What Does a Registered Nurse Do? Your 2026 Career Guide

Key takeaways

• A registered nurse (RN) performs various tasks, including providing patient care, creating care plans, documenting patient information, and providing education to patients and families.

• Registered nurse salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals a median annual salary of $97,550 [1].

• Registered nurse jobs require various skills, including technical skills such as checking and monitoring patient vital signs, maintaining patient safety, providing patient care, and using health care technologies.

To become a registered nurse, you’ll need formal training, typically either a nursing diploma or degree program, and you’ll need to pass the NCLEX-RN exam and meet any additional requirements in your state. Learn more about registered nurses below, including what they do, their salary and job outlook, and how to become one.

To start building your knowledge and skills, enroll in the Integrative Nursing Specialization from the University of Minnesota. This beginner-level program takes around two months to complete and offers an opportunity to learn about the role of integrative nursing in health care, use cases for integrative therapies, and how to apply integrative nursing principles to patient care.

What is an RN, and what does a registered nurse do?

A registered nurse provides and coordinates care for patients in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, schools, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. As an RN, you’ll also support physicians and other medical professionals, as well as communicate with patients' families about their progress.

RNs make up the largest group of employees within the health care system, according to Nursing CAS [2]. Because the job is in such high demand, those who complete nursing programs can usually count on competitive wages and job security.

While your exact responsibilities will likely vary from day to day, some of the most common duties you will likely perform as an RN include:

• Administering medication

• Dressing wounds

• Monitoring vital signs

• Inserting intravenous (IV) catheters

• Creating a plan of care

• Documenting patient information

• Preparing patients for discharge

• Teaching patients and their families about various illnesses and treatments

Registered nurses may work with patients from all walks of life. You may deliver babies or work with the elderly, or you might provide basic first aid or help treat serious diseases.

No matter their differences, the American Nurses Association claims there is one single process with five components that all RNs follow [3]:

1. Assessment: Collect information about a patient's physical and mental health, as well as any helpful background information.

2. Diagnosis: Use your clinical knowledge to make a judgment about actual or potential health needs.

3. Outcome/planning: Based on the assessment and diagnosis, make goals for the patient and create a care plan.

4. Implementation: Document the care plan in the patient’s record to ensure continuity of care.

5. Evaluation: Evaluate the patient's response to the care plan and make changes as necessary.

Where do registered nurses work?

Registered nurses work in almost every type of medical facility, including hospitals, clinics, and medical offices.

Registered nurse salary and job outlook

On average, a registered nurse in the United States can expect to make $97,550 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [1]. RNs working in governmental or hospital settings tend to earn at the higher end of the pay scale [1].

Registered nurses are projected to see 6 percent job growth between 2025 and 2035, resulting in about 180,800 job openings each year throughout the decade [4].

Skills needed to become an RN

If you enjoy working closely with people and feel passionate about helping others, a career in nursing could be a good fit. Successful RNs often have a set of technical and workplace skills in common.

Technical skills:

• Check and monitor vital signs: Registered nurses must be able to check blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, and respiration rate. It's also important to know what normal ranges are for each specific type of patient.

• Basic care skills: This might include dressing a wound, inserting a catheter, or drawing blood.

• Patient safety and well-being: RNs work hard to keep patients safe. This might include getting a patient from their bed to the bathroom without falling or keeping a room sanitary so there is no risk of infection.

• Comfort with technology: Whether you're accessing patient records with a computer or using a monitor to keep a check on vital signs, you'll likely need to use technology. Being savvy with devices and systems is a key skill for nurses.

• Administering medication: Giving a patient the wrong medication can have serious consequences. You must know how to count and identify medications and understand what they treat.

Read more: AI in Health Care: Applications, Benefits, and Examples

Workplace skills:

• Communication: You’ll be working nonstop with other people, including patients, physicians, and patients' families. Because you're usually caring for people who are sick or in pain, you may need to stay calm when a patient is upset or angry. You need to be able to listen as well as provide information in a way that a patient can understand, and you'll even need to understand body language.

• Leadership: As an RN, you have the opportunity to set a positive example for those around you. You may also be responsible for managing nursing assistants and other staff members.

• Flexibility: You never know what type of patient is going to walk through the door or when a current patient's condition will change. Be ready to respond to any situation that arises.

• Ability to work under pressure: RNs who work in an emergency room or ICU must be able to handle stressful situations, but any registered nurse can find themselves with a patient whose life is threatened by an injury or illness. You must be able to think critically and react to stressful situations in a timely manner.

• Collaboration and teamwork: Throughout your career, you'll likely encounter physicians, therapists, nursing assistants, office managers, and countless other people who all have the same goal: healthy patients. Being able to collaborate on a plan of care will provide your patients with the best outcome.

Registered nurse jobs: RN types

Registered nurses work across many fields of medicine. This gives you the flexibility to choose a career based on your medical interests. These are the types you could be if you decide to go down this path.

How to become a registered nurse

Many registered nurses go to nursing school to learn the fundamentals of becoming a nurse. They may hold a nursing degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or an associate degree in nursing (ADN).

There are also some hospital-based programs that allow you to earn a nursing diploma within one to two years. Once you graduate, you must pass the NCLEX-RN exam and fulfill any other requirements in the state where you want to practice.

RN career path

Once you become a registered nurse, you have many paths to choose from.

You can choose a specialty, such as critical care or geriatrics. You can work in a fast-paced emergency room or a relaxed family practice. You can work in a school, a nursing home, or with a home health care program. There's a wide variety of paths for a registered nurse, so make sure to take the time to consider the one that best matches your goals and personality type.

Keep in mind that you may need to continue to take courses and advance your education to maintain your license.

If you choose to advance your career, you can become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). This usually requires getting a master’s degree in nursing. A nurse practitioner is an APRN who has received a master's plus training in a specialty area. There are four types of APRNs:

• Certified nurse midwives

• Certified nurse practitioners

• Certified clinical nurse specialists

• Certified registered nurse anesthetists

Explore bite-sized ideas for meaningful career growth

Browse our Career Resource Hub for insights into learning pathways, skills assessments, and help with interview and resume preparation. Then, check out some of our free resources to help you along your career path.

• Find your path: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Read our Career Chat issue: AI in Health Care: Uses, Benefits, and Concerns

• Watch on YouTube: Careers in AI Healthcare: The Trainer Role Explained

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