Overview
All Registered Nurses
-
$1,909 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
298,400 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
50% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
43 years Average age
-
89% female Gender Share
Registered Nurses provide nursing care to patients in hospitals, aged care and other health care facilities, and in the community.
You usually need a bachelor degree in nursing to work as a Registered Nurse. If you already have tertiary qualifications, you may be able to complete a shorter Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) program.
Tasks
- assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care for patients according to accepted nursing practice and standards
- working in consultation with other Health Professionals and members of health teams, and coordinating the care of patients
- providing interventions, treatments and therapies such as medications, and monitoring responses to treatment and care plan
- promoting health and assisting in preventing ill health by participating in health education and other health promotion activities
- answering questions and providing information to patients and families about treatment and care
- supervising and coordinating the work of Enrolled Nurses and other health care workers
Prospects
There were 298,400 Registered Nurses in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 344,800 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Registered Nurses work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,909 per week (higher than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Around half work full-time (50%, less than the average of 66%), showing there are many opportunities to work part-time.
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 43 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 89% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You usually need a bachelor degree in nursing to work as a Registered Nurse. If you already have tertiary qualifications, you may be able to complete a shorter Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) program.
Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Registered Nurses who are caring, empathetic, reliable, with strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Biology
Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1141.00 - Registered Nurses.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Disease or infection
Be exposed to disease or infections.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1141.00 - Registered Nurses.
All Registered Nurses
-
$1,909 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
298,400 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
50% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
43 years Average age
-
89% female Gender Share
Registered Nurses provide nursing care to patients in hospitals, aged care and other health care facilities, and in the community.
You usually need a bachelor degree in nursing to work as a Registered Nurse. If you already have tertiary qualifications, you may be able to complete a shorter Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) program.
Tasks
- assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care for patients according to accepted nursing practice and standards
- working in consultation with other Health Professionals and members of health teams, and coordinating the care of patients
- providing interventions, treatments and therapies such as medications, and monitoring responses to treatment and care plan
- promoting health and assisting in preventing ill health by participating in health education and other health promotion activities
- answering questions and providing information to patients and families about treatment and care
- supervising and coordinating the work of Enrolled Nurses and other health care workers
There were 298,400 Registered Nurses in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 344,800 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Registered Nurses work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,909 per week (higher than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Around half work full-time (50%, less than the average of 66%), showing there are many opportunities to work part-time.
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 43 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 89% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You usually need a bachelor degree in nursing to work as a Registered Nurse. If you already have tertiary qualifications, you may be able to complete a shorter Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) program.
Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Employers look for Registered Nurses who are caring, empathetic, reliable, with strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Biology
Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1141.00 - Registered Nurses.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Disease or infection
Be exposed to disease or infections.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
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Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1141.00 - Registered Nurses.