My Colorado Journey
Back to pathway map
HealthcareTop JobColorado Talent Pipeline Report-aligned occupation with strong annual openings, growth, and wage signals.Critical OccupationOccupation identified by industry partners as critical to business success.

Registered Nurse

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.

Annual openings

3,735

Median wage

$100,260

Typical education

Associate’s degree or Bachelor's degree, depending on the program, from a Colorado Approved Professional Nursing Education Program.

Growth 2026–2032

+8%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

Interactive walkthrough

Explore My Colorado Journey Careers

See where to compare pay, job demand, locations, skills, education, and training for a Colorado career.

Open in a new tab

Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

Associate’s degree or Bachelor's degree, depending on the program, from a Colorado Approved Professional Nursing Education Program.

Credential requirement

A certification is required for this job.

Credential detail

To practice, you will need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and be licensed.

Work experience

No previous work experience is required; however it could be an additional step on a career pathway.

Experience detail

This can be a job that does not require previous work experience; however, sometimes a person works as an Certified Nurse Assistant, a Licensed Practical Nurse, or another healthcare occupation before they become a Registered Nurse. RN Training programs will include clinical work experience.

Employer competency information

Feedback from employers identifies the following critical competencies and how they apply for this job

  • Communication, Interpersonal Skills, and Teamwork — Working very closely and effectively communicating with doctors, other clinical staff, and patients to provide appropriate care is critical. Displaying patience, good emotional intelligence, and the ability to diffuse difficult situations.
  • Customer Focus — Providing excellent customer service is critical, reimbursements are based on patient feedback and outcomes.
  • Critical & Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving & Decision Making — Relied upon to complete higher level decision making, such as with observation, situational assessment & diagnosis, triage, and working with higher risk patients.
  • Mathematics — Is important when calculating medication.
  • Scheduling and Coordinating — It is important to tackle the most important items first, particularly when juggling multiple patients or critical situations. Treatments also require knowledge of the appropriate order of steps.
  • Adaptability — There is significant situational and level of criticality changes between patients and situations.
Registered Nurses are consistently identified as a Critical Occupation in a variety of settings, including Healthcare, Behavioral Health, and Public Health.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenMay vary
  • On a computerNo
  • OutdoorsNo
  • With your handsYes

Interests it draws on

  • Healthcare
  • Nursing

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
  2. Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
  3. Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
  4. Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
  5. Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
  6. Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.

Also includes

Specializations that share this occupation’s labor-market data.

  • Operating Room Nurse
  • Critical Care Nurse
  • Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse
Feedback