What does a registered nurse do on a daily basis?

Depends on where you are in nursing. Nursing can open you to many areas depends on you. For years I worked ICU taking care of fresh open heart patients, but now I do Home care. When I did clinical in school this was one of the areas I told my self "I would not do", and yet hear I am and I love it. This is the longest place I have worked in over 24 years.

A Day would be, setting up my assignment while at home. Diving to patient home and doing a physical assessment, vital signs, make sure they are eating and/or have food, and doing lots of teaching with everyone, but the patients are different. I do wound care, I manage Inotrope drips on patients at home, I draw blood and transport it to lab, I play social worker to with those who need it, I help with there medications, sometimes they just need a body there to talk to. You hear all kinds of stories. Then I come home chart what I did not get done in there home then get to spend time with my family.

There is no one answer here, as it totally depends on what setting the RN works in. Even within a hospital setting it depends on the type of unit and that RN’s role there...staff nurse, charge nurse manager. Then you have RN administrators who are in charge of the entire facility nursing staff. If the RN works in a community setting, which 50% do, it still depends on the setting...clinic, schools, county health dept, teaching, etc.

Check out various healthcare settings where you live. Ask to have a tour and talk to some RNs. You could also check with your State Board of Nursing and State Nursing Association to get a better idea of where nurses in your community work.

There are a thousand different kinds of nursing, and a basic nursing education prepares you for most of them.