Occupation
Registered nurse
Registered nurses assess patients, plan and deliver nursing care, and coordinate that care with physicians, allied health staff, and families. The work mixes technical procedure with sustained human contact, and much of a shift is spent noticing small changes in a patient's condition and acting on them. Most posts involve rotating shifts and time on your feet.
Also known as: Staff nurse · RN · Adult nurse · Ward nurse
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Occupation content
Part of Healthcare and clinical services
A visual day in the work
What the work involves
Assess patients on arrival and at intervals, recording observations and symptoms in the chart.
Prepare and administer medications and treatments against the prescriber's orders and local policy.
Write and revise nursing care plans, then hand over accurately at the change of shift.
Explain conditions, medications, and self-care steps to patients and to the people supporting them.
Escalate a deteriorating patient to the responsible clinician or rapid-response team.
Direct and support practical nurses, students, and care aides working on the same patients.
Entry-route stepper
How people commonly enter
An entry-to-practice nursing degree at a university or affiliated school of nursing.
A college or institute nursing programme where the jurisdiction recognises it for registration.
A bridging programme for practical or enrolled nurses moving into the registered-nurse scope.
An assessment and registration route for nurses educated outside the jurisdiction.
Typical training: Bachelor's degree
Licensing: Regulated in most jurisdictions. Confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Work-context map
Typical work context
- Team based
- Public facing
- Fast paced
- Shift work
- High responsibility
- Physically active
Team based · Public facing · Fast paced · Shift work · High responsibility · Physically active
Related interests
- Social (helping)
- Investigative (analytical)
- Realistic (hands-on)
Social (helping) · Investigative (analytical) · Realistic (hands-on)
Related aptitude preparation
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Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Healthcare and clinical services.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
O*NET OnLine: Registered Nurses (29-1141.00)
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UK National Careers Service: Nurse
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Canada Job Bank: Explore an occupation (search: registered nurse)
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Healthcare and clinical services in Canada, not a figure for Registered nurse. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Healthcare and clinical services family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Healthcare and clinical services: education pathways
Some roles in Healthcare and clinical services may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Healthcare and clinical services: licensing
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