Job description template
Nurse Job Description
Registered nurse (RN) job description template: nursing job duties, clinical skills, RN licence, NCLEX, BSN or ADN and BLS requirements.
The role in brief
This registered nurse (RN) job description sets out the nursing job duties, skills and licence requirements for a staff nurse role. A registered nurse (RN), often hired as a staff nurse, assesses patients, gives medication and treatments, monitors and records their condition, and works with physicians and the wider care team on each patient's care plan. Nurses also teach patients and families how to manage illness and care at home. Every RN must hold an active licence or registration where they practise, so this template pairs the clinical duties with the licensing checks to state in your posting.
- Assess patients on admission and throughout each shift, recording medical history, symptoms, vital signs and observations in the electronic health record
- Administer medication, IV therapy and treatments as prescribed, and monitor patients for reactions and side effects
- Develop, contribute to and update nursing care plans as each patient's condition changes
- Recognise deterioration early and escalate to the physician or rapid-response team
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Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →Responsibilities
- Assess patients on admission and throughout each shift, recording medical history, symptoms, vital signs and observations in the electronic health record
- Administer medication, IV therapy and treatments as prescribed, and monitor patients for reactions and side effects
- Develop, contribute to and update nursing care plans as each patient's condition changes
- Recognise deterioration early and escalate to the physician or rapid-response team
- Operate and monitor medical equipment, and help perform and interpret diagnostic tests
- Consult and coordinate with physicians, therapists, pharmacists and other members of the care team
- Teach patients and families about their condition, their medication and care after discharge
- Supervise and delegate to licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants and other support staff within the scope the state allows
- Prepare patients, rooms, sterile instruments and supplies for examinations and procedures
- Follow infection-control, medication-safety and safe patient-handling procedures, and give a structured handover at shift change
Required skills
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Nice to have
Qualifications
- 1Graduate of an approved nursing programme: a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in nursing (ADN or ASN) or a hospital diploma
- 2Active registered nurse licence in the state of practice, or a multistate licence from a Nurse Licensure Compact state, gained by passing the NCLEX-RN
- 3Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, plus ACLS where the unit requires it
- 4Ability to pass the background checks required by the state board of nursing and the employer
- 5Availability for the unit's shift pattern, which may include nights, weekends, holidays and on-call
- 6The minimum experience for the unit, stated clearly (new graduate, a year of acute care, or specialty experience)
Work environment
Work environment
Career growth
Most RNs start as staff nurses in hospitals or community health settings. With experience and continuing education they move into charge nurse, nurse educator and nurse manager roles, then senior posts such as director of nursing or chief nursing officer, where graduate degrees are increasingly required. Others become advanced practice registered nurses (nurse practitioners, nurse anaesthetists, nurse midwives or clinical nurse specialists), which needs at least a master's degree, or move into quality assurance, policy or research.
Common questions
What are a nurse's main roles and responsibilities?
A registered nurse assesses patients, gives medication and treatments, monitors and records their condition, coordinates care with physicians and other professionals, and teaches patients and families how to manage at home. Many also supervise licensed practical nurses and nursing assistants. The balance shifts with the setting, from intensive bedside care in critical care units to education and follow-up in clinics and schools.
What are the main RN nursing duties?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the typical duties of a registered nurse as: assessing patients' conditions; recording medical histories and symptoms; observing patients and recording the observations; giving medicines and treatments; setting up or contributing to care plans; consulting and collaborating with doctors and other healthcare professionals; operating and monitoring medical equipment; helping perform diagnostic tests and analysing the results; teaching patients and families how to manage illness or injury; and explaining what to do at home after treatment. In an RN job description, put the duties that take most of the shift on your unit first, and add unit-specific ones such as telemetry monitoring or theatre preparation.
What is a staff nurse?
A staff nurse is a registered nurse employed to give direct patient care on a unit or in a clinic, as distinct from a charge nurse, nurse manager or advanced practice nurse. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that most RNs begin as staff nurses in hospitals or community health settings. 'Staff nurse' is also the usual title for hospital nursing posts in India and the UK.
What licence does a registered nurse need?
In the US, an RN must be licensed by the board of nursing in the state where they practise. That requires graduating from an approved nursing programme and passing the NCLEX-RN, the licensure exam from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, plus state checks such as a background check. Nurses who live in a Nurse Licensure Compact state can hold a multistate licence; check nursecompact.com for the current list of participating states. In the UK, nurses register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). In India, staff nurse posts typically ask for a B.Sc Nursing degree or a GNM diploma and registration with the State Nursing Council.
Should a nurse job description require a BSN?
Only if the role needs it. An ADN, ASN or approved diploma also leads to RN licensure, but some employers, especially hospitals, require a bachelor's degree, and graduate degrees are increasingly required for management. If you accept an ADN, say whether you expect the nurse to complete an RN-to-BSN programme and by when.
Which certifications should you list for a nurse role?
Most postings ask for current CPR or Basic Life Support (BLS), and acute and critical care units often add Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Specialty certifications from professional associations, for example in gerontology or paediatrics, are usually voluntary, so list them as preferred unless your unit requires them.
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