Career Opportunities
Common Occupational Titles
Because of the number of specialties for Registered Nurses and the variety of their responsibilities and duties, many other health care occupations are similar in some aspect of the job. Other occupations that deal directly with patients when providing care include:
- Athletic Trainer
- Cardiovascular Technician
- Dietitian
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Licensed Vocational Nurse
- Massage Therapist
- Nutritionist
- Occupational Therapist
- Paramedic
- Physical Therapist
- Radiologic Technologist
- Radiation Therapist
- Respiratory Therapist
- Sonographer
- Surgical Technologist
Employment Growth
Overall job opportunities for Registered Nurses are expected to be excellent, but may vary by employment and geographic setting. Employment of RNs is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016 and, because the occupation is very large, many new jobs will result. In fact, registered nurses are projected to generate 587,000 new jobs, among the largest number of new jobs for any occupation. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of job openings will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation.
Projected growth rates for RNs in the industries with the highest employment:
Offices of physicians………….. 39%
Home health care services…….. 39%
Outpatient care centers………… 34%
Employment services………….. 27%
Hospitals………………………. 22%
Nursing care facilities…………. 20%
Salary Range
Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of registered nurses in May 2006 were:
Employment services…………………………. $64,260
General medical and surgical hospitals……..…. $58,550
Home health care services……………………. $54,190
Offices of physicians………………………….. $53,800
Nursing care facilities……………….………… $52,490
