I asked this in another thread, but did not get a response to it, so I thought it would be better asked within its own thread
I know that Nursing is not all about the money factor, but lets get real, we need to eat and we all like nice things/toys.
With that said, what is the best paying RN specialty field to get into? I am still in my pre-req stages at school, so I want to make sure I pick something that is not only fun, and challenging, but something that nets me the best bang for my financial aid buck! If I am going to go into debit, I want to get the best return from it;)
I am glad I went into the ICU after graduation, you might want to consider ICU after you graduate to get some really good overall experience and assessment skills, experience with codes, etc. It's hard but worth it I think. I work in a PICU and we get ages 0-21 years and see a very wide variety of illness, conditions, trauma, etc. PICU is considered the most varied.
Also start on your cert's as soon as you can....PALS, ACLS, CCRN, etc The more you have the better you can market yourself and the more money you can make later on (Id say after 1-2 years experience). Plus it will look good if you decide to apply to CRNA school later on.
Travel nursing, like others said, pays very well. You will need just 1-2 years experience before you can do that. PRN positions usually pay well too.
I also don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to make as much money as possible. There is NO WAY I would do this job if I felt I wasn't paid decent (and still don't think nurses are paid what they should be making). Everything in life costs money. I've been poor and don't want to go back to that thanks....I'm thrilled to now have a saving account, to not beg and borrow just to get buy, to be able to take good care of my kids, etc.
I agree that the OP may want to look into travel nursing...you typically need some experience, about a year or two.
Also agree that working in a unionized facility can be a good thing. Not perfect, because nothing is, but you are usually guaranteed a raise each year. I'd go for a large teaching hospital like someone said. You can learn a lot. I think ICU may be a good bet because many advanced practice nursing jobs use ICU as a jumping off point. But should you decide to stay, it's still fascinating in its own right.
While I don't get any extra for my specialty, it's still cool because I have one pt at a time, I don't have to deal with obnoxious families and I get my meals and breaks 98% of the time. Plus, I find surgery interesting.
i personally got into nursing for the money and stability. the return on investment on an adn degree is phenomenal. my total schooling expenses including books for 2years of nursing school was about 8,000$. my first year out of school i easily cleared 70k (before taxes, i'm single w/no kids, i got killed with taxes) with working at least 1-3 overtime shifts a week (my regular pay is for 3 12hr shifts a week). i work in an ed in wa where overtime pay is time and a half plus 10$/hr bonus, plus 4$/hr night shift, plus 3.50$/hr weekend. so if you want the most "bang for your buck" get an adn degree and find a hospital that is desperate for nurses then work overtime at night on the weekend.
as long as your nice to your patients and do your job competently, making as much money as you can helps out all us nurses.
People who don't do careers for money, benefits and security, HAVE NEVER BEEN below the Poverty Line....Being able to eat more than white bread and mayo sandwiches...much less live in a safe neighborhood is QUITE ENOUGH motivation to give your all to a good paying job, whatever that means.
Why do men seem to be able to unapologetically seek financial security and women act like its some kind of crime to do a job for the best amount of money...we apologize for doing anything for money, must we always have to have alturistic motives for what we do?
People who don't do careers for money, benefits and security, HAVE NEVER BEEN below the Poverty Line....Being able to eat more than white bread and mayo sandwiches...much less live in a safe neighborhood is QUITE ENOUGH motivation to give your all to a good paying job, whatever that means.
Why do men seem to be able to unapologetically seek financial security and women act like its some kind of crime to do a job for the best amount of money...we apologize for doing anything for money, must we always have to have alturistic motives for what we do?
Man or Woman, I say get as much from life as you can and enjoy every bit of it!!! I am not a male shovenist, if a women makes more that I do cool, I feel she deserves it (as long as she does). This also goes for minorities as well, but believe me, I will not apologize for making more than you or just "a lot" in general.
However your first paragraph, is reaching just a little. Anyone who lives above the poverty line does care about money, if not they would not have bothered to strive to reach and excel above that "line", and if all you care about in life is not to eat Mayo sandwiches, I applaud you and envy you, because I only wish I could live such a simple life! I have been all over the world, and I would like to continue to do that, I am an adrenaline junky and you deff need money for that, I like nice toys and no one is going to give any to me; so yeah, I envy your simple life of enjoying life just above the poverty line, I WISH I could be happy with a simple life, and NO this is not joke!
