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29-1141.00 · Task explorer

Registered Nurses: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

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.

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Read the task inventory

This source lists 27 tasks, including 15 marked Core and 12 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2021.

27 tasks shown

Core · Task 1841 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Record patients' medical information and vital signs.

Core · Task 20413 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.

Core · Task 1839 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.

Core · Task 1840 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.

Core · Task 1855 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.

Core · Task 1843 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.

Core · Task 1846 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.

Core · Task 1845 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.

Core · Task 1850 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.

Core · Task 1842 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.

Core · Task 1857 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Conduct specified laboratory tests.

Core · Task 1848 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.

Core · Task 1849 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.

Core · Task 1865 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.

Core · Task 1847 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.

Supplemental · Task 1861 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.

Supplemental · Task 1844 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.

Supplemental · Task 1859 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices, or other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, inhalation therapy, or related therapeutic procedures.

Supplemental · Task 1860 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Direct or coordinate infection control programs, advising or consulting with specified personnel about necessary precautions.

Supplemental · Task 1851 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.

Supplemental · Task 1854 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.

Supplemental · Task 1862 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Provide or arrange for training or instruction of auxiliary personnel or students.

Supplemental · Task 1863 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Refer students or patients to specialized health resources or community agencies furnishing assistance.

Supplemental · Task 1856 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.

Supplemental · Task 1864 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Consult with institutions or associations regarding issues or concerns relevant to the practice and profession of nursing.

Supplemental · Task 1852 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.

Supplemental · Task 1866 · 08/2021 · Incumbent

Engage in research activities related to nursing.

Make the shortlist useful

  1. Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
  2. For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
  3. Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.