What a registered nurse really does
You are the person watching the patient most closely, catching changes early, giving medications safely, and speaking up when something is wrong.
FieldHealth
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Considerable preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for registered nurses, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Take handoff report and assess four to six patients at the start of a 12 hour shift
- Record vital signs and assessments in the electronic health record many times a shift
- Give scheduled and as needed medications after checking orders, allergies and hold rules
- Notice when a patient is getting worse and call the provider with a clear report
- Coordinate with doctors, therapists, pharmacists and case managers on the plan of care
- Direct nursing assistants and check that delegated care was done
- Teach patients and families about medications, wound care and going home
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Mistakes can seriously hurt someone, and you carry that weight every shift. Consequence of Error: 57% extremely serious (O*NET Work Context)
- Dealing with upset patients and families is a daily part of the job, not a rare event. Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People: 42% every day, 38% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- Conflict comes up most days, with patients, families or the team. Conflict Situations: 38% every day, 27% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- You are exposed to illness most days, and protective equipment is routine. Exposed to Disease or Infections: 61% every day; Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment: 51% every day (O*NET Work Context)
- A big share of nursing is documentation. Charting is the top rated task. Task rank 1, importance 94: record patients' medical information and vital signs; rank 3, importance 92: maintain accurate, detailed reports and records (O*NET Tasks)
How people get into it
Job Zone 4: considerable preparation. O*NET lists bachelor's degrees, associate's degrees and post secondary certificates as required for some RN jobs. In practice nurses complete an accredited nursing program (ADN or BSN), pass the NCLEX RN licensing exam, and usually start with a hospital orientation alongside a preceptor.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial cannot show the physical work of nursing: hands on assessment by touch and sound, giving injections, scanning medication barcodes, starting IVs, turning and lifting patients, wound care, or the hours spent on your feet and walking. It also cannot show working 12 hour shifts, nights and weekends, the smells and noise of a hospital unit (32% report distracting noise every day), or the emotional weight of caring for very sick or dying patients. Everything here is decision making, documentation and communication with fictional patients, done as a nursing orientee under a licensed preceptor. All orders, doses and hold parameters are fictional orders for fictional patients, written for the simulation; they are not dosing guidance.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
Other careers you can try
Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 29-1141.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.