What does a Registered Health Nurse do?

Registered health nurses work in collaboration with other health care professionals. They provide direct patient care, assess and record symptoms, progress, and reactions, all of which provides the source for care planning and intervention. They also manage nursing care plans, instruct patients and their families in the right care, and aid individuals and groups to improve or maintain their good health. It also requires a large base of knowledge and experience in order to assess, plan, and give intervention to promote health, avoid disease, and help patients cope with ailments.
Registered health nurse responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real registered health nurse resumes:
- Operate specialize equipment such as cardiac monitor, EKG, DEA, managing nasal pharyngeal and gastric suction.
- Manage ventilator settings and complete tracheostomy care on chronically ill patients.
- Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
- Participate in manage care activities to produce health change, specifically providing diabetes education and lifestyle counseling in chronic disease areas.
- Deliver a complete range of care to general Medicare, Medicaid home care patient's.
- Obtain knowledge of medical diagnostic and billing codes used for private insurance, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements.
- Provide ACLS emergency care as necessary and transfer patients to emergency department when necessary.
- Maintain all competencies including ACLS certifications to care for medically complex patients requiring coronary care.
- Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to assure personal care, medical care and rehabilitation are provide.
- Mentor to HHA, LVN, and RN co-workers.
- Certify and train in CPI.
- Staff RN, preceptor and CPI instructor.
- Educate all staff and care providers with first aid and CPR
- Provide nursing visits and assessments as needed for pt comfort.
- Provide care and medical treatment for patients in an ICU setting.
Registered health nurse skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Registered Health Nurses are proficient in Patients, Home Health, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Critical-thinking skills, Communication skills, and Compassion.
We break down the percentage of Registered Health Nurses that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 24%
Use critical thinking and knowledge-based judgment to advise and instruct patients in self-care as appropriate over a telecommunication device.
- Home Health, 23%
Registered Nurse Coordinator: Introduction to home health administration and leadership initiatives and business practices.
- CPR, 8%
Coordinated CPR training, First Aid for general staff, and flu clinics for residents.
- Quality Care, 4%
Provided disease/case management for people who receive Wyoming Equality Care.
- Mental Health, 3%
Receive help-line and referral calls and collect clinical data to provide to physician for disposition regarding inpatient mental health/chemical dependency care.
- Compassion, 3%
Provided participants with respect, compassion, and confidentiality during health screenings.
"patients," "home health," and "cpr" are among the most common skills that registered health nurses use at work. You can find even more registered health nurse responsibilities below, including:
Critical-thinking skills. One of the key soft skills for a registered health nurse to have is critical-thinking skills. You can see how this relates to what registered health nurses do because "registered nurses must assess changes in the health status of patients, such as determining when to take corrective action." Additionally, a registered health nurse resume shows how registered health nurses use critical-thinking skills: "provide safe and effective patient care using critical-thinking skills. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform registered health nurse duties is communication skills. Registered health nurses responsibilities require that "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Registered health nurses also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "utiluzed epic software, admit, discharge, medication administration,utilized therapeutic communication to successfully implement plan of care. "
Compassion. This is an important skill for registered health nurses to perform their duties. For an example of how registered health nurse responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a registered health nurse: "provided compassionate direct nursing care and health education to a diverse group of patients ranging in age from adolescent through geriatric. ".
Detail oriented. For certain registered health nurse responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of a registered health nurse rely on this skill, as "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what registered health nurses do: "assisted in group therapy and goal oriented focus groups. "
Emotional stability. Another crucial skill for a registered health nurse to carry out their responsibilities is "emotional stability." A big part of what registered health nurses relies on this skill, since "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." How this skill relates to registered health nurse duties can be seen in an example from a registered health nurse resume snippet: "provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients about various health conditions and provided emotional support. "
Organizational skills. While "organizational skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to registered health nurse responsibilities. Much of what a registered health nurse does relies on this skill, seeing as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of registered health nurses: "developed organizational and interpersonal skills while providing direct patient care in the obstetrics and medical-surgical unit. "
The three companies that hire the most registered health nurses are:
- Trusted Health Plans2,666 registered health nurses jobs
- BAYADA Home Health Care1,341 registered health nurses jobs
- PIH Health614 registered health nurses jobs
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Registered health nurse vs. Staff nurse
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a registered health nurse are more likely to require skills like "home health," "mental health," "compassion," and "community resources." On the other hand, a job as a staff nurse requires skills like "bls," "acls," "acute care," and "surgery." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Staff nurses really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,739. Comparatively, registered health nurses tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $67,457.On average, staff nurses reach similar levels of education than registered health nurses. Staff nurses are 1.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Registered health nurse vs. Clinical research nurse
A clinical research nurse is responsible for conducting research studies on various health conditions, illness treatments, and healthcare methodologies, analyzing existing scientific research to make new reports. Clinical research nurses also communicate with other health professionals and health organizations for their insights and recommendations for a specific medical study, ensuring to report their findings to doctors and medical researchers for further validation and clinical trials. A clinical research nurse must have excellent knowledge of communication, both written and spoken, as well as expertise in the medical industry.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that registered health nurse responsibilities requires skills like "cpr," "mental health," "community resources," and "dexterity." But a clinical research nurse might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "bls," "acute care," "acls," and "surgery."
Clinical research nurses may earn a lower salary than registered health nurses, but clinical research nurses earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $61,917. On the other hand, registered health nurses receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $67,457.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Clinical research nurses tend to reach similar levels of education than registered health nurses. In fact, they're 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Registered Health Nurses in the next 3-5 years?
Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University
Registered health nurse vs. Advanced registered nurse practitioner
An advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) is responsible for patient care. An ARNP may practice independently or work with other healthcare professionals such as physicians. Your duties typically include examining patients and determining diagnosis by physical examination, patient history, and other medical assessments, admitting, managing, and discharging patients to and from medical facilities, and managing health care by developing, implementing, and evaluating treatment and care plans for patients. You will also be responsible for referring patients to other health care service providers or facilities.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from registered health nurse resumes include skills like "cpr," "quality care," "mental health," and "infection control," whereas an advanced registered nurse practitioner is more likely to list skills in "arnp," "diagnosis," "health problems," and "discharge summaries. "
Advanced registered nurse practitioners make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $103,277. On the other hand, registered health nurses are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $67,457.advanced registered nurse practitioners typically earn higher educational levels compared to registered health nurses. Specifically, they're 45.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Registered health nurse vs. Emergency department registered nurse
An emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries. They assist doctors and other medical staff in emergency medical care. It is their responsibility to always provide high-quality standards for nursing. The skills they should possess include diligence, attention to detail, levelheadedness, and strong communication. They also need to be knowledgeable about emergency care.
Types of registered health nurse
Updated January 8, 2025