Top 10 Highest Paying Nursing Specialties

147 Comments

After nurses finish nursing school, choosing the right nursing specialty becomes their chief focus. With so many specialties to choose from, many prospective nurses find it difficult to just pick one, but with nearly every specialty requiring candidates to pass a series of exams and fulfill a period of on-the-job training, time is of the essence!

Pay should not be your only considering when deciding on a specialty, but the list below of the highest paying nursing specialties provides a good primer on which types of nurses have the greatest earning potential.

1) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist – $135,000

2) Nurse Researcher – $95,000

3) Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner – $95,000

4) Certified Nurse Midwife – $84,000

5) Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse – $81,000

6) Orthopedic Nurse – $81,000

7) Nurse Practitioner – $78,000

8) Clinical Nurse Specialist – $76,000

9) Gerontological Nurse Practitioner – $75,000

10) Neonatal Nurse – $74,000

First Specialty: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist >>

Chamberlain College of Nursing

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olaniyan

over 4 years ago

2 comments

Give vital information about nursing job in slovakia, i mean central europe
jess_69_lover

over 4 years ago

4 comments

what are some good nursing schools in arizona
dwhowe61

over 4 years ago

14 comments

Oh come on! I am an Orthopedic Nurse and I make less than half of your quote.
evarunnr

over 4 years ago

10 comments

salaries are easily adjusted by geographical area, what the "going rate" for the area, and the size of the hospital. i wanted to transfer from a wannabe ICU in a large association of hospitals to another campus with higher complex patients and higher expectations of nurses. i would have lost $11,000.00 in annual wage. the distance was 60 miles. Tell me where the justice is?
BARBARA1104

over 4 years ago

4 comments

I go to school@ Luzerne county community
wiyuna

over 4 years ago

126 comments

wow...alot of money ^^
prettysexyRN

almost 5 years ago

2 comments

how much does an ER/OR/DR nurse get??
taustin1965

almost 5 years ago

2 comments

Can anyone tell me what the average pay for a Med-surg RN is? This is the field of study I have chosen.
raymond1989

almost 5 years ago

2 comments

well i think it difar from country too am from nigeria ondo stateam about be coming a sudent nurse...aimining to become one of the greatest nurse in the world....it seems CRNA IS MY CHIOCE
tjbart

almost 5 years ago

16 comments

Nursing salaries differ from state to state. What state did these salaries come from? Some advice to all who want to be an LPN. RN definitely gets a much higher salary than an LPN. Go for the RN right off. Once you settle into a nursing position it is hard to make yourself go back to school for an RN. I know several LPNs trying to work full-time and go to school full-time for their RN. It is not easy!
qwp22

almost 5 years ago

6 comments

Most of the hightest paying specialties in the field of nursing require a master's degree.

While some see the $135,000 average for a nurse anesthetist, and think "that's for me," the truth is, it might be the MOST competitive field to gain entrance to in a graduate nursing program. Many nursing anesthetist programs only admit 10-15 students a year. So, the programs only admit the best nursing students, and the coursework is certainly challenging.
judawn2006

almost 5 years ago

2 comments

BEING THAT I AM CURRENTLY A LPN AND NOW PERSUING MY RN I THINK THAT THERE ARE DIFFERANCES AMONG THE BOTH SCOPES HOWEVER THERE ARE DEFINITELY MORE SIMILARITIES LPN JUST GET LESS PAY BECAUSE OF NOT HAVING THE EDUCATIONAL KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER THE PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE IS THERE AMONGST BOTH. LETS JUST WORK TOGHER FOR THE PATIENT LPN RN WHATEVER ONCE YOU ARE A GOOD NURSE.
johnsonl197

almost 5 years ago

4 comments

I am a police officer who origionally wanted to become a nurse. I have an Associates degree in Criminal Justice and have taken all but clinicals in the nursing field at a community college. I was a medical assistant, emt and worked 13 years in the medical field prior to becomming an officer. Any one have any suggestions as to where to go or how to get into an RN program with my background and full time work schedule?
bmtnurse

almost 5 years ago

2 comments

These figures do not reflect the pay of an RN at all. Why would a ped nurse make more than a CRNP??? You need to divide these salaries by 2 more like it. I have to disagree that a LPN knows more "how to" than a RN being that y'all can't do half the stuff a RN is allowed. Skip the LPN and go for RN.
jenifernix

almost 5 years ago

2 comments

I am in LPN school right now. I am in my second level. I got my CNA after the first semester. I talked to alot of medical personal and they said that a LPN knows more how to and the RN know more why. They said they would recommend going for LPN first. In Louisiana where I live you have to work for one year as a LPN before you can bridge over to RN. LPN takes one year and if i would have done RN first it would have taken two years. I have a CNA job while I am in school making 12per hour