What Does a Registered Nurse Do? Your Career Guide

Registered nurses, or registered general nurses (RGNs), provide patient care and support other medical professionals, such as doctors, as they work to improve patient outcomes. 

As of November 2023, more than 748,528 nurses had registered with the United Kingdom's Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), a year-over-year increase of more than 3.3 percent [1].

In this article, you'll learn more about registered nurses, what they do, their salary and job outlook, and how to become one. Ultimately, you'll also explore cost-effective online courses to help you gain job-relevant skills today.

What is a registered nurse?

A registered nurse provides and coordinates care for patients in hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, schools, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. As an RGN, you’ll also support doctors and other medical professionals and communicate with patients' families about their progress. 

While your exact responsibilities will likely vary from day to day, some of the most common duties you will likely perform as an RGN include: 

• Administering medication

• Dressing wounds

• Monitoring vital signs

• Inserting intravenous (IV) catheters

• Creating a plan of care

• Documenting patient information

• Preparing patients for discharge

• Teaching patients and their families about various illnesses and treatments 

Registered nurses may work in almost every type of medical facility, including hospitals, clinics, and medical offices, with patients from all walks of life. You may deliver babies or work with the elderly, or you might provide basic first aid or help treat serious diseases. No matter their differences, the NMC recognises four standards for competence that all nurses must follow: 

1. Professional values

2. Communication and interpersonal skills

3. Nursing practice and decision making

4. Leadership, management, and team working

RGN salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor UK, a registered nurse in the United Kingdom can expect an average base salary of £103,000 annually. RGNs working in governmental or hospital settings tend to earn at the higher end of the pay scale [2].

The UK spends hundreds of billions of pounds on healthcare. However, nursing shortages continue. The National Health Service employs 1.4 million professionals with over 46,828 vacancies [3]. These statistics suggest sustained demand and job opportunities for RGNs throughout the UK.  

Skills needed to become an RGN

If you enjoy working closely with people and feel passionate about helping others, a career in nursing could be a good fit. Successful RGNs often have a set of technical and workplace skills in common.

Technical skills:

• Check and monitor vital signs: Registered nurses must be able to check blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, and respiration rate. It's also important to know what normal ranges are for each specific type of patient. 

• Basic care skills: These skills include dressing wounds, inserting catheters, or drawing blood. 

• Patient safety and well-being: RGNs work hard to keep patients safe. It might include getting a patient from their bed to the bathroom without falling or keeping a room sanitary, reducing the risk of infection.

• Comfort with technology: Whether accessing patient records with a computer or using a monitor to check vital signs, nurses are likely to need to use technology. Being savvy with devices and systems is an essential skill.

• Administering medication: Giving a patient the wrong medication can have serious consequences. You must know how to count and identify drugs and understand what they treat.

Workplace skills:

• Communication: You’ll work nonstop with others, including patients, doctors, and patients' families. Because you're usually caring for people who are sick or in pain, you may need to stay calm when a patient is upset or angry. You need to be able to listen and provide information in a way that a patient can understand, and you'll even need to understand body language. 

• Leadership: As an RGN, you can set a positive example for those around you. You may also be responsible for managing nursing assistants and other staff members. 

• Flexibility: You never know what type of patient might walk through the door or when a current patient's condition will change. Be ready to respond to any situation that arises. 

• Ability to work under pressure: RNs in an Accident and Emergency (A&E) or ICU must handle stressful situations. However, any registered nurse can find themselves with a patient with a life-threatening injury or illness. You must be able to think critically and react to stressful situations promptly. 

• Collaboration and teamwork: Throughout your career, you'll likely encounter doctors, therapists, nursing assistants, office managers, and countless others who share your goal: healthy patients. Collaborating on a plan of care will ensure the best outcome for your patients. 

Four fields of nursing 

Registered nurses work across four main fields of medicine in the UK, giving you the flexibility to choose a career based on your medical interests. You could be these types of registered nurses if you decide to go down this path.

How to become a registered nurse

Many registered nurses attend nursing school to learn the fundamentals of becoming nurses. They must hold a nursing degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc) or a Masters in Adult Nursing (MSc). 

Once you graduate, you must pass the NCLEX-RN exam and fulfill any other requirements in the place where you want to practice. In the UK, you’ll have to apply to the NMC after completing your nursing degree and re-register every three years. 

RGN career path

Once you become a registered nurse, you have many paths. You can choose a specialty, such as adult or children’s nursing. You can work in a fast-paced A&E or a relaxed general practice. 

You can work in a school, a nursing home, or with a home healthcare programme. Remember that you may need to continue to take courses and advance your education to maintain your licence.

As you gain experience, you might move into roles such as team leader or director of nursing. You could specialise in operating theatre or intensive care or complete additional training to advance to a midwife, advanced nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist.

Get Started with Coursera

Ready to explore one of the most in-demand and exciting career paths today? Get started with nursing education courses from some of the top universities in the world. Options include the University of Pennsylvania's Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body Is Telling Us and the University of Colorado's Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. 

If you're already a registered nurse, consider building upon your current education by taking courses that cover some of the latest topics that have impacted the medical field. Examples like the University of Minnesota's Nursing Informatics Leadership Specialisation on Coursera can help you meet your goals.