Registered Nurses

Overview

Introduction

Registered nurses (RNs) help individuals, families, and groups to improve and maintain health and to prevent disease. They care for the sick and injured in hospitals and other health care facilities, physicians offices, private homes, public health agencies, schools, camps, and industry. Some registered nurses are employed in private practice. RNs hold more than 3.3 million jobs in the United States.

Quick Facts


Median Salary

$86,070

Employment Prospects

Good

Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma|Some Postsecondary Training


Experience

Internships, clinical rotations


Skills

Interpersonal|Leadership|Scientific


Personality Traits

Helpful|Outgoing|Scientific

Earnings

Registered nurses had median annual earnings of $86,070 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Salaries ranged from less than $63,720 to more than $132,680. Earnings of RNs vary according to employer. According to the DOL, those who worked at hospitals earned $88,430, while registered nurses employed in ambulatory health care services earned 81,230. Registered nurses who ...

Work Environment

Most nurses work in facilities that are clean and well lighted and where the temperature is controlled, although some work in rundown inner-city or rural hospitals in less-than-ideal conditions. Many nurses work eight-hour shifts. Those in hospitals generally work any of three shifts: 7:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.; 3:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.; or...

Outlook

The nursing field is the largest of all health care occupations, and employment prospects for nurses are good. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) projects that employment of registered nurses will increase 6 percent from 2023 through 2033, faster than the average for all professions. This will lead to the creation of 194,500 job openings each year. Registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s d...