Lowest stress (still great pay) nursing specialties?

Nurses General Nursing Nursing Q/A

Hello all,

This is my first post here so bear with me. I am a current RN student and while my main focus right now is finishing the program I am nevertheless interested in finding out more about different specialties from nurses who have been there.

I have yet to decide on a nursing specialty for sure. To be honest money is a big motivator for me..but a post I read from forum member THE COMMUTER really struck me as exaclty how I feel. It stated id rather love my personal life and tolerate my job than tolerate my life and love my job. By this I mean im never going to enjoy work, I mostly enjoy traveling, exploring , cars..etc..(hence money motivated).

So begs the question...what nursing specialty out of the seemingly hundreds...would be very low stress on a daily basis and very good pay ( even if masters level as I have considered the NP route after RN school).

Any suggestions? ( I know im kinda asking for the best of both worlds here but im looking for things closest to what I seek). Thanks in advance everyone.

Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Aliens05 said:
Thanks I rlly appreciate so many perspectives and everything.

I guess one reason for me specifically that low stress is important is that I have some health issues. I am a 30 year old guy but Ive been in the ER 3 times in the last year. Still not sure what the issue is. I think most of it is anxiety ( according to ER doctor) mixed with irregular heart beat and PVCs ( benign according to my cardiologist who told me its absolutely ok to max out my heart even with these issues).

Low stress is important personally for my own health. Thanks again for the replies.

I have epilepsy & bipolar disorder. I have worked in corrections, drug rehab, LTC & PDN. If you do not know how to manage your anxiety, you are setting yourself up for disaster. There are people with a whole slew of major health issues but they work just fine.

If you don't have your anxiety under control I would suggest seeing a psychiatrist & a therapist. Because no matter what job you choose, there will be stress. Not all jobs have the same stress, but they can be stressful.

Also, the starting pay for new grad RNs might not be that much or as much as your expecting. I live in Texas & my ex-best friend got a job as a nurse a few years ago. She was only making a $1 more an hour than me, as an LVN. Don't expect high wages for nothing.

Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I wouldn't even consider NP before working as a nurse. With the NP glut in my area, many places are demanding a minimum of 3-5 years of acute care before even considering hiring a nurse practitioner.

I work as both a NICU and a med-surg nurse I hear from both sides how one couldn't work in the other specialty. I find med-surg to be 1000x more stressful and physically demanding,and the adult patients behave much more poorly than the babies. ;) I can lift a baby with one hand/arm while it can take five or six people to turn a 600-pound patient. I don't have to worry about babies sneaking off and shooting up street drugs, and their fists and feet can't hurt me (though some of them have really sharp nails!).

I find NICU to be much more rewarding (though occassionally heartbreaking) whereas in med-surg, I feel like a legalized drug dealer. After all, RN stands for refreshments and narcotics....right?

I worked trauma/Neuro ICU. I then took a Monday-Friday GI Lab job. Same pay. Almost NO stress at all for me.

However, the GI Lab nurses that had only long ago or never worked acute care where often stressed out. I could never quite figure that out. They only had one patient at a time. Of course, on the rare occasions things went south, they had no training or experience on how to handle things. If an endoscopy patient started doing poorly, most of the nurses would just step away and wait for the RRT team to arrive. I'd just jump in and take over. I had the knowledge and more importantly, the EXPERIENCE, to do so. Stress is relative. On a side note. How the hospital could pay the same rate to the GI Lab nurses as the Trauma/Neuro ICU nurses is beyond belief!!!! Comparatively speaking, the GI lab nurses do nothing!

I think Occupational Health Nursing is a very stress free job. Many companies hire OHN to run health fairs, run their onsite employee clinics and minor on site injuries. This line of Nursing has so many opportunities to advance into Public Health, Epidemiology, Safety ..and the jobs are limitless with advanced education. No stress and increased salary plus federal or state jobs with great benefits..in most

I've been a nurse for 3 years and in the ER for less than 3 years. My take home pay is roughly 108k a year. That's take home I didn't mistype.

the stress I would feel on the job is outweighed by my compensation.

work smart work hard. In that order.

