1Pay
$97,550
High national median pay
2025 national median. Top quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.
Healthcare · Career brief
Registered Nurse
Is it a good career to pursue?
The 30-second read
Registered Nurse at a glance
Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.
2Demand
5.6%
Steady projected growth
Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top quarter for growth among careers on ChooseField.
3Openings
180,800
Exceptional hiring volume
Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top 10% for openings among careers on ChooseField.
4Route in
Multiple nursing routes
Several education routes can lead to licensure
Multiple nursing pathways + licensure. Prior related work is not typically required.
5The work
People-centered
Helping, teaching, or working directly with people matters
Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
6The catch
Know this first
What could make this a poor fit
Standing, walking, bending, and patient handling; demands depend on the care setting.
ChooseField take
The strongest national signals are pay, growth, and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if people-centered work appeals to you and you are comfortable with one of the nursing education routes and licensure. Main tradeoff: Standing, walking, bending, and patient handling; demands depend on the care setting.
National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.
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Want the evidence behind the snapshot?
Market and path
Pay, outlook, and the route in
National median pay (2025)
$97,550
A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.
2025–2035 outlook
5.6%employment growth180,800openings per year
Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.
Typical entry route
Bachelor's, associate-degree, and approved diploma routes exist, followed by licensure. A BSN typically takes four years; compare prerequisites and clinical placements for the full timeline. Some employers require a BSN.
BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.
BLS qualification guidance · Reviewed September 6, 2026.
2025 employment
3,465,400
Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.
Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Registered nurses (29-1141).
Actual responsibilities
What you would be trusted to own
Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.
- 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.
- Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
Decision-changing realities
What could make this a poor fit
- Standing, walking, bending, and patient handling; demands depend on the care setting.
- Hospital work may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call coverage. Office and school roles more often have regular hours.
Work profile
What the work emphasizes
O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.9
- Documenting/Recording Information4.9
- Getting Information4.8
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.7
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.6
Interest profile
Career interests
O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.
- Social5.6
- Conventional4.8
- Investigative4.7
- Realistic3.5
- Enterprising2.4
- Artistic1.3
Preparation
What the training must make you competent at
Subject matter
Psychology
Medicine and Dentistry
Mathematics
Therapy and Counseling
Before choosing the major or training
Run a cheaper test first
- Try an approved first-aid, CPR, patient-care, or health-science workshop. Use supervised training or simulation only.
- Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.
Field-specific evidence
What changes the picture
The retention warning is serious
39.9%
Share of RNs reporting intent to leave the nursing workforce or retire within five years.
NCSBN National Nursing Workforce Study · 2024 ↗Burnout is a major reason
41.5%
Among nurses intending to leave for reasons other than retirement, stress and burnout were a major reason.
NCSBN · 2024 ↗The workforce has still lost people since 2022
138,000+
NCSBN reported more than 138,000 nurses left the workforce since 2022.
NCSBN · 2022–2024 ↗The fuller career guide
How the evidence fits together
The tradeoff that matters most
Nursing's demand story cannot be separated from retention. NCSBN's findings on intent to leave and burnout help explain why a field can have very large annual openings and still feel understaffed. The career decision should therefore weigh workload and retention conditions alongside employment security.
Working conditions and hours
Standing, walking, bending, and patient handling; demands depend on the care setting.
Hospital work may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call coverage. Office and school roles more often have regular hours.
BLS: entry routes, workplace, and schedules · Reviewed September 6, 2026. BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections.
Common questions
Questions people ask about this career
Is nursing a good career?
Consider this field if its core work interests you: assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Try an introductory project, class, or permitted observation before committing to training. Compare the actual cost and required experience with entry-level work available where you plan to live.
RN salary
The national median annual wage in May 2025 was $97,550. This is a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Is nursing oversaturated?
The evidence does not establish a single national saturation verdict for Registered Nurse. Hiring varies by location, specialty, and experience. Compare entry-level postings with their required credentials and experience, and ask recent entrants about hiring outcomes. Long-term projections cannot tell you how many qualified applicants compete for a particular job.
Nursing burnout
Ask about staffing, patient assignments, orientation, turnover, break coverage, overtime, and support after difficult cases. National workforce findings identify retention problems but cannot establish whether a particular unit has manageable conditions. Compare the actual shift and role before accepting an offer.
Adjacent options
Compare before committing
The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Dental Hygienist, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Radiologic Technologist.
Dental Hygienist
- Median pay
- $98,100
- Growth
- 8%
Associate's degree
Compare side by side →Nurse Practitioner
- Median pay
- $132,300
- Growth
- 41%
Master's degree
Compare side by side →Physician Assistant
- Median pay
- $135,880
- Growth
- 21.1%
Master's degree
Compare side by side →Radiologic Technologist
- Median pay
- $80,110
- Growth
- 5%
Associate's degree
Compare side by side →Sources
- BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections and worker characteristics: pay, employment, openings, education, experience, and training for occupation 29-1141.
- O*NET 29-1141.00 occupation summary: tasks, knowledge, work context, and technologies.
- NCSBN National Nursing Workforce Study: 2024.