Registered Nurse

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A registered nurse could...

Overview Listen to this section

Registered nurses have been called the backbone of our health-care system. Working on the front lines of medical care, they treat patients, monitor and record their condition, help establish a plan of care, educate patients or the public about a medical condition, and provide advice and emotional support to patients' family members. Registered nurses are highly observant and detail-oriented, and are often the first to catch important and changing signs and symptoms. Many nurses specialize in one or more types of medicine, such as emergency care, hospice, labor and delivery, psychiatry, surgery, or wound care.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Registered Nurse?

1. Social Perceptiveness: ? Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
2. Service Orientation: ? Actively looking for ways to help people.
3. Coordination: ? Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
4. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
5. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.

6. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
7. Judgment and Decision Making: ? Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
8. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
9. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
10. Monitoring: ? Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Registered Nurse might do:

• Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
• Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
• Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
• Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
• Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.
• Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
• Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
• Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
• Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.
• Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.
• Conduct specified laboratory tests.
• Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.
• Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.
• Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.
• Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.