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Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

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.

Also called: Certified Operating Room Nurse (CNOR), Charge Nurse, Emergency Department RN (Emergency Department Registered Nurse), Oncology RN (Oncology Registered Nurse), Operating Room Registered Nurse (OR RN), Psychiatric RN (Psychiatric Registered Nurse)

Compare with my current job (Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$106,180
$51.05/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
64,240
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.3%
4,930 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$81,880$94,870$106,180$153,380$188,670

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
  • Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
  • Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
  • Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
  • Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.
  • Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure53 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 53
  • Language-model AIOE 53
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 54

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for registered nurses is moderate, and observed AI use is still limited. AI tools can help with record-keeping tasks like charting vital signs and writing reports. Giving medications, watching for changes in a patient's condition, and hands-on care still depend on a nurse's training and judgment.

Likely to change

  • Charting vital signs and patient information
  • Writing and organizing detailed reports

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on care and giving medications safely
  • Noticing and reporting changes in patients

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

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    Your skills in assessing patients and tracking symptoms carry over. This master's-level role adds diagnosing and treatment decisions, higher pay, and strong projected growth.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

35 programs near Boston (plus 46 graduate)

Related occupations

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