Registered Nurse Working Conditions

As the largest healthcare occupation, registered nurses (RNs) held about 3.0 million jobs in 2016. As of 2016, about 61% of registered nurses worked in hospital settings, another 18% in ambulatory healthcare and 7% in nursing and residential care facilities. The remaining population of working registered nurses as of 2016 were found in government or education environments.

Most registered nurses work in well-lit, comfortable healthcare facilities, but physical working conditions can vary widely. For example, home health and public health nurses travel to patients' homes, schools, community centers, and other sites. And other registered nurses work in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and in the the military. Some move frequently, traveling in the United States and throughout the world to help care for patients in places where there are not enough healthcare workers.

Registered nurse working conditions include considerable time walking, bending, stretching, and standing. RNs are vulnerable to back injuries because they must often lift and move patients. The work of registered nurses may put them in close contact with people who have infectious diseases, and they often come in contact with potentially harmful and hazardous drugs and other substances. Therefore, registered nurses must follow strict, standardized guidelines to guard against diseases and other dangers, such as radiation, accidental needle sticks, or the chemicals they use to sterilize instruments.

Because patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities need round-the-clock care, working conditions for registered nurses in these settings may involve work in rotating shifts, covering all 24 hours. They may work nights, weekends, and holidays. They may also be on call. Nurses who work in offices, schools, and other places that do not provide 24-hour care are more likely to work regular business hours.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2018-19 Edition