Forgive me for regurgitating this thread but I couldn't resist. Firstly, Future Male Nurse it seems that you perhaps are coming across in a direct manner that is okay but could be taken as a misunderstanding towards the "care" part of the nursing profession. As a pre-nursing student I run into other students mostly women but a few males that seem to want to be a nurse for the money. It's as if they went down this list of careers and nursing said it made a higher amount that seems reliable and they go for that. There is nothing wrong with wanting financial gain and it is a large component of my own nursing desires. Lets face it I wouldn't switch from a career making around $ 80k to be a nurse if it potentially didn't have the same returns. However, sometimes male or female students ( mostly male) are good at the science but lack the caring portion for patients. At our school and it's very very competitive. NLN's 130 and up 3.8 and up to get in. A few of the people that have gotten in realized that they couldn't acheive nursing success by being a robot. The patients complained about them not being able to handle that empathy portion and making patients "feel" uncomfortable and rushed.
Anyway, one the other hand some not so "caring" type nurses do extremely well in the OR. They don't have to do the same patient follow up care and technically must be very very good. My OR friends get paid well. One is the RN nurse OR manager and makes around 90k. There is alot of flexibility in nursing. You will find your way. I am a caring person but very logical and will be seeing where I am a good fit as well.
Eddie, I'm not sure what qualifies as a "bang" for you salarywise. But I can assure you of one thing. You will never get rich as an RN. (Unless you play a pt's hepatic profile in the powerball and win )
If you really want *BANG* for your tuition buck, it might be worth investigating some other professional schools. Medical, law, or business school will spot you a bigger upfront investment, but with hard work you'd have the potential to achieve a six or even seven-figure salary. As an RN, it's possible to make low six-figures but you won't get out much and you'll dream of monitor alarms in the little sleep you get.
You won't get much sleep as a doctor, trial attorney, or CEO either, but at least you'll be able to afford a Jaguar and eat lobster tail. Plus people will call you "sir," and you won't have to smell ripe c-diff.
WITHOUT A DOUBT, Nurse Anesthesia is the very best nursing specialty to get into if you want "bang for your buck". However--you don't do this in "nursing school". Nurse Anesthesia is a graduate degree, and you can only apply to get into anesthesia school after you've had a few years of critical care under your belt. No matter what you do as far as nursing school goes, you have to be a nurse first before you can think about "bang for your buck". Nursing school is nursing school, and you have to be a nurse before you can do anything else. I think your mind is jumping ahead and you're putting the cart in front of the horse. If you are not satified with being a nurse for the sake of being a nurse, then you should probably quit nursing school and do something else. You certainly cannot expect to graduate from nursing school, take your boards and get a job as a DON in a hospital or as an advanced practice nurse----you need experience first. I know from experience---I'm a CRNA. Nurse anesthesia school is VERY DIFFICULT, and a lot of schools also require that you already have a master's degree before you attended anesthesia school.
Considering that most people graduating from college these days can't find a job or are working for peanuts, you should be very happy with the starting salary of a nurse. It sounds like you're looking to get rich quick, and that ain't gonna happen in nursing.
And I just went back up and read you post----in "regular" nursing, private duty pays the best. In hospitals, all nurse make about the same, except if you work in an area where you can take call (i.e., OR or PACU) and make extra money. If you do travel nursing, the money is good----but again, you need hospital experience.
Just an unrelated thought. Sorry. Does a CRNA pay accounting for the educational time and increased malpractice insurance really give you the best "bang for the buck?"
marilynmom, LPN, NP
2,155 Posts
I am glad I went into the ICU after graduation, you might want to consider ICU after you graduate to get some really good overall experience and assessment skills, experience with codes, etc. It's hard but worth it I think. I work in a PICU and we get ages 0-21 years and see a very wide variety of illness, conditions, trauma, etc. PICU is considered the most varied.
Also start on your cert's as soon as you can....PALS, ACLS, CCRN, etc The more you have the better you can market yourself and the more money you can make later on (Id say after 1-2 years experience). Plus it will look good if you decide to apply to CRNA school later on.
Travel nursing, like others said, pays very well. You will need just 1-2 years experience before you can do that. PRN positions usually pay well too.
I also don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to make as much money as possible. There is NO WAY I would do this job if I felt I wasn't paid decent (and still don't think nurses are paid what they should be making). Everything in life costs money. I've been poor and don't want to go back to that thanks....I'm thrilled to now have a saving account, to not beg and borrow just to get buy, to be able to take good care of my kids, etc.