Registered Nurses
What they do
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.
Expected pay range
Expected pay range
This represents the median earnings for this career in the selected county or state. In the range shown, 25% of workers earned less than the bottom salary and 25% earned more than the top salary. Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
About registered nurses
Other titles
Certified Operating Room Nurse (CNOR), Charge Nurse, Emergency Department RN (Emergency Department Registered Nurse), Oncology RN (Oncology Registered Nurse), Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN), Psychiatric RN (Psychiatric Registered Nurse), Relief Charge Nurse, School Nurse, Staff Nurse, Staff RN (Staff Registered Nurse)
Tasks they perform
- 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.
Skills they need
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- 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.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Licenses and Certifications
How to decide which one is right? That depends on an individual’s career path, specialty, and resources.
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- Both state and third-party exams required
- Education
- Degree required
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
Certifications
Certifications may be available for this career and can help build knowledge and skills in specific job roles. Explore available certifications (external link opens new tab)
Similar careers
View careers in the same field as registered nurses.
Nurse Practitioners
In demand
In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Critical Care Nurses
In demand
In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Additional career information and resources
Learn more about registered nurses with these helpful sites.
- AFT Nurses and Health Professionals (external link opens new tab)
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing (external link opens new tab)
- American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (external link opens new tab)
- American Nurses Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (external link opens new tab)
- American Society of Registered Nurses (external link opens new tab)
- Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (external link opens new tab)
- Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (external link opens new tab)
- Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (external link opens new tab)
- Emergency Nurses Association (external link opens new tab)