Make a custom microsite for Acute care nurse practitioners

Work Environment ACNPs can work in a variety of places, such as a hospital or a doctorʼs office. More specifically, they can work in an emergency room or operating room, providing advanced medical care for patients in critical conditions. ACNPs also hold positions in intensive care units or ambulatory clinics.

The credential for ANCC-certified NPs is NP-BC preceded by a letter indicating the particular specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner: FNP-BC. Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner: AGPCNP-BC. Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner: AGACNP-BC.

Critical Care Nurse Practitioner (CCNP) Critical Care Nurse Practitioners (CCNPs) specialize in providing care to critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments.

The primary role of the AGACNP is to care for patients with complex, acute conditions. Many AGACNPs practice in intensive care, trauma or acute care units. While most AGACNPs report practicing in tertiary care practice settings, AGACNPs can now also work in specialty clinics and long-term care facilities.

The ACNP provides focused care to patients in a variety of healthcare settings. They work in specialty settings and departments such as oncology, hematology, neurology, or other areas where healthcare providers, including the ACNP, care for patients with chronic illnesses as well as acute or serious injuries.

The average salary for a acute care nurse practitioner is $149,945 per year in California. 44 salaries taken from job postings on indeed in the past 1 months (updated May 20, 2025).

Acute care nurses often work with patients in critical condition, so they use a range of emergency and trauma nursing skills to stabilize people and provide swift medical intervention when needed. Without acute care nurses, patients who arrive at hospitals wouldnʼt have the expert care they need.

ACNPs deal with the treatment of medical problems that appear abruptly and progress swiftly to become potentially risky. This form of specialist treatment is provided in hospital emergency departments, intensive care units, and other locations where critically sick patients are treated.