high quality</a>, browse our <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/travel-guides" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="">travel guides</a>, then <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/apply-now" rel="noopener noreferrer"  class="">apply today</a> to talk with a recruiter about your goals. Know a cardiac nurse ready for a change? <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/refer-a-friend" rel="noopener noreferrer"  class="">Refer a friend</a>.</p>


Cath Lab to Cardiac ICU: How to Make the Jump 

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