Making 100k salary/ income as a nurse?

I am interested in what specialties are making 100k. I have 3 daughters in nursing school and can advise them on a lot, but not necessarily give them a big pic of the financial opportunities from across the nation. I am a 25 year RN and have a 65k salary, but double it most years with ot. not much fun working 68-72 hour weeks though. please tell me your specialty, experience , salary, and salary with diff and ot. oh, and where you r in the USA thank you all and hope your practice is professionally and financially rewarding

[guest1126576]

17 hours ago, Horseshoe said:

This, too, may depend on geographical area and specialty. My D is a new grad lawyer, finishing up her MBA as part of a duel program. She has been hired as a new associate (and doesn't know anyone in her graduating class who has not found a job) at a firm at just under 200K (including perks and benefits). She received this job offer before she even finished law school or passed the Bar exam and is set to start soon after she graduates from the Business school. I have heard this "lawyers can't get jobs" refrain for several years now and it just isn't the case in my area. YMMV.

Nurses aren't making near this salary here, even if they do pick up the worst shifts and work constantly. Of course, there is that little thing called law school, which is extremely rigorous (D called it "total hell"). It can cost a pretty penny and could result in a lot of student debt if you are not so fortunate as to get some good merit aid or have help from parents.

To be fair, a registered nurse vs a lawyer isn’t exactly a good comparison. You can become an RN with an associate degree, which is a relatively short time compared to the education and training that you need to become a lawyer. A good comparison would be to an Advance Nurse Practitioners. Plus, as you mentioned, the hefty loan for law school. There might not be a shortage of jobs for lawyers around your area, but on a national level the demands for nurses are much higher than for lawyers; the demand for nurses will continue to rise due to the baby boomers retiring. A higher demand for nurses puts nurses in a better position to bargain for higher pay, the opposite goes for jobs that are less in demand. Plus if you carefully analyze the training and educational path of a Nurse, from an RN with an associate all the way up to an Advance practicing nurse with a masters or a doctorate, you would see that it is more financially beneficial compared to path to becoming a lawyer. You can start working as an RN making good money with an associate degree while you work on getting your bachelors degree. Often times the job you work for will pay for your tuition. By the time you get your bachelors degree, you would have enough experience to apply for a graduate degree to become an advance practicing nurse. An advance practicing nurse can easily make over 100k as a base salary. A CRNA makes over 200k as base salary here in nyc. Other parts like Montana, where the cost of living is relatively low, they can make mid to high 200k’s.

[DeRob210]

This is an older article but sounds like you are severely underpaid. Even back in 2017 I was making far more than that as an LPN working roughly the same hours.

I've always been of the mindset that when a few nurses accept salaries that are low, it sets the bar for all of us. This thus lowers salary across the board. Just my opinion!

[Nursewilliams86]

I do think it has a lot to do with the state you work in and how expensive the cost of living is in your area. 

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

If you do a search, there is a salary thread just started this month that will give you all the salary info you are looking for. Not many are making $100k

[Libby1987]

Where are you located OP and what area of nursing?

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

You have twenty-five years of experience and only make 65k/base? Where on Earth do you live?

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

You have twenty-five years of experience and only make 65k/base? Where on Earth do you live?

Probably somewhere where the cost of living is low and poverty rate is high. This is, in my opinion, similar to where I was paid $18/hour as an RN and would have made about $32K.

[Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN]

Travel nursing?

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

A little job hopping every few years has not hurt my bank account.

[jvelasq89, ADN, BSN, CNA, EMT-B]

Depending on the facility you work at obtaining certifications such PCCN or CCRN can give you a small differential in hourly pay.

[NotYourMamasRN]

Float pool or WEA, make about $50 an hour in the Mid Atlantic. Cost of living eats it up!

[NeoNatMom]

That sounds more like Nurse Practitioner income numbers to me. They'd have to specialize in a masters in nursing to get paid well.