Highest paid nursing field?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, I am still a student and was wondering what the highest paid nursing area is. Like my friend says that Dialysis is one of the highest. Anyone have an idea. I'm just lost on what area to start at. Thanks.

Specializes in Clinical, Hospice, Home Care, and HH.

I have been nursing for right at 4 years. I have done clinical, hospital, hospice, ADON for a pcs agency, and now I am currently doing Skilled Nursing. I made very good money with hospice but you have to be on call and leave your home in the middle of the night. Not idle for someone with a family though. Clinical and ADON was not cutting it as far as pay. Skilled Nursing, very good pay. Depending on how hard you work, the agency, and your experience, that will determine your pay. I work with an new grad and she is already bringing home well over $2000 biweekly. Also, where you live will determine what you bring home. What seems like a lot for living in North Carolina may not seem like that much for someone living in New York! Most importantly, you need to be happy! I loved the money with hospice but I hated the job because it kept me away from my family. I was at a dying pt's bedside on Christmas morning while her family was in Ireland! So just think what matters to you the most. Maybe you'll get lucky like me and have your cake and eat it too!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
Are you a nursing student? I'd focus more on what you LIKE doing rather than what will pay you the most. :)

Also, are you talking about as an RN, LPN/LVN? Master's prepared, nurse practitioner, etc? It makes a big difference.

I work in research and that is well paid, nurse managers and administrators can do very well too, depending on the setting. I'd wager though nurse anesthetists probably make the near the top but require a lot of education and training. My daughter is a new nurse practitioner and she and several of her colleagues have received offers in the neighborhood of $80,000 a year for a new grad. Nurses who work in the OR, ICU and other highly skilled specialties can also make a good salary. Much depends though on the state you work in and the type of institution.

All the money in the world though won't make a bad job good! :nurse:

I like your last statement. Cause it's soooo true. At times, I don't even care about the money. I just want a stress free job. After being in nursing, I now know that it's true, money can't make a bad job good.

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NCphoenix-

I do work full time, 4 days a week, 12 hour shifts. My ER also has a mandatory every-other-weekend policy. On the weekends when I do work, my hourly rate increases. We also must work one holiday a year.

20yrs ago, when I first graduated with my ASN, I worked in a very small county ER. After a few years of experience, I was able to work in a major Level 1 Trauma Center, which paid my tuition towards my BSN. When I finished my BSN, and my contract to that hospital, I moved closer to family. I found a job at a very large, inner city hospital in Philadelphia that only hire nurses with BSN's. I now work in that hospitals Emergency Room and I am very happy doing so.

PS- If possible, you may want to commute into a large urban area for employment, because in most city's (like philly) the cost of living is higher than an outer suburb. When the cost of living goe's up, so does your salary. :D I do not live in Philadelphia, but commute there everyday for work. Just 1 option you have to find a higher salary.

I hope this helped you!

-Ashley, RN BSN.

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That sounds very good to me :yeah: Have all of those 20 years been in the ER? What path did you take to get there? Do you work FT? if so, do you have to? evenings? I would love to work 2-3 days a week at that rate? Of course, I'm just barely starting out and I'm sure the rate is lower in my area since it's not a major city like Philly but I would like to know what steps to take to get there. Thanks.

NCphoenix-

I do work full time, 4 days a week, 12 hour shifts. My ER also has a mandatory every-other-weekend policy. On the weekends when I do work, my hourly rate increases. We also must work one holiday a year.

20yrs ago, when I first graduated with my ASN, I worked in a very small county ER. After a few years of experience, I was able to work in a major Level 1 Trauma Center, which paid my tuition towards my BSN. When I finished my BSN, and my contract to that hospital, I moved closer to family. I found a job at a very large, inner city hospital in Philadelphia that only hire nurses with BSN's. I now work in that hospitals Emergency Room and I am very happy doing so.

PS- If possible, you may want to commute into a large urban area for employment, because in most city's (like philly) the cost of living is higher than an outer suburb. When the cost of living goe's up, so does your salary. :D I do not live in Philadelphia, but commute there everyday for work. Just 1 option you have to find a higher salary.

I hope this helped!

-Ashley, RN BSN.

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I'd love to know where Ashley, RN works because I work in the toughest Level 1 Trauma Center in Philadelphia, have been an ER nurse for all of my 21 years in nursing, and don't make $63 during the week.