Fascinating thread. Like many posters here, I have done all sorts of nursing roles. Currently, I am a flight nurse and a critical care NP. Because I live in the mid-Atlantic region, my NP pay is barely more than my RN pay and honestly, I like my RN job MUCH better (apparently, that is rare?) The acute care NP role, since the roll-out of the consensus model, has turned into a perpetual second year resident job. In other words, I am the fellow and attending's b!t@h. It stinks and I hate it. I'd go back to the ER in a heartbeat if I could.

As far as the original post, I think it's really OK to ask the money question. People seem to get offended by it, but it's a very real concern, especially with the debt load so many new grads carry. When I teach undergraduate clinical, I am always very open with students about this, mainly because it's taboo. I see no reason for it to be a forbidden topic, nor am I offended by the fact the OP is asking the question. Pay seems to be very regionally dependent. Only the individual can determine what is enough for his/her lifestyle. That said, I work with two PAs who are in their 20s and they are extremely difficult to deal with when it comes to scheduling. I would caution you against being too demanding about your schedule. You will get immediate push back form senior nurses who are still doing the every other weekend and rotation shift grind after years and years. We all want a work life balance, but adjustments and compromises will need to be made.

As far as stress, I agree with many previous posts. It really depends on how much you like the specialty. I worked ER in a very busy Level I that also included burn and pediatrics. It was very stressful but also very energizing and exciting. It was a great 10 years and I have no regrets, but as I aged, it became too exhausting. The hospital, corporate BS and lack of support is really what ground me down. My coworkers were nothing short of phenomenal and I hold them in high esteem to this day.

So, to the OP, as you finish school, it is a great time for introspection. During the next few months, I would suggest a journal. When a thought pops into your head and after clinical jot some thoughts about what your ideal situation. Describe the picture in your head and document how you reacted to those experiences. Every week or so, go back and review what you spontaneously wrote and eventually it will come into it's own form. It's a little extra work, but it will actually give you some energy back because all of those thoughts won't be taking up rent on your head. Through this, you will be able what stressor are good and motivating and which are toxic to you. Best of luck!

GI, Cath Lab, Infusion Center, and out patient clinics. I was planning on transferring to those units a few years before I retire.

M-F and its 0800-1600. depending on which hospitals.

Hi ! I am probably late but I know what you mean , you only live once and you seem to know exactly what you want , I think you will find , part time Ambulatory clinics with no weekends no holidays a viable option , to supplement your income you can opt to pick up extra per diem shifts through an agency , this is key because there is no minimum commitment with an agency, and many facilities who mostly rely on agencies are so short staffed you are in a position to bargain , instead of 8 hour shift offer 4 hours and ask for a little more pay , esp if there's a call out. As an agency nurse you can not be mandated in most states.

I think this option is ideal, that way your bread and butter is easy but your bonus money is only if you want to.

for thr clinics your best bet for best pay is one that is part of a hospital system, and try to not go to the ones in large cities because your patient population may be a little rough around the edges :)

hope old that helps !

Thx cat. I do imagine that stress is in a way subjective..i was kind of thinking of something along the lines of the nurses at my work (6 person non behavioral group home ). They dont wear uniforms..deal with mentally challenged persons who are non behavioral etc,but dont rlly use any nursing skills. Their job is almost the easiest job u can imagine but the pay is relatively limited at 28 an hour salaried no overtime. I wouldnt want to cap my earning potential anywhere near 40-50k.

Idk much about research or nursing informatics. Ive heard a little but dont know anything about it rlly. Same goes for crna altho low stress would not at all be describing crna work.

WOW. Still a student and asking for the highest paid, lowest stress job. Perhaps you should obtain your licensure and work in a few areas while you figure that out.

WOW.

Yikes...some kind of biting replies...i guess maybe low stress is too individualized of a description..i by no means meant easy or slack off job..i meant more of a job where ur not constantly worrying, getting yelled at, or worse haha. I guess ive worked with a lott of nurses in the last 5 years and every one of them hated the hospital setting (however i realize some people do love it and its not anyrhing I've counted out at all)

Ayestole by sales training and marketing experiences are you saying that this is a career for nurses who have gone back to school for marketing and sales...or do the pharm companies typically hire former nurses and do all their own marketing sales training in house?

I can see myself enjoying work as a nurse at a group home similar to the one i work at now...i can also see myself enjoying 40-50 dollars an hour and getting overtime pay on top haha! Thx foe the replies so far everyone

Thx rearview mirror...by UR im asuming u mean Urology?

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