Nursing Career Information

Excerpt from US NEWS: 100 BEST JOBS OF 2014 

#6 Registered Nurse: "Registered nurses may be most visible at the hospital bedside or in the doctor’s office, but this growing community of about 2.6 million workers is steadily expanding into a host of specialized jobs. Usually, there are four main areas in which RNs specialize: offering care for a specific health condition (such as diabetes or cancer), a specific part of the body (such as a dermatology nurse or cardiovascular nurse), a group of people (such as premature babies or the elderly) and even a particular type of environment (such as an emergency room or school). Responsibilities within this field also run the spectrum, from clerical work, to administering medicine, to performing procedures and monitoring a patient’s progress.

There’s even more granularity. On our list of the Best Jobs of 2014, we profile three different categories of nurses, each of which are expected to add new positions to triage care for the aging population as well as for the expanded number of Americans who now have access to health insurance due to the Affordable Care Act. Nurse practitioner, our No. 4 job, is a type of registered nurse who is qualified to order and evaluate tests and diagnose medical conditions. This job ranks so well thanks to its projected 33.7 percent employment growth and excellent job prospects (particularly in inner cities and rural areas). Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, who provide basic medical care to patients and usually work under the direction of a registered nurse, also belong to a fast-growing subsection of this field, which contributed to their profession securing the No. 38 slot on our list.

For registered nurses specifically, the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates 19.4 percent employment growth and 526,800 brand new jobs between 2012 and 2022. This tremendous growth, when compounded by a low unemployment rate, just 2.6 percent, and good job prospects, helped registered nurse secure the No. 6 slot on our Best Jobs list." - US News

Nurse Salary

Top paying States for Registered Nurses -