Working within the healthcare world is an attractive profession for a number of reasons. As well as being an incredibly rewarding industry to work within, it can also be very financially rewarding, especially once nurses begin to move into more senior job roles.
People do not often automatically assume that nurses earn a great wage, but this is actually a misconception. There are several amazing ways to earn a high salary as a nurse, and today you can discover what the highest-paying nursing specialties in the US are.
The Highest-Paying Nursing Specialties
It is not to be expected that you will make a high wage during your very first few years of nursing. However, by continuing to gain on-the-job experience and furthering your education through nursing programs, you can expect to take your career in an exciting direction.
If you plan to work within nursing for several decades, then it pays to have a plan in mind for how you will further your career. This will allow you to make small decisions that contribute to your wider goals over time. It might feel complicated to look so far into the future and it is natural that your plans and your goals will evolve and change over time.
The following seven jobs are among the highest-paying nursing professions in the US. Alongside each job title you can see just how much a person in this role is usually paid, although this figure may vary from state to state. You can also find out a little bit about the responsibilities within each role, so read on to learn more!
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
At the very highest end of the scale, a certified registered nurse anesthetist can expect to earn approximately $180,000 a year.
Somebody who works within this role will be responsible for anesthetizing patients during a range of procedures, often relating to surgery. This is a role that requires a high level of skill and precision.
You will need to have several years of healthcare experience behind you as well as a master’s degree before you can work in this role. The demand for nurses working within this role is set to grow at a much faster rate than many other areas of healthcare in the next few years, meaning it is a great area to focus your ambitions on.
- General Nurse Practitioner
A general nurse practitioner will generally earn more than $111,000 every year.
The day-to-day tasks of a general nurse practitioner might involve helping patients to manage their existing conditions, as well as educating them on how to prevent further health issues. It is normal that a general nurse practitioner will work within a specific area of expertise, such as oncology or cardiovascular health.
There are multiple settings in which you can hold this role, such as a hospital or care facility. People who wish to become general nurse practitioners will have to be educated to master’s degree level due to the high level of knowledge required to fulfill the role.
- Clinical Nurse Specialist
A clinical nurse specialist should expect to take home a salary of at least $105,000 a year.
This role involves working within a specialist clinic and will require you to be confident in diagnosing and treating a wide range of health concerns. It is also the case that clinical nurse specialists will be responsible for various research tasks and for improving the level of care that a clinic provides.
It is not uncommon that a clinical nurse specialist will become very specialized within one particular demographic, clinical setting, or type of care. However, it is also the case that these areas of specialty will overlap.
- Certified Nurse Midwife
A person who works as a certified nurse midwife will earn approximately $104,000 each year.
This is a wonderful area of specialization for those who have an interest in midwifery and prenatal care. A certified nurse midwife is also able to open their own private practice to take greater control of their career path if they wish to.
By providing expert care to those who are going through pregnancy, certified nurse midwives will work with a diverse range of patients throughout their careers.
- Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse
A neonatal intensive care nurse will take home a salary of around $102,000 a year.
This is a very fulfilling and rewarding role for those who wish to work with new-born babies. People who are qualified to work as neonatal intensive care nurses can take their pick of work environments, such as hospitals, intensive care units, outpatient clinics, and more.
Due to the nature of the work, this can be a high-stress environment, but also an immensely rewarding one.
- Pain Management Nurse
A person who works in the role of a pain management nurse will usually earn over $100,000 every year.
Nurses within this role will usually either be assisting patients who have recently undergone a surgical procedure or those who are living with chronic pain.
- Family Nurse Practitioner
A family nurse practitioner will be paid an annual salary of approximately $98,000.
A family nurse practitioner will consult with patients, carry out further assessments, decide on treatment plans, and prescribe medications.
A career as a family nurse practitioner is one that will always offer a wide variety of possible settings and tasks. This variety in the work, coupled with the high salary, makes this a very desirable role within the healthcare sector.
Highly Paid Nursing Specialties
As you can see, there are so many great ways to earn a fantastic wage within the profession of nursing. Many of these career paths lead to a salary of well over $100,000 a year, which is a fantastic amount of money to earn.
If you are making the decision to enter the world of nursing, then this will likely be for more than financial reasons. Nurses are people who have an urge to help people and to give back to their communities. They are people who have a strong desire to give their time and energy to those who need it the most.
