Registered Nurses
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-1141.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$97,550
Employment, U.S.3,379,720
Median hourly wage$46.90
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $68,940 | $80,330 | $97,550 | $112,350 | $137,470 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 54,340 | $77,080 | 1.18 |
| Alaska | 7,510 | $109,480 | 1.06 |
| Arizona | 73,150 | $99,500 | 1.04 |
| Arkansas | 29,400 | $78,940 | 1.04 |
| California | 338,940 | $140,270 | 0.86 |
| Colorado | 54,490 | $100,260 | 0.87 |
| Connecticut | 40,110 | $102,740 | 1.09 |
| Delaware | 14,290 | $99,520 | 1.36 |
| District of Columbia | 11,440 | $102,540 | 0.75 |
| Florida | 229,940 | $84,190 | 1.07 |
| Georgia | 100,950 | $93,550 | 0.95 |
| Hawaii | 12,940 | $136,320 | 0.95 |
| Idaho | 16,880 | $92,460 | 0.91 |
| Illinois | 138,910 | $95,990 | 1.05 |
| Indiana | 68,980 | $83,500 | 0.99 |
| Iowa | 34,420 | $78,630 | 1.02 |
| Kansas | 33,800 | $79,320 | 1.08 |
| Kentucky | 50,300 | $81,040 | 1.16 |
| Louisiana | 48,970 | $80,230 | 1.16 |
| Maine | 16,540 | $86,990 | 1.19 |
| Maryland | 52,910 | $99,790 | 0.88 |
| Massachusetts | 88,200 | $104,550 | 1.12 |
| Michigan | 104,950 | $94,300 | 1.10 |
| Minnesota | 70,110 | $101,510 | 1.09 |
| Mississippi | 29,060 | $77,090 | 1.15 |
| Missouri | 76,310 | $81,780 | 1.20 |
| Montana | 10,950 | $85,280 | 0.99 |
| Nebraska | 24,720 | $84,730 | 1.11 |
| Nevada | 27,070 | $103,670 | 0.80 |
| New Hampshire | 15,390 | $99,700 | 1.04 |
| New Jersey | 92,680 | $106,500 | 0.99 |
| New Mexico | 17,980 | $94,340 | 0.95 |
| New York | 205,810 | $109,440 | 0.98 |
| North Carolina | 111,120 | $84,350 | 1.03 |
| North Dakota | 11,340 | $80,730 | 1.21 |
| Ohio | 143,730 | $82,510 | 1.19 |
| Oklahoma | 38,270 | $82,920 | 1.03 |
| Oregon | 39,730 | $129,010 | 0.93 |
| Pennsylvania | 146,520 | $96,430 | 1.11 |
| Rhode Island | 10,090 | $100,640 | 0.93 |
| South Carolina | 49,750 | $82,360 | 0.99 |
| South Dakota | 14,710 | $78,060 | 1.48 |
| Tennessee | 72,200 | $81,500 | 1.01 |
| Texas | 271,380 | $95,970 | 0.89 |
| Utah | 27,420 | $84,600 | 0.73 |
| Vermont | 7,410 | $97,460 | 1.12 |
| Virginia | 77,490 | $93,600 | 0.87 |
| Washington | 69,260 | $124,200 | 0.90 |
| West Virginia | 23,430 | $80,130 | 1.54 |
| Wisconsin | 68,060 | $95,530 | 1.06 |
| Wyoming | 5,330 | $83,760 | 0.87 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 3 | 0.988 |
| 2 | Athletic Trainers | 5 | 0.978 |
| 3 | Critical Care Nurses | 4 | 0.977 |
| 4 | Midwives | 5 | 0.972 |
| 5 | Nurse Midwives | 5 | 0.970 |
| 6 | Acute Care Nurses | 4 | 0.970 |
| 7 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 3 | 0.968 |
| 8 | Physical Therapists | 5 | 0.968 |
| 9 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 5 | 0.966 |
| 10 | Exercise Physiologists | 4 | 0.966 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Registered Nurses, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | Operation and Control | 0.88 | 0.959 |
| Community Health Workers | Persuasion | 0.87 | 0.946 |
| Radiation Therapists | Operation and Control | 1.38 | 0.944 |
| Recreational Therapists | Persuasion | 0.87 | 0.943 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Registered Nurses, excluding software Registered Nurses already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR | 7 of 20 | 17.9x |
| GE Healthcare Centricity EMR | 6 of 20 | 12.6x |
| Amkai AmkaiCharts | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| Medscribbler Enterprise | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR | 4 of 20 | 23.1x |
| Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR | 4 of 20 | 23.1x |
| Cerner Millennium | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| SynaMed EMR | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR | 4 of 20 | 18.5x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.50 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.38 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 4.58 | 6.08 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.40 | 5.48 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4.36 | 4.47 |
| English Language | 4.18 | 3.71 |
| Administrative | 3.55 | 3.83 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 3.43 | 3.62 |
| Mathematics | 3.43 | 3.40 |
| Administration and Management | 3.29 | 2.89 |
| Education and Training | 3.20 | 3.37 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.11 | 2.64 |
| Biology | 3.02 | 2.58 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.96 | 3.07 |
| Chemistry | 2.60 | 2.47 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.59 | 2.84 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.48 | 2.40 |
| Law and Government | 2.40 | 2.43 |
| Communications and Media | 2.31 | 1.74 |
| Telecommunications | 2.21 | 1.08 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.90 | 2.16 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.89 | 1.51 |
| Foreign Language | 1.83 | 1.23 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.74 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.71 | 0.92 |
| Production and Processing | 1.64 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.60 | not rated |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.51 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.50 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.44 | 0.79 |
| Mechanical | 1.35 | 0.67 |
| Design | 1.29 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.21 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.20 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.01 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.12 | 5.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Information Ordering | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Written Expression | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Far Vision | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Speed of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Time Sharing | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Memorization | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Static Strength | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Stamina | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 3.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Response Orientation | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Rate Control | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Sound Localization | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Apache Spark hot
- Epic Systems hot
- Google Docs hot
- Henry Schein Dentrix hot
- Kronos Workforce Timekeeper hot
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- eClinicalWorks EHR software hot
- Allscripts Sunrise
- Allscripts healthcare automation software
- Data entry software
- Database software
- Diagnostic and procedural coding software
- DoctorsPartner EMR
- Drug guide software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- FaceTime
- FileMaker Pro
- Google Drive
- HMS
- Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
- Human resource management software HRMS
All 43
- IBM Notes
- Medical condition coding software
- Medical procedure coding software
- Microsoft Exchange
- Oracle Taleo
- PCC EHR
- Per-Se Technologies ORSOS One-Call
- PointClickCare healthcare software
- Prognosis Innovation Healthcare ChartAccess
- QuadraMed Affinity Healthcare Information System
- Siemens SIENET Sky
- YouTube
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgantown, WV | 4,510 | 3.08 | $80,130 |
| Rochester, MN | 6,390 | 2.39 | $101,660 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 10,980 | 2.30 | $103,450 |
| Gainesville, FL | 7,470 | 2.25 | $81,870 |
| Greenville, NC | 3,770 | 2.15 | $81,670 |
| Iowa City, IA | 4,090 | 2.00 | $85,940 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 7,680 | 1.98 | $75,350 |
| Charleston, WV | 4,320 | 1.92 | $80,230 |
| Springfield, IL | 4,110 | 1.87 | $84,220 |
| Mayaguez, PR | 2,070 | 1.83 | $39,280 |