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Licensed Nurse

💰 Earn $69K-$86K
📚 Vocational Training
⏱️ 12–24 Month Training
📈 2.6% Job Growth
  • Make a difference by caring for patients in diverse healthcare settings.
  • Play a vital role in patient recovery and well-being through skilled care.
  • Unique chance to work closely with patients and healthcare teams.
Licensed Nurse
What Licensed Nurses DoCare for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Licensing required.
  • Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
  • Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
  • Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
  • Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
  • Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
Licensed Nurses Education, Salary, and Growth
Minimum EducationVocational Training
Career ProspectsGood (Increasing by 1-5%)
Training Time1 to 2 years
Job Openings54,400 Annually
Median Earnings
$77,170 in California
$62,340 Nationally

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Real Talk Reel

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Is This Career Right For You?
YOU Like
  • Relating with or serving others
  • Working with my hands
you value
  • Accomplishing things
  • Having support
  • Personal relationships
you are skilled in
  • Active Listening
  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Speaking
  • Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension
Go Deeper: Licensed Nurses Explained
Licensed NurseExplore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.
How Do You Train for This Career?

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Associate's DegreeAn associate's degree typically provides graduates with foundational knowledge and skills for entry-level jobs in the graduate's industry, or serves as a stepping stone towards further education.
🎓 College
⏱️ Finish in 2-3 years
Vocational SchoolA vocational school typically equips students with specialized skills and practical training in specific trades or occupations, enhancing their employability and providing direct pathways to relevant careers.
🎓 Skills-Focused
⏱️ Finish in 6 months - 2 years
Bachelor's DegreeA bachelor's degree typically results in increased knowledge about a variety of academic subjects, specialized knowledge in a focused field of study, and is considered the foundational qualification for many careers.
🎓 College
⏱️ Finish in 4-5+ years
Workforce Development ProgramA workforce development program typically enhances participants' opportunities to succeed in the workforce through employment skill-building, career counseling, connections to employers, and pathways to high-demand and high-wage jobs.
🎓 Skills-Focused
⏱️ Finish in 6 months - 2 years
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What Are Similar Careers?

Updated April 2026. Data sourced from O*NET and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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