Registered Nurse: Job Profile & Salary

Overview

From the delivery room to the hospice center, there are few parts of the medical lives of Americans untouched by the skilled hands of nurses. As one of more than 2.7 million registered nurses on the job today, you'll be tasked with treating and educating patients, explaining prescriptions and procedures, administering medication, or managing medical records. While many RNs work in hospitals or physicians' offices, more are finding jobs in public health, home care, or alternate care settings such as rehabilitation centers, schools, or businesses. There is also plenty of specialization within the field. You could focus on the care of patients following heart surgery as a cardiovascular nurse, or even aid in treating brain or spinal cord injuries as a neuroscience nurse.

Even in a tough economy, nursing has flourished compared with most other occupations. Thanks in part to an aging population, job growth is expected to be much faster than the national average. The greatest job growth will be in physicians' offices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects registered nurse employment growth of 26 percent between 2010 and 2020, adding 711,900 more positions. Solid employment growth and a wide range of job prospects help make registered nursing a top healthcare job, as well as the No. 1 career on our list of The Best Jobs of 2012.

Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for a registered nurse was $64,690 in 2010. The best-paid 10 percent of RNs made approximately $95,130, while the bottom 10 percent made approximately $44,190. The highest wages are reserved for personal care nurses, or those working for private-sector pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturers. By location, the highest-paid positions are clustered in the metropolitan areas of northern California, including municipalities in and around San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco.

Training

At a minimum, an entry-level nursing job requires a bachelor of science degree in nursing, an associate's degree, or a diploma program administered in a hospital. The two-year associate's degree can be a quicker and more economical route, but many graduates of associate's programs eventually aim to complete a bachelor's degree for a more comprehensive nursing education, and experts say that the bachelor's degree is fast becoming the industry standard. For those who have already earned a bachelor's degree in a different field, accelerated B.S.N. degree programs can last from 12 to 18 months. Students must also pass a national licensing examination known as the National Council Licensure Examination, and may have to meet other requirements which vary by state. Many nurses choose to pursue master's degrees in advanced practice nursing specialties, such as a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist.

Reviews and Advice

"Even though there's great growth potential, the market is still competitive," says Donna Cardillo, RN, a speaker known as the "career guru" for nurses. She recommends nurses use both traditional and virtual tricks of the interviewing trade, including printing business cards for the interview process (many nurses don't) and keeping up-to-date profiles on social media sites like LinkedIn. The most effective job leads, however, come from one-on-one contacts that can be found by joining professional organizations like state chapters of the American Nurses Association or other specialized professional groups. For older job seekers looking to enter the field, Cardillo recommends they play up their experience in non-nursing fields, as those experiences can show a more diverse set of skills. Another tip: Look beyond the hospital. Nurses are fanning out into a host of jobs, ranging from rehab and long-term care facilities to nurse-run community clinics, schools, or corporations where preventative care and wellness are becoming a bigger focus—and a bigger source of jobs. "The whole job market is shifting," Cardillo says.

» Real Advice From Real Registered Nurses