Acute Care Nurses
Did You Know:
- Registered nurses (RNs) constitute the largest health care occupation, with 2.6 million jobs.
- About 60 percent of RN jobs are in hospitals.
- The three typical educational paths to registered nursing are a bachelor's degree, an associate degree and a diploma from an approved nursing program; advanced practice nurses ? clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners ? need a master's degree.
- Overall job opportunities are expected to be excellent, but may vary by employment and geographic setting; some employers report difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate number of RNs.
Industry Areas
Day-to-Day Tasks
- Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition stabilizing interventions.
- Document data related to patients' care including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
Overall Kind of Work
Registered nurses (RNs), regardless of specialty or work setting, treat patients, educate patients and the public about various medical conditions and provide advice and emotional support to patie...
Work Environment
Civilian
Most RNs work in well-lit, comfortable health care facilities. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients' homes, schools, community centers and other sites. RNs may spend considerabl...
Workweek Breakdown
The hours worked per week by people currently pursuing this career.
- 5.77% (0-20 Hours)
- 14.02% (21-34 Hours)
- 22.13% (35-39 Hours)
- 49.72% (40 Hours)
- 4.38% (41-49 Hours)
- 3.98% (Over 50 Hours)
This data also pertains to Acute Care Nurses(29-1141)
Type of Work
The level of day-to-day involvement with data, people or things.
Data: 
People:
Things: 
Skills at a Glance
The levels of different skills helpful in this career.
Verbal skills:
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving:
Equipment Operation & Maintenance:
Math & Science Skills:
Technology Design & Control:
Leadership:
Workplace at a Glance
The level of different environmental factors you would experience on the job.
Responsibility:
Exposure to Job Hazards:
Physical Activity:
Decision Making:
Repetitiveness:
Level of Competition:
Time Pressure:
Business Breakdown
The different sectors people in this career currently work in.
- 56.30% (Private For-Profit)
- 30.04% (Private Not For-Profit)
- 9.85% (State and Local Govt)
- 2.83% (Federal Government)
- 0.97% (Self-Employed)
This data also pertains to Registered Nurses