According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009, 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 by 23 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. Nurse employment in hospitals is expected to slow as health care efforts place more emphasis on disease prevention, health promotion, and provision of care in community and home settings.

RNs working in the United State average a median annual base salary of $41,642. Half of all US RNs are expected to earn between $38,792 and $44,869. Nearly 67% of nurses are employed in hospital inpatient and outpatient settings. Thirty-two percent of all nurses are employed in other settings such as medical offices and clinics, home health care, outpatient care centers, long term care facilities, temporary help agencies, colleges/universities, and government agencies. Nurses work as direct patient care providers, administrators, researchers, policy makers, and educators.

"Every day is different when you’re a nurse. The fact that no two days are alike is one of the main attractions of the occupation for many people who love their nursing career. They never have to worry about getting to a point where they hate their job because it’s become a dull, boring routine. Although many nurses may see some of the same people every day, and do the same tasks every day, because of the unpredictable human factor, things are always changing. Patients’ conditions change, their disposition changes, their prognosis changes, the patients themselves change, other doctors and nurses change, procedures and medications change…in nursing, change is the one thing you can count on to never change."
--Taken from www.nursingjobshelp.com

There are many nursing specialties that a nurse may choose from:

• Critical care
• Emergency care
• Home health care
• Hospice care
• Infusion care
• Long term care
• Medical-surgical care
• Occupational health
• Perioperative
• Psychiatric care
• Radiology nurse
• Rehab nurse
• Transplant nurse
• Addiction care
• Diabetes management
• HIV/AIDS
• Wound and ostomy nurse
• Oncology (cancer)
• Neonatal care
• Pediatrics
• Maternity
• Gerontology
• Travel nurse
• And more!