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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Occupational Requirements Survey > Publications > Factsheets

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. Includes Clinical Nurse Specialists.

For terms and definitions in this profile, see definitions of major terms.

Cognitive and mental requirements

The qualifications that workers need to use judgment, make decisions, interact with others, and adapt to changes in jobs.

In 2025, external verbal interactions were required constantly (every few minutes) for 79.4 percent of registered nurses. External verbal interactions were required more than once per hour (but not constantly) for 19.1 percent.

Table 1. Percentage of registered nurses with cognitive and mental requirements, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Ability to pause work (and take brief unscheduled breaks)	15.0	85.0
Working around crowds	<0.5	>99.5
Telework routinely allowed	1.1	98.9
Supervising others	49.6	50.4
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Education, training, and experience requirements

The minimum level of formal education required, credentials necessary, on-the-job training, and prior work experience necessary for average performance in jobs. The time associated with these requirements is combined to calculate the specific vocational preparation level needed for the job.

In 2025, a license or certification was required for . percent of registered nurses. Prior work experience was required for 17.6 percent and on-the-job training was required for 54.3 percent.

An associate's degree was required for 61.7 percent of registered nurses and a bachelor's degree was required for 38.2 percent.

Environmental conditions

The various hazards or difficulties that are in the area where workers perform their critical tasks.

In 2025, a quiet noise exposure was present for 9.1 percent of registered nurses. Another 90.8 percent were exposed to moderate noise, less than 0.5 percent were exposed to loud noise, and less than 0.5 percent to very loud noise. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was used by less than 0.5 percent of workers to mitigate noise exposure and was not used by greater than 99.5 percent.

Physical demands

The physical activities required to perform tasks in jobs. The presence and, in some cases, duration of these activities are published.

In 2025, speaking was required for greater than 99.5 percent of registered nurses and was not required for less than 0.5 percent. For less than 0.5 percent of workers, speaking was seldom required, for 37.8 percent speaking was occasionally required, for 61.8 percent speaking was frequently required, and for less than 0.5 percent speaking was required constantly.

Performing work in low postures was required for 93.0 percent of registered nurses and was not required for 7.0 percent.

Table 2. Percentage of registered nurses with physical demands, 2025
Requirement	Yes	No
Driving	7.9	92.1
Climbing structure-related ramps or stairs	9.0	91.0
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey