6 Best Paying Jobs in Nursing
Qualified nurses have a variety of career and employment opportunities to in the U.S. Although most nurses start off their careers with a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse position, they usually seek to advance their education and increase their income level, either by going back into the classroom or enrolling on an online BSN degree. If you are looking for the best career options, you should take note of the following high paying jobs for nurses.
1. Nurse Anesthetist
A nurse anesthetist is a well-trained, highly skilled, and experienced registered nurse that works with other medical staff when anesthesia is required. To become a qualified nurse anesthetist, you must obtain a specialized post graduate degree that is accredited by the special accreditation council for nurse anesthesia. This graduate degree must be preceded by a bachelor of science in nursing and after receiving your master’s degree, you must be certified by the AANA – American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Then you can take up jobs that will earn you a salary ranging between $144,000 and $165,000 per year.
2. Chief Nursing Officer
The position of a chief nursing officer is an important executive position in the healthcare sector. Nurses that rise to this position will be responsible for managing other nurses, making strategic plans and providing administrative leadership. A chief nursing officer has to create new ways of improving the quality of nursing care offered to patients, oversee nurse welfare and relationships, recruit new nurses, and manage the day-to-day operations of the entire nursing department. To attain this position, nurses need to complete graduate nursing programs (either through conventional classroom studies on campus or as an accredited online nursing degree) and then be certified by the Organization of Nurse Executives. The income of chief nursing officers varies between $90,000 and $134,000 per annum.
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3. Nurse Midwife
A nurse midwife is qualified to take care of women who are in need of gynecological care, including contraception, family planning, ante and postnatal care, child delivery and family health education. Nurse midwives are required to earn an accredited master’s degree and complete practical clinical studies to acquire sufficient hands-on experience. Then they can obtain employer required certification that is administered by the Midwifery Certification Board. Generally, nurse midwives between $83,070 and $98,225 each year.
4. Nurse Managers or Nursing Administrators
Nurses who serve as nurse managers are supposed to offer special human resource management services in hospitals. They work as administrators, recruiting, hiring and training nursing staff. Nursing managers are also responsible for strategic planning, providing leadership for other nurses, and helping to improve quality of care that patients receive. To become a nurse manager or administrator, you will have to complete a graduate training program and obtain a degree with relevant work experience. Then you will be able to earn between $79,000 and $99,000 per year.
5. Nurse Researcher
A nurse researcher is trained to gather and analyze data and then publish useful information to be used by organizations responsible for health policies. The research work is usually meant to assess medical, nursing, pharmaceutical and other related innovations, practices and products. To become a nurse researcher, you must obtain a master’s degree or a PhD in nursing. Certification from the Society of Research Associates is also necessary. Nurse researchers usually earn from $70,000 to $90,000 every year.
Those are some of the most lucrative nursing jobs available today. They all require graduate nursing degrees and board certifications. But they offer interesting and rewarding careers for anyone who is ready to invest in higher nursing education.
