What does a Registered Nurse do?
Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.
Registered nurses' duties and titles often depend on where they work and the patients they work with. Most registered nurses work as part of a team with physicians and other healthcare specialists. Some registered nurses oversee licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, and home health aides.
Source: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Get career advice
Our career coaches can help you make a plan.
Working as a Registered Nurse
Depending on their roles, qualifications, specialization and years of experience, a registered nurse may:
- Assess patients' conditions
- Record patients' medical histories and symptoms
- Observe patients and record the observations
- Administer patients' medicines and treatments
- Set up plans for patients' care or contribute information to existing plans
- Help perform diagnostic tests and analyze the results
- Operate and monitor medical equipment
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
How much does a Registered Nurse make in the United States?
Average base salary
The average salary for a registered nurse is $43.26 per hour in the United States and $12,000 overtime per year.315.6k salaries reported, updated at September 27, 2023
Where can a Registered Nurse earn more?
Compare salaries for Registered Nurses in different locations
How much do similar professions get paid in United States?
Registered Nurse - Operating Room
Job openingsAverage $70.80 per hour
Registered Nurse - Medical/Surgical
Job openingsAverage $2,273 per week
Clinical Nurse
Job openingsAverage $41.24 per hour
Licensed Practical Nurse
Job openingsAverage $32.58 per hour
Registered Nurse - Emergency Room
Job openingsAverage $2,448 per week
How do Registered Nurses rate their jobs?
Overview
Based on 43,156 reviews
Reviews
Pros and cons
Written by RN (Current Employee) at Kaiser Permanente - Gaithersburg, MD – March 27, 2014
I love the patients I am able to work with here. A typical day includes patient teaching, coordinating appointments and procedures, and requesting pathology services. My coworkers are very supportive and friendly. Management is inexperienced and the department has expanded too quickly, which can often be overwhelming for managers. The most unpleasant part of my job is a physical environment that is cramped and shared by too many people, and not conducive to focusing and staying on-task. The hardest part of this job is trying to conform to a zero tolerance for individuality, and this can be a stifling and sometimes impossible standard to meet. I love supporting my patients through their cancer diagnosis and sequelae throughout their trial involvement, and I have a strong calling to work with patients facing potentially life-limiting illness.
Pros
Good benefits, competitive salary, challenging duties and interesting work
Cons
Lack of privacy, stifling and unrealistic corporate culture
- Facebook
- Twitter
cleveland clinic treats their employees well, I have enjoyed all of my positions as a bedside nurse at the cleveland clinic
Written by Registered Nurse (Former Employee) at Cleveland Clinic - Cleveland, OH – January 4, 2016
A typical day at work as a bedside nurse-received report, assessed patients, administered meds and treatments, communicated with MD's, reviewed results of labs and other diagnostic tests.
I learned to work as a team and to empathize with my patients.
Management was sometimes supportive but at times management could be too removed from direct patient care.
Most co-workers were good team members.
Too many critical events at once.
Successfully taking care of the patients and seeing a positive outcome.
Pros
good pay and benefits
Cons
worked night shift
- Facebook
- Twitter
Heart/lung transplant unit
Written by Registered nurse on heart/lung transplant unit (Current Employee) at Cleveland Clinic - Cleveland, OH – September 17, 2015
Working on the heart/lung transplant unit has taught me so much about medicine, and nursing. This unit teaches the RN how to communicate with doctors and physician assistants very well. It teaches the RN how to delegate, as RNs are working with licensed practical nurses and patient care nurse assistants. This is a very special unit. Many patients on the unit are waiting for transplant and you really get to know the patients and their families. This has been a great opportunity.
Pros
Great benifits
Cons
Pay grade too low
- Facebook
- Twitter
worked at sequoia hospital for 18 yrs
Written by RN Staff Nurse (Current Employee) at Dignity Health - Redwood City, CA – April 21, 2015
typical day currently is very fast paced, work well with co workers, we are in a very public arena, have to be careful about what we say, just because it can be perceived differently.
Our patients recieve very high quality care by very skilled personal
hardest part of the job is not getting positive feedback from management, seems like all we hear is how we could have done something better
most enjoyable .. my co workers
Pros
benefits
Cons
short staffed
- Facebook
- Twitter
High Stress, Fast Paced, Rewarding Patient Outcomes
Written by Registered Nurse (Former Employee) at Dignity Health - Grass Valley, CA – November 3, 2015
Twelve hours days, three days a week, demanding, incredible co-workers, long days, but four days off per week. Great pay and benefits. Loved my patients, and educating them and their families kept me going. Upper management was creating an atmosphere of hostility on a hospital wide level.
Pros
Pay, benefits, close to home, Incredible Co-Workers, 4 days off
Cons
Long Days, High Stress, Over worked staff, Poor Upper Management
- Facebook
- Twitter
Common questions about for a Registered Nurse
What is a 2-year nursing degree called?
A two-year nursing degree is called an associate degree in nursing (ADN).
How many hours do registered nurses work?
Registered nurses (RNs) typically work in shifts or rotations that are 8, 10, or 12 hours long. Nurses that work 8-hour shifts work at least four days per week while a registered nurse who works 12-hour shifts may only work three days per week. Some employers may have voluntary or required overtime in addition to these shifts. When interviewing for a registered nurse position, it is a good idea to ask the employer what a typical RN schedule is like.
Is becoming a registered nurse worth it?
Registered nurse has an above-average job outlook according to the Bureau of labor statistics and has an above-average median pay. Becoming a nurse is worth it when considering the stability of this career and positive long-term outlooks.
