Career Overview
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
- Charge Nurse
- Emergency Department RN (Emergency Department Registered Nurse)
- Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN)
- Staff Nurse
Alternate Job Titles
- 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
- Consulting Nurse
- Coronary Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)
- County Nurse
- Delivery Nurse
- Dialysis Nurse
- Dialysis Registered Nurse (Dialysis RN)
- Discharge Planner
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Administrative
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Writing
- Monitoring
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Oral Comprehension
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Near Vision
- Information Ordering
- Speech Clarity
- Speech Recognition
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Achievement
- Independence
- Working Conditions
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Apache Spark
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Epic Systems
- Google Docs
- Henry Schein Dentrix
- Kronos Workforce Timekeeper
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
Tools & Equipment
- Angiocaths
- Anti-embolism elastic stockings
- Apnea monitors
- Aqua K pads
- Arterial blood gas testing equipment
- Arterial line catheters
- Audiometers
- Autoclaves
- Automated medicine dispensing equipment
- Autotransfusion systems
- Bag-valve masks
- Balanced suspension traction equipment
- Bed scales
- Bilevel positive airway pressure BiPAP ventilators
- Bilimeters
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $66,030 |
| Median | $93,600 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $135,320 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 3,282,010
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Acute Care Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Nurse Practitioners
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $129,210
Critical Care Nurses
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Education: Master's Degree
Median Salary: $93,600
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Education: Some College Courses
Median Salary: $62,340
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.