Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is currently seeking a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) Nurse Practitioner with Pediatric Acute Care certification to join our nationally recognized Heart Institute. This role provides advanced practice care to critically ill cardiac patients across the lifespan, from newborns to adults, in a highly specialized and collaborative environment.
Full-Time - 40 hours per week, Day/Night rotation required
Expected Starting Salary Range:
Minimum: $54.90/hour Midpoint: $70.76/hour
Compensation is commensurate with experience, education, and internal equity.
About the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
The CICU is a 36-bed critical care unit within Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute and the Midwest's first comprehensive Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. We provide specialized, state-of-the-art care for critically ill patients with congenital and acquired heart disease, including those requiring the most advanced medical and surgical therapies.
Our multidisciplinary team cares for patients who have undergone:
Cardiothoracic surgery
Heart and lung transplantation
Advanced mechanical circulatory support
Key Responsibilities
The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner will:
Provide advanced practice care to critically ill cardiac patients in the CICU
Manage complex postoperative cardiothoracic surgical patients
Care for patients requiring:
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs), including Berlin Heart, HeartMate II, SynCardia TAH, and others
Manage patients with:
Pulmonary hypertension
Heart failure and cardiomyopathy
Complex arrhythmias
Care for pre- and post-operative cardiac transplant patients
Provide care following complex cardiac catheterization and hybrid procedures
Support patients with cardiac disease requiring intensive care for non-cardiac illnesses or surgeries
Collaborate closely with cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, critical care, nursing, and allied health teams
Participate in quality improvement, education, and evidence-based practice initiatives
Minimum Qualifications
Master's or Doctoral degree from an accredited Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program
Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner certification required
Eligible for or currently licensed as an APRN in the state of Ohio
Strong interest in cardiac critical care; prior CICU or cardiac experience preferred
Why Cincinnati Children's
At Cincinnati Children's, our mission is simple: to make children's health better. We believe in a holistic, team-based approach to patient- and family-centered care while advancing research, discovery, and innovation.
Advanced Practice Providers are a vital part of our care delivery model. With more than 650 APPs across the organization, Cincinnati Children's recognizes and supports APP leadership, professional growth, and meaningful contributions to clinical care, research, quality improvement, and process innovation.
If you are driven to be the best you can be and want to make a lasting impact on patients and families, you can do it here.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Patient Care - Perform history and/or physical exams on patients presenting for care in area of expertise. Assess and diagnose illnesses, including chronic and acute conditions. Formulate, document and monitor a treatment plan. Order and monitor therapeutic interventions including but not limited to diets, laboratory, radiological and diagnostic tests as deemed necessary by patient history and/or physical exam. Provide clinical consultation, order interdisciplinary consults. Professional practice including but not limited to prescription of medications in accordance with Federal and State Law & Rules and CCHMC policy. Attains and maintains competency in subspecialty practice, skills and procedures in accordance with Joint Commission standards for focused (FPPE) and ongoing (OPPE) professional practice evaluation.
• Outcomes Identification and Planning - Develops outcomes as measurable goals that provide direction for continuity of care & continuity of care & consistency among providers. Develops, prioritizes, evaluates & modifies an individualized comprehensive plan of care. Addresses each diagnosis or issue, as appropriate. Derives outcomes & plans of care that involve the patient/family/caregiver when possible & are realistic to the patient/family/caregiver capabilities & resources. Considers risks/benefits, costs, clinical effectiveness, current scientific evidence/clinical guidelines & clinical expertise to formulate interventions, treatments & outcomes. Incorporates new knowledge & strategies to initiate change in practice if desired outcomes not achieved. Maintains documentation & updates accordingly outcomes, goals & the plan of care.
• Professional Practice - Maintain professional behaviors aligned with core values and care standards, participate in quality improvement activities or research to improve the care delivery process & patient care outcomes. Participate in lifelong learning and professional development activities that improves skills & competence in clinical practice/role performance. Serve as preceptor, role model, or mentor; Contribute to the professional development of peers/colleagues to improve pediatric health care & to foster the professions growth. Integrate ethical considerations & research findings into practice; Provide leadership by participating on committees or in professional organizations, or writing/publishing/presenting. Advocate for the pediatric patient/family/caregiver. Serve as a leader, influencing both healthcare/APRN practice & policy.
• Care Management - Maintains competency in skills/procedures; Promotes self-management & family centered care; Employs diverse & complex strategies, interventions, & teaching to promote health & a safe environment; Provides leadership in care management to achieve optimal quality, cost-effective care; Documents & communicates with healthcare team members to achieve an integrated delivery of pediatric care services; Delegates appropriate monitoring, assessment, & interventions according to the patient and scope of practice of the caregiver; Provides consultation to influence the identified plan of care, to enhance the abilities of others to provide health care, and to effect change in the healthcare system; Makes appropriate referrals and discusses recommendations with patient/family/caregiver; Orders and/or performs appropriate treatments, therapies, & procedures that are based on current knowledge, research, & practice; Provides patient/family/caregiver with diagnostic & laboratory results as well as actual/potential benefits, limitations, & adverse effects of proposed therapies.
• Evaluation - Uses a systematic, ongoing evaluation of the assessment data & outcomes to revise or resolve the diagnoses, outcomes, the plan of care, & the implementation as needed; Evaluates the accuracy of the diagnosis, effectiveness of the interventions & the plan of care strategies in relation to attainment of expected outcomes; Includes the patient/family/caregiver & other healthcare providers; Bases the evaluation process on advanced knowledge, practice, research, & documents appropriately; Utilizes the results of the evaluation to determine the impact on the patient/family/caregiver, organization, & system to make/recommend process or structural changes including policy, procedure, or protocols as appropriate.

• Masters degree in related field. May require clinical license, certification or training OR Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree
• No directly related experience
• Licensure and certification in accordance with CCHMC Delineation of Privileges
• Multi-state licensure in addition to Ohio licensure may be required base on subspecialty

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years
• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding
• Recognized as one of America's Best Large Employers (2025), America's Best Employers for New Grads (2025)
• One of the nation's America's Most Innovative Companies as noted by Fortune
• Consistently certified as great place to work
• A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability
• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)