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I used to work at Temple University Hospital, and now I work at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

and you work where, BOUT?

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

It depends on what area of nursing you are in, where you live etc. Let me give you an example. I have a BSN in nursing with 31 years of experience and I live in the Seattle area. I work in a small community hospital as the 3-11 charge nurse on a med surg floor and I make about $53 per hour. Now my sister in law is a neonatal nurse practitioner. She has her Master's from the University of Washington and she is with a neonatal practice out of Swedish Hospital. She is paid by the group which consists of ARNP's and physicians. She makes $45 per hour, works 24 hour shifts and gets no over time.

I have a friend in CT who works in a private surgery center as a CRNA. She works part time and makes about $70 per hour.

So there are a lot of things that factor in how much you are going to get paid.

Now I know a couple of guys who are PA's with their speciality in orthopedics and they make A LOT OF MONEY. And so do the guys I know who are thoracic surgery PA's but those jobs are few and far between. You almost have to know someone to get one of those jobs.

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These are median base pays from salary.com:

- School nurse $44,000

- ICU $62,800

- Burn unit $60,800

- Critical care $62,800

- ER $61,900

- Home health $63,700

- Nursing home $54,100

- OB $61,100

- Oncology $62,300

- OR $65,300

- Psychiatric $ 62,300

- Dialysis $65,600

- Surgical first assistant $74,800

The salaries will vary from hospital to hospital, but a 1st assistant, dialysis nurse, and OR nurse typically make the most. Hope this helps!

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Hi, I am still a student and was wondering what the highest paid nursing area is. Like my friend says that Dialysis is one of the highest. Anyone have an idea I m just lost on what area to start at. Thanks.

Nurse executives can make executive salaries, into the millions, I suppose. See the featured article about Judith Persichilli, RN who is going to lead Catholic Health East.

the sky's the limit

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Hello

I dont want to be gross or disturbing, but let me say. Money matters, if I was not getting paid the amt that I am for all that we have to take, I would not be bothered. I chose the field for other reasons, however Money is my primary concern, because in the end I have to live and take care of my family, So for those of you that money does not matter great!!! but I am a very professional nurse and time is money. Sorry, I think we need more males in the field who look at the bottom line. Nursing is a business and we need to learn how to market ourselves. As a Consultant, I make 50.00 and up an hour, however this is not full time. My full time, I make over 70,000 yr with great benefits, could be better, I am an associate degree prepared RN who is returning to school to become a nurse practioner soon. Nurses stop selling yourselves short. If facilities dont want to pay leave when you get the chance for higher salary. This is your mind body and nursing is stressful. After saying all that I would like to say I am a very caring person, but if we dont start demanding better working conditions and salary, the doctors will continue to gain and us nurses well we get whats left.

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Hello

I dont want to be gross or disturbing, but let me say. Money matters, if I was not getting paid the amt that I am for all that we have to take, I would not be bothered. I chose the field for other reasons, however Money is my primary concern, because in the end I have to live and take care of my family, So for those of you that money does not matter great!!! but I am a very professional nurse and time is money. Sorry, I think we need more males in the field who look at the bottom line. Nursing is a business and we need to learn how to market ourselves. As a Consultant, I make 50.00 and up an hour, however this is not full time. My full time, I make over 70,000 yr with great benefits, could be better, I am an associate degree prepared RN who is returning to school to become a nurse practioner soon. Nurses stop selling yourselves short. If facilities dont want to pay leave when you get the chance for higher salary. This is your mind body and nursing is stressful. After saying all that I would like to say I am a very caring person, but if we dont start demanding better working conditions and salary, the doctors will continue to gain and us nurses well we get whats left.

i agree 100%

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

from looking around the country it would seem that OR, Cath Lab and Dialysis are high paid areas of nursing. The OP stated to not include NPs..... If that was included CRNA would be #1. I know a few PAs and I make more than they do as an OR nurse. I also know a few family practice and ortho NPs that make less than I do in the OR..... They may have a nice 85k-110k salary but they work lots of OT that is not accounted for in their pay.... probably breaks down to $30/hr if they are lucky..... They dont get paid for the on call or OT.... Find something that you like to do, excell at it and the money will come.....

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