About this specialty
ICU / Critical Care jobs nationwide
4,125 active ICU / Critical Care positions are open across the US right now, with the deepest concentration in , NC, CA. Listings come straight from hospital ATS feeds, refreshed nightly.
ICU roles span medical, surgical, neuro, cardiac, and pediatric ICUs. Most hospitals require at least one year of recent acute-care experience, and many specifically prefer ACLS + PALS certifications. Charge-RN and assistant-manager openings are tagged as such where the hospital provides a clean signal.
Wages for ICU / Critical Care roles vary significantly by region, shift, and acuity. Major academic medical centers and urban level-1 trauma hospitals typically anchor the top of the pay band; community and rural sites cluster lower. Where the hospital publishes its pay scale, Waypoint surfaces it directly on the job detail page; where they don't, the apply link still routes straight to the employer's ATS.
Frequently asked
Common questions about ICU / Critical Care jobs
How many ICU / Critical Care jobs are listed?
4,125 active positions across the United States as of the last nightly scrape.
Which states have the most ICU / Critical Care openings?
, NC, CA currently lead the country by ICU / Critical Care job count. Full state-by-state breakdown is in the sidebar.
Which hospital systems hire the most ICU / Critical Care staff?
The top three hiring systems for ICU / Critical Care are Lifepoint Health, CommonSpirit, Advocate Health. Click any system tag to see all their open roles.
Are travel and per-diem ICU / Critical Care positions included?
Yes. Each posting carries a job type flag (Full-Time, Part-Time, Per Diem, Travel). Travel-specific listings are also aggregated separately at /jobs/specialty/travel-nursing.
Do I need a license in the state I'm applying to?
Yes for any direct-care role. ICU / Critical Care positions require state RN/APRN licensure for the state of employment. Many nurses qualify for compact-state licensure — see Waypoint's compact-license-states tool at /tools/compact-license-states for the current list.