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
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
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...