Critical Care Nurses build social perceptiveness, service orientation and judgment and decision making skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (87%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 87% | $64,400 | — | None |
| 2 | Paramedics | 86% | $60,600 | — | None |
| 3 | Nursing Assistants | 78% | $42,260 | — | None |
| 4 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 76% | $68,380 | — | None |
| 5 | Ophthalmic Medical Technologists | 75% | $50,290Pay for the broader BLS group “Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 6 | Athletic Trainers | 75% | $62,520 | — | Graduate degree |
| 7 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 75% | $72,300 | — | None |
| 8 | Psychiatric Technicians | 75% | $45,130 | — | None |
| 9 | Occupational Therapy Aides | 74% | $39,160 | — | None |
| 10 | Midwives | 74% | $65,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other” | Not compared | Graduate degree |
Compared with Critical Care Nurses, median —. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as critical care nurses (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
87% skill match · $64,400
Time Management
86% skill match · $60,600
Operation and Control
78% skill match · $42,260
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (87% skill match, median $64,400), Paramedics (86% skill match, median $60,600) and Nursing Assistants (78% skill match, median $42,260), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
None of the 25 closest matches pays more than critical care nurses at the national median (BLS May 2025). Higher-paying moves usually need more training.
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 5 usually need a graduate degree: Athletic Trainers, Midwives and Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.