Registered Nurse

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

• Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
• Administer intravenous medications.
• Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
• Treat patients using psychological therapies.
• Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
• Administer non-intravenous medications.
• Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
• Assist healthcare practitioners during surgery.
• Immunize patients.
• Prepare patients physically for medical procedures.

Typical Working Conditions

• Having telephone conversations.
• Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
• The importance of being accurate or exact.
• Exposure to disease or infections.
• Frequent decision-making.
• Working with a group or team.
• Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
• Meeting strict deadlines.
• Responsibility for outcomes and results.
• Dealing with unpleasant or angry people.
• Standing.

Tools & Technology used by Registered Nurses

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Registered Nurses

• Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
• Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
• 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.
• Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Learning New Things—Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Making Decisions—Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Registered Nurses

• Psychology—Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Therapy and Counseling—Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Medicine and Dentistry—Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology—Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Sociology and Anthropology—Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

• 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.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing very high growth compared to other careers. There will be a 8.1% growth new for Registered Nurses to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career is best for those with at least an Associates degree, but most professionals earn a Bachelors or higher This job requires a license and certifications could aid in showcasing knowledge.

View the local post-secondary education options for this career from Central Lakes College.

Spotlight on Central Lakes College

• Why consider CLC?
• Virtual Campus Tours: Brainerd Campus, Staples Campus
• Learn more about the CLC Honors Program.
• Attend CLC, and you may never need to buy a textbook.

If you have a physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive condition that requires educational support, learn about support options at CLC.

Or, view the local post-secondary education options for this career from MSTATE/Wadena.

If you have a physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive condition that requires educational support, learn about support options at MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

• Anatomy
• Chemistry
• Community Health
• Computer Applications
• Human Development
• Medical Ethics
• Nutrition
• Research Methods
• Safety and First Aid/CPR
• Sociology
• Statistics
• World Languages

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise