Working Conditions Nurses generally work indoors in well-lighted, comfortable buildings. Community health nurses may be required to travel to patients in all types of weather. For those nurses who care for the ill and infirm, the physical demands of patient care can be strenuous. Nurses in general need physical stamina because they spend considerable time walking and standing. When treating patients with infectious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS, nurses must rigidly adhere to guidelines regarding cleanliness and sterility.
Emotional stability is required to cope with human suffering and frequent emergencies.
Because patients in hospitals and nursing homes require care at all times, staff nurses in these institutions may have to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Employment Registered nurses held about 1,610,000 jobs in 1990. To obtain the license to practice that is required by all States and the District of Columbia, nurses must graduate from an approved school of nursing and pass a national examination administered by each State. Nurses may be licensed in more than one State, either by examination or endorsement of a license issued by another State. Some States require continuing education for license renewal.