Occupation · SOC 29-1141
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.
Median wage
$93,600
$66,030–$135,320
Projected growth
+4.9%
Average growth
Annual openings
16,610
per year
Employed (US)
3,282,010
Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
1,745 mapped
Core skills
Social PerceptivenessSpeakingService OrientationCritical ThinkingCoordinationActive ListeningReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingWritingMonitoringComplex Problem SolvingActive LearningLearning StrategiesInstructingTime ManagementSystems EvaluationSystems AnalysisOperations MonitoringScienceQuality Control AnalysisPersuasionMathematicsNegotiationManagement of Personnel ResourcesOperation and ControlOperations AnalysisTroubleshootingTechnology DesignManagement of Material ResourcesEquipment SelectionProgrammingManagement of Financial ResourcesRepairingInstallationEquipment Maintenance
Knowledge areas
PsychologyCustomer and Personal ServiceMedicine and DentistryEnglish LanguageAdministrativeTherapy and CounselingMathematicsAdministration and ManagementEducation and TrainingPublic Safety and SecurityBiologySociology and AnthropologyChemistryComputers and ElectronicsPersonnel and Human ResourcesLaw and GovernmentCommunications and MediaTelecommunicationsPhilosophy and TheologySales and MarketingForeign LanguageEconomics and AccountingTransportationProduction and ProcessingPhysicsEngineering and TechnologyFood ProductionHistory and ArcheologyMechanicalDesignGeographyBuilding and ConstructionFine Arts
Technology & tools
Allscripts SunriseAllscripts healthcare automation softwareApache SparkData entry softwareDatabase softwareDiagnostic and procedural coding softwareDoctorsPartner EMRDrug guide softwareElectronic medical record EMR softwareEpic SystemsFaceTimeFileMaker ProGoogle DocsGoogle DriveHMSHealthcare common procedure coding system HCPCSHenry Schein DentrixHuman resource management software HRMSIBM NotesKronos Workforce TimekeeperLinkedInMEDITECH softwareMedical condition coding softwareMedical procedure coding softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft ExchangeMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordOracle TaleoPCC EHRPer-Se Technologies ORSOS One-CallPointClickCare healthcare softwarePrognosis Innovation Healthcare ChartAccessQuadraMed Affinity Healthcare Information System
Representative tasks
Assisting and Caring for OthersDocumenting/Recording InformationGetting InformationUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesPerforming General Physical ActivitiesIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsWorking with ComputersMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersHandling and Moving ObjectsGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeopleInspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsDeveloping and Building TeamsAnalyzing Data or InformationCoaching and Developing OthersThinking CreativelyTraining and Teaching OthersProcessing InformationCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesScheduling Work and ActivitiesPerforming Administrative ActivitiesControlling Machines and ProcessesStaffing Organizational UnitsEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationOperating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesSelling or Influencing OthersRepairing and Maintaining Electronic EquipmentRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Vital signs and standard assessments — collect and document on stable patients on a med-surg unit.Hand hygiene and isolation precautions — apply consistently across patient encounters in acute care.Routine medications by established protocol — administer with preceptor verification on a staffed unit.Patient identifiers and safety checks — perform reliably before any procedure or administration.Charting in the electronic health record — enter assessments and intake/output accurately under review.Basic patient education materials — deliver on discharge topics with a senior nurse present.Specimen collection (blood, urine, culture) — obtain to protocol on a general medical floor.Pain scales and reassessment intervals — document according to unit standards on stable patients.Code blue and rapid response roles — recognize triggers and call for help in inpatient settings.Equipment (IV pumps, telemetry leads, pulse oximetry) — set up and verify with preceptor oversight.
developing
Multi-patient assignments — organize and prioritize on a routine med-surg shift with reduced oversight.Care plans for common diagnoses — draft and update from admission through discharge on a med-surg unit.IV access and infusion management — initiate and maintain on stable adult inpatients.High-alert medications — administer with double-checks in established acute-care protocols.Patient and family teaching — deliver on common conditions in inpatient and outpatient settings.Subtle changes in patient status — recognize and escalate appropriately on a familiar patient population.Interdisciplinary rounds — contribute patient updates and concerns on a general inpatient unit.Common procedures (Foley, NG tube, wound care) — perform independently on routine cases.Documentation for regulatory and billing requirements — complete accurately across a routine shift.New nursing students and orientees — guide on basic skills during clinical rotations.
proficient
Complex, multi-system patients — assess, plan, and coordinate across an acute-care assignment.Deteriorating patients — anticipate, intervene, and lead initial response in inpatient settings.Specialty-area protocols (ED, OR, oncology, psych) — apply autonomously within scope of practice.Charge-nurse responsibilities — assign, flex, and support staff across a unit during a shift.Difficult conversations with patients and families — conduct on prognosis, goals of care, and consent.Conflict and resource issues during a shift — resolve in real time across the care team.Quality and safety concerns — identify, report, and follow through using unit and facility processes.New protocols and evidence-based practice changes — implement and coach on at the unit level.Preceptorship of new graduates — structure, evaluate, and progress over an orientation period.Cross-unit transfers and complex discharges — coordinate with case management and accepting teams.
advanced
Clinical practice on a unit or service line — set, audit, and improve against national benchmarks.Unit-level quality and safety initiatives — design, lead, and evaluate across multidisciplinary teams.High-acuity, ambiguous cases — guide care decisions and frame ethical considerations across teams.Staffing models and skill mix — shape and defend at unit or service-line level with leadership.Mentorship and career development — provide for charge nurses, preceptors, and emerging leaders.Policy, protocol, and order-set development — author and revise in collaboration with medical staff.Regulatory readiness (Joint Commission, CMS) — prepare, lead, and represent the unit during surveys.Patient-experience and outcomes data — interpret and translate into practice changes at the unit level.Crisis events (code, mass casualty, behavioral emergencies) — direct response and debrief teams afterward.Strategic nursing practice across the service line — represent in committees and shape institutional direction.
Also known as
102 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Cardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)Cardiac Nurse SpecialistCentral Supply NurseCertified Operating Room Nurse (CNOR)Charge NurseCirculating NurseCommunity Health NurseConsultant NurseConsulting NurseCoronary Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)County NurseDelivery NurseDialysis NurseDialysis Registered Nurse (Dialysis RN)Discharge PlannerEmergency Department RN (Emergency Department Registered Nurse)Emergency Room Nurse (ER Nurse)Emergency Room Registered Nurse (ER RN)Endoscopy Registered Nurse (Endoscopy RN)Field NurseFlight NurseForensic NurseGeneral Duty NurseGenetics NurseGeriatric NurseHome Health RN (Home Health Registered Nurse)Hospice Registered Nurse (Hospice RN)Industrial NurseIndustrial RN (Industrial Registered Nurse)Industrial Staff NurseInfection Control NurseL and D RN (Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse)Labor and Delivery NurseLegal Nurse Consultant (LNC)Maternity NurseMed- Surg Travel RN (Medical Surgical Travel Registered Nurse)Med-Surg RN (Medical Surgical Registered Nurse)Med-Surg Telemetry RN (Medical Surgical Telemetry Registered Nurse)Medical RN (Medical Registered Nurse)Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (Med-Surg RN)