Healthcare
Registered Nurse in San Jose
17 postings read · sampled 2026-09-01 · source ats
What employers actually ask for
Credentials named in the 17 postings we read, ranked by how many mentioned each one.
- BLS / CPR CertificationAmerican Heart Association53%
- RNNCSBN / State Boards of Nursing53%
- Bachelor's DegreeAccredited institution6%1 of 17 postingsAccredited institution →
What it costs
Exam and application fees plus typical self-study hours. Almost nobody needs every credential on this list — start with the top line.
Not in the total: Bachelor's Degree — cost varies by institution.
What the official taxonomy says
O*NET surveys people already doing this job. That describes who got hired over a long window, not what employers are asking for now — where it disagrees with the counts above, the counts are the more current answer.
- Bachelor’s degree
- Post-secondary certificate
- Associate’s degree or other 2-year degree
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
O*NET 29-1141.00 · pulled 2026-09-01 · O*NET publishes the levels but no shares for this occupation, so they are shown in its order without percentages
This sample is small enough that one posting moves any percentage by more than a couple of points, so we are not calling anything low-signal here. Read the numbers above as a direction, not a measurement.
What it pays
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. A different survey from the postings above, so the two do not share a sample.
Every credential above costs $270 — less than a day's pay at the median.
Who was hiring
Employers with at least one matching posting in this sample.
Mission Healthcare · Sollis Health
The same role elsewhere
Next
- Roast and Resolve — Now aim your résumé at this target. Free roast, paid rewrite.
- Synap — Two-minute daily lessons to drill the skills underneath the credential.