Registered Nurses
(SOC 29-1141)

Print Version

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.

Sample of reported job titles: Registered Nurse (RN), Staff RN (Staff Registered Nurse), Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN), Oncology RN (Oncology Registered Nurse), Relief Charge Nurse, Cardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse), Certified Nurse Operating Room (CNOR), Coronary Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)

Job Responsibilities

• Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
• Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
• Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
• Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.
• Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.
• Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
• Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
• 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.
• Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.

New Hampshire Outlook

• Average Hourly Wage*: $31.92
• Estimated Employment 2010: 13,961
• Projected Employment 2020: 17,055
• Expected 10-Year Growth: 22.2%
• Projected Average Annual Openings: 562

Top industries in NH for this occupation:

• Hospitals
• Ambulatory Health Care Services
• Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
• Employment Services
• Elementary and Secondary Schools
• Local Government, except Education

Education and Training

Entry-level Nurses must have at least an Associate's degree in Nursing (ADN) to qualify for examination, which is required for all nurses. Some employers prefer nurses with a Bachelor's degree (BSN) for entry-level employment. For advancement or management positions, a baccalaureate or a Master's degree may be required.

Registered Nurses must be licensed in all fifty state and the District of Columbia. Requirements include graduating from an approved nursing program and passing the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN). In New Hampshire, the Board of Nursing is responsible for regulating the practice of nursing. Nurses are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education biennially to maintain their licensure.

Interests (Holland Code): SIC

• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Career Cluster: Health Science

Work Environment
Registered nurses work in hospitals, physicians' offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities. They also work in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and with the military.

Additional Information Sources**
American Nurses Association
<nursingworld.org>

New Hampshire Nurses' Association
<www.nhnurses.org>

To Find a Job
Contact the nearest NH Employment Security office or go online to www.nhes.nh.gov

* New Hampshire Occupational Employment and Wages, September 2012. Wage estimates based on surveys through May 2011, adjusted to June 2012.
** Inclusion of this information is intended to provide a convenient resource for research, but in no way constitutes an endorsement for any organization; nor is the list all-inclusive.

Source:
NH Employment Projections, base year 2010 to projected year 2020
Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010, Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

 

For more information:
Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
(603) 228-4124
elmi@nhes.nh.gov