Pre-nursing student asks which nurses make the most money?

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Hi! So I've always wanted to be a nurse growing up and was heavily influenced by family specifically. I'm attending college for my associates and aiming for my BSN right after my associates, and I'm honestly not really sure what nurse department I should go for. I've always dreamt of being a travel nurse but was informed they don't make as much money has I thought they did. I know money isn't the root to all things but I would love to be advised on which nurse makes the more money.

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5 Answers

Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Travel nursing is not a particular medical specialty but refers to a type of employment arrangement. To be eligible for this role, you need to have a minimum of two years of experience as a nurse. The compensation for travel nursing jobs is determined by market demand, which was high during the Covid pandemic but has since come back down.

Nurse practitioners who pursue further education earn more than Registered Nurses, but it's a different role. Nursing pay varies significantly by location, with California nurses earning more than South Dakota nurses.

Focus on completing the necessary prerequisites before applying to a nursing program. Once enrolled, you'll receive a comprehensive education with clinical rotations in various acute care and public health settings.

During school, you may begin to understand what specialty appeals to you as you rotate through Pediatrics, ICU, Labor and Delivery, and more.

Nursing is a helping profession. Make sure nursing is the right career choice for you and for the right reasons.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

 

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

It's usually location, location. location. Pay is determined by market value. A nurse in California will make way more than a nurse in Alabama, but then the cost of living in California is also much higher so you need to factor that in as well. 

A nurse can also make more money by working less desirable shifts or on call, many places pay a shift differential with nights and sometimes weekends paying more.  Some specialties might pay more but to get that higher pay usually requires experience and/or more education.  

As a nurse you'll likely never be rich, but you can at least make a decent living wage pretty much everywhere. That being said wages have been stagnant for years, usually the easiest way to increase pay is switching jobs as employers in need will pay a higher starting wage while longer-term employers get small raises. 

If you find a nursing specialty that requires you to be on call you can often make much more than a 40 hour nurse. You get on call pay, and then if you get called in you often get surge pay or overtime for a minimum of 2 hours. Call can be rough on your sleep and personal life but if you want to make more money it's a good way to do it. 
 

While this isn't the only one. If you wanted to stay an RN(not continue to NP) and just get a specialization and your drive is money. Then I would suggest a Anesthesiologist nurses, also known as certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). 

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Mrsexylegs said:

While this isn't the only one. If you wanted to stay an RN(not continue to NP) and just get a specialization and your drive is money. Then I would suggest a Anesthesiologist nurses, also known as certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). 

Like NPs, this requires additional education, mostly now at the doctorate level. It's not just a specialization for RNs.

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