Registered Nurse
Registered nurses are the backbone of healthcare — they assess patients, administer treatments, educate families, and advocate for the people in their care across every setting from hospitals to schools to homes.
A Day in the Life
Your day depends on your specialty, but an ER nurse might start by reviewing patient charts, then move between triage, administering medications, assisting doctors with procedures, comforting anxious families, and documenting everything carefully. No two shifts are alike.
How to Get There
You'll need either an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), followed by passing the NCLEX-RN exam. Many nurses start with an ADN and earn their BSN while working. Specializations like ER, ICU, or pediatrics come with additional certifications.
Emergency Room Nurse
The beeping monitors, the split-second decisions, and the moments that make it all worth it. Two ER nurses — one fresh out of nursing school and one with decades on the floor — reveal the truth about healthcare's front line.
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