How To Become An Agency Registered Nurse: What It Is and Career Path

What is an agency registered nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Folake Adelakun DNP, MBA, HCA, MSN, BSN, RN, PHN,CNE

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an agency registered nurse. For example, did you know that they make an average of $49.79 an hour? That's $103,560 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 195,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an agency registered nurse?

Folake Adelakun DNP, MBA, HCA, MSN, BSN, RN, PHN,CNE

Clinical Assistant Professor, Huertas College

There is a huge demand for nurses and it is projected that there will even be more shortage of nurses in the future. There are so many specialties to choose from. The reward of caring for people at the most vulnerable state in life. Good pay comparable to some professions even though not yet where it should be. Opportunity to be an autonomous practitioner.

ScoreAgency Registered NurseUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $103,560

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 9.03%

Black or African American 12.18%

Hispanic or Latino 8.83%

Unknown 4.25%

White 65.27%

Gender

female 84.98%

male 15.02%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an agency registered nurse

Explore agency registered nurse education requirements

Most common agency registered nurse degrees

Bachelor's

44.0 %

Associate

42.7 %

Master's

6.9 %

Start to develop specific agency registered nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	24.06%
Acute Care	7.39%
Tele	6.42%
CPR	6.13%
Home Health	6.00%

Complete relevant agency registered nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New agency registered nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an agency registered nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real agency registered nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming an licensed agency registered nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed agency registered nurse in most of states. 43 states require agency registered nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

Gain additional agency registered nurse certifications

Agency registered nurse certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific agency registered nurse certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for agency registered nurses include Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) and Basic Life Support (BLS).

More About Certifications

Research agency registered nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Perform triage nursing role by assessing patients to identify risk factors and reduce incident.
Work closely with attending and resident physicians to provide appropriate pain management, wind management and safety precautions for post-acute patients.
Include as well is working in the PACU.

Prepare your agency registered nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your agency registered nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an agency registered nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable agency registered nurse resume templates

Build a professional agency registered nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your agency registered nurse resume.