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 PerceptivenessService OrientationCritical ThinkingActive ListeningCoordinationSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingReading Comprehension
Knowledge areas
PsychologyCustomer and Personal ServiceMedicine and DentistryEnglish LanguageAdministrative
Technology & tools
Medical softwareBusiness intelligence and data analysis softwareData base user interface and query softwareCategorization or classification softwareInformation retrieval or search software
Representative tasks
Record patients' medical information and vital signs.Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.Conduct specified laboratory tests.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.Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices, or other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, inhalation therapy, or related therapeutic procedures.Direct or coordinate infection control programs, advising or consulting with specified personnel about necessary precautions.Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.Provide or arrange for training or instruction of auxiliary personnel or students.Refer students or patients to specialized health resources or community agencies furnishing assistance.Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.Consult with institutions or associations regarding issues or concerns relevant to the practice and profession of nursing.Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.Engage in research activities related to nursing.
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
264 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Aeromedical Nurse Practitioner (Air Force 46Y4F)Infection Control NurseClinical Nurse, Critical Care (Air Force 46N3E)Nurse Supervisor, Evening-or-NightSurgical Technologist Helper (Air Force 4N111)Orthopedic Specialist (Army 68B)Family Nurse Practitioner (Army 66P)Surgical Technologist Helper, Urology (Air Force 4N111B)Clinical Nurse, Critical Care (Air Force 46N1E)Maternity NurseTravel RN (Travel Registered Nurse)Home Health RN (Home Health Registered Nurse)Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Family Nurse Practitioner (Air Force 46Y1H)Aerospace Medical Service Apprentice, Independent Duty Medical Technician (Air Force 4N031C)Aerospace Medical Service Helper, Neurodiagnostic Medical Technician (Air Force 4N011B)Surgical Technologist Journeyman, Orthopedics (Air Force 4N151C)Industrial Staff NurseCardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)RN Resident (Registered Nurse Resident)Telemetry Registered Nurse (Telemetry RN)Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner (Air Force 46Y4A)Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (Air Force 46Y4B)Triage NurseHospitalman (Navy HN)Surgical Technologist (Air Force 4N1X1)Nurse ConsultantPACU RN (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse)PACU RN (Post Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse)Nurse ClinicianMental Health Nurse (Air Force 46PX)Dental Assistant Journeyman (Air Force 4Y051)Aerospace Medical Service Craftsman, National Registry Paramedic (Air Force 4N071H)Clinical Nurse, Emergency/Trauma (Air Force 46N4J)Health Services Management Helper (Air Force 4A011)Aerospace Medical Service Journeyman, Neurodiagnostic Medical Technician (Air Force 4N051B)Aerospace Medical Service Helper, Independent Duty Medical Technician (Air Force 4N011C)Aerospace Medical Service Apprentice, Aeromedical Education Technician (Air Force 4N031G)Aerospace Medical Service Craftsman, Aeromedical Education Technician (Air Force 4N071G)Health Services Management Journeyman (Air Force 4A051)Aerospace Medical Technician (Navy 003700)