# Registered Nurses

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/registered-nurses
- SOC code: 29-1141.00
- Career family: Healthcare practitioners
- Median annual pay: $97,550 (10th percentile $68,940, 90th percentile $137,470)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.6%
- Openings a year: 180,800
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 41 |
| Investigative (I) | 62 |
| Artistic (A) | 6 |
| Social (S) | 76 |
| Enterprising (E) | 23 |
| Conventional (C) | 63 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 99/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 97/100)
- Getting Information (importance 94/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 91/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 90/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 89/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 89/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 89/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 88/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 88/100)

## Skills

Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Writing

## Knowledge

Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Administrative, Mathematics, Therapy and Counseling, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security

## Also called

Cardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse), Cardiac Nurse Specialist, Central Supply Nurse, Certified Operating Room Nurse (CNOR), Charge Nurse, Circulating Nurse, Community Health Nurse, Consultant Nurse, Consulting Nurse, Coronary Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5138) (CIP 5138, 1,954 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [California State University-East Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-east-bay-368) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $139,123 | $150,921 | $18,751 |
| [San Francisco State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/san-francisco-state-university-2349) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $145,008 | $150,102 | $13,331 |
| [Dominican University of California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dominican-university-of-california-828) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $128,516 | $149,622 | $26,243 |
| [Sonoma State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/sonoma-state-university-2438) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $134,423 | $143,886 | $12,500 |
| [University of San Francisco USF](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-san-francisco-usf-3034) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $120,438 | $143,356 | $25,000 |
| [Pacific Union College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-union-college-2063) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $126,952 | $140,542 | $29,584 |
| [California State University-Monterey Bay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-monterey-bay-373) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $127,203 | $134,489 | $6,375 |
| [Pacific College-California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-college-california-2055) | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | not reported | $132,148 | $32,611 |

## Related careers

- [Acute Care Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/acute-care-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Nurse Practitioners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nurse-practitioners): $132,300 median pay
- [Critical Care Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/critical-care-nurses): $97,550 median pay
- [Clinical Nurse Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/clinical-nurse-specialists): $97,550 median pay
- [Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses): $64,400 median pay
- [Nurse Midwives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nurse-midwives): $134,040 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.