Registered Nurses
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required.
Also known as: Cardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse), Cardiac Nurse Specialist, Central Supply Nurse, Certified Operating Room Nurse (CNOR), Charge Nurse, Circulating Nurse, Community Health Nurse, Consultant Nurse, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
- Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
- Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
- Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.
- Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
- Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
- Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
- Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.
- Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.
- Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.
- Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.
- Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.
- Conduct specified laboratory tests.
- Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.
- Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
- Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.
- Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.
- Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.
- Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.
- Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.