Conditions

• RNs work in climate-controlled and sanitary health care facilities. They may travel to patients' homes, schools and community centers. They may be on call, or work evening, weekend and night shifts. Those who work in offices and environments without 24-hour care are more likely to have standard 40-hour weeks. The median salary for this profession is $63,750 annually, with a range of $43,970 to $93,700. This equals $30.65 per hour, with a range of $21.14 to $45.05. This information is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2009.
  
  

Employers

• The employers with the most jobs for RNs are general medical and surgical hospitals, with 56 percent of the available 2.5 million positions. They pay a mean $32.57 per hour, or $67,740 per year. The highest paying employers are medical equipment and supplies manufacturers, who pay a mean $37.44 per hour, or $77,870 per year for only 50 positions. The second highest is the federal government, with only slightly lower means of $37.42 per hour, or $77,830 per year, but with far more opportunities at 62,670 jobs.
  
  

Locations

• The state with the highest population, California, also has the best opportunities and salaries for registered nurses. Pay here runs a mean $40.90 per hour, or $85,080 per year for 233,030 positions. For cities, the highest wages are in Visalia, California, at $53.38 per hour, or $11,030 per year for 2,290 jobs. Oakland, California, is also among the top five payers with lower means of $46.77 per hour, or $97,280 per year, but with far more employment at 17,940 jobs.
  
  

Outlook

• The bureau sees jobs for RNs growing at 22 percent until 2018, which is faster than average for all positions. Advances in technology allow treatment for a wider variety of medical conditions. This, plus a growing emphasis on preventive care, means more jobs for the profession. The growth of the elderly population, which requires more medical treatment, will also provide opportunity. Prospects will be excellent, with some parts of the country reporting difficulty in finding applicants. Those with a bachelor's degree will find better prospects, especially with advance practice expertise as clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and nurse anesthetists.