Nursing Specialties
No one goes into nursing for the money! Or do they?
This article on Nursing Link made me begin to wonder. Do nurses choose nursing for the salary, or to soothe the suffering, heal the lame, cure the sick, and, the current emphasis-prevent disease?
The altruistic do-gooder in me, would say: “Who would put up with what nurses have to put up with, unless they loved helping others!”
The night shifts, the a-hole docs-(yours truly excluded!), the liability, and the continued second guessing by family.
This article suggests that even if you don’t go into nursing for the money, there is money to be made. And what’s wrong with that. It is the American way.
Here is the list of higher paid nursing jobs, from Nursing Link and their estimated annual salary:
1) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist – $135,000
2) Nurse Researcher – $95,000
3) Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner – $95,000
4) Certified Nurse Midwife – $84,000
5) Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse – $81,000
6) Orthopaedic Nurse – $81,000
7) Nurse Practitioner – $78,000
Clinical Nurse Specialist – $76,000
9) Gerontological Nurse Practitioner – $75,000
10) Neonatal Nurse – $74,000
Average RN’s Salary:
- This link, for Pay Scale puts the average RN nurse’s salary at $47,000-67,000.
- This site, has the average a little lower in the mid-40′s, but states it is extremely variable by job, location, and experience.
But certainly the numbers quoted at Nurse Link, show the specialties above bring down a considerably better salary. Of course, those of you who read, The Millionaire Nurse Blog, know that you can’t just blindly accept opinions, without doing your own due-diligence (research).
Many of you know, I just finished a survey of the nurses that read my blog. I will be publishing that data here soon. For just a peek preview, I will say that the salary range of those responding was much higher than I expected. Of course that is a non-scientific survey of a small select group….
Advancing your degree is a big step, and one not to take lightly.
It requires sacrifice:
- Personal sacrifice- in the form of time away from your family and getting into the school state of mind, again.
- Financial sacrifice-the cost of tuition and the hit on your current salary-as you will not be able to work full-time, or even part-time in many cases.
Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about a few of the above specialties in nursing, and interview nurses in those fields. I will try to find out their stories, and whether or not it might be a path you would like to take.
So if you are thinking about an advanced nursing degree, stay tuned! If you have friends who are considering taking the jump, let them know about us here at The Millionaire Nurse!
Reader Comments:
Do you have an opinion about an advanced nursing degree? Have you gone on to one of the above careers? If so, share your opinions about whether it was worth the sacrifice and what you would recommend for others.
Tags: advanced nursing degrees, high paid nursing specialties, nursing specialties
I know the research protocol nurses work their tails off! But it is a lucrative field if you work in a research hospital or your medical center participates in clinical trials. And the salary is good {but you definitely earn it}.
Christine, it takes a certain personality to do the exacting work of research. It certainly isn’t for all. Plus you have to be in a large city, that supports research facilities. But I think the great thing is all the different opportunities out there, for nurses to choose from.
So many young people only think of the nurses they see on TV, as the only “nurse” jobs out there!
That really is THE question Dr. Dean. The job is NEVER about the money – no amount of money can relieve you of the burden of a miserable job – or being unhappy.
In the end, happiness does have a price, not a price tag.
I agree. But I see many nurses in low level/low salaried positions who are miserable. And a few who move into higher paid specialists, who wish they were back on the ward.
The secret, to me, is to be brutally honest regarding your needs, desires, and dreams. Decide what is most important, and then go for it!
Thanks for the post Dr. Dean. I thought your readers might be interested in a study that we just conducted at Pathway Medical re: Nurse Case Manager salaries in NY/NJ/PA.
Here are some highlights from the study:
“Average salary in 2009 for a non-clinical / non-bedside registered nurse in the New York Metro area was $83,592. This is trending upward as of the first quarter 2010.”
“More experience in non-clinical nursing does not always equate to a higher salary.”
“Registered nurse salaries in utilization review, quality improvement and appeals / denials all increased by more than 14% in 2009.”
“Director level salaries in non-clinical / non-bedside nursing were down 30% in 2009 and the trend appears to be continuing in 2010.”
“Non-clinical / non-bedside registered nurses with ‘work at home’ jobs earned an average of $68,000 per year.”
“Registered nurses with a higher level educational degree (BSN, MSN, PhD) earned up to 6.4% more than registered nurses with an associates degree or a diploma in nursing.”
“Registered nurses in non-clinical / non-bedside roles at hospitals earned an average of 5% more than their counterparts working for managed care organizations in 2009.”
If anyone would like to read more you can visit our site at:
http://bit.ly/2010RNSalarySurvey
Thanks, Stefanie for the information in your area. That is a great salary range, but of course New York area cost of living is also quite high. All must be considered in making a decision on where to work.
Thanks, again for reading and participating!
I did not go into nursing for the money, but a lot of folks are doing that now…and, for the job security. Certainly, advanced degrees can bring more money, but the best combination is a job that makes you happy and an adequate amount of money. If I could go back in time, I would be a nurse on night shift (making that great shift diff) on a busy surgical floor at a large hospital. It made me happy when a pt came in sick and we made them better!
No doubt, many choose not to move into a specialty, and are perfectly happy. I think the balance is quality of life and adequate financial knowledge to get by no matter the salary!
thanks,
Dr Dean,
I got my BS in nursing a cpuple of months ago. I am 40 and this is my second career. I presently work on a med surg floor and i know i am not cut out to be on the floor for a long time given my age and personal desires. I have been thinking of getting certified in wound care bcos i truly have an interest in the area, however i am wondering how much i could wxpect to be paid in this specialty and whether it would be worth the 8000 dollars i would expend on classes. By the way i have an MBA and i am wondering if this could be relevant and how relevant could this be in nursing.
Wally
Wally use the contact info at the web and give me a little more info about your area of the country, and would you be opening your own wound care business, or would you be working in a clinic at a hospital?
In general my answer would be, yes it would be worth the money, but would recommend saving for the costs, and not borrowing money to get the certification. What if you hated it and then you were stuck with paying back a loan.
Would also be worth contacting nurses in wound care in your area, to get more info. I will be glad to look into further details for you among my nurse readers. An MBA would be worth a lot if you decide to go into your own business or you decide to get into nursing administration, both areas that may increase your salary, but totally different directions!