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 nearly 3.1 million jobs in the United States.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), registered nurses had median annual earnings of $73,300 in May 2019. Salaries ranged from less than $52,080 to more than $111,220. Earnings of RNs vary according to employer. According to the DOL, those who worked at hospitals earned $79,460; registered nurses employed in physicians' offices earned $69,570; those working in home health care servi...
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 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 11:00
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 7 percent through 2029, faster than the average for all professions. This will lead to the creation of 221,900 new jobs. Registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing will ha...
