5 Lucrative Nursing Careers
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
• General Nurse Practitioner
• Certified Nurse Midwife
• Informatics Nurse
• Family Nurse Practitioner
Registered nurses (RNs) continue to be very much in demand throughout the nation, and they also have the opportunity to work in various high-paying nursing careers. Becoming an RN requires education, training, and experience, which also qualify the RN for similar medical jobs. Often, completing some extra courses or specializing in a certain area of nursing can boost the RN’s resume and increase earning potential. Here are five high-paying nursing careers worth considering.
Related resource: 15 Most Affordable Best Online RN to BSN Degree Programs
1. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
The certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is a type of advanced practice registered nurse or APRN who provides anesthesia and similar medications to patients. They work with surgeons, podiatrists, anesthesiologists, dentists, and other healthcare professionals. They monitor patients both as they receiving and recovering from the anesthesia. CRNAs work with patients who are having scheduled surgeries as well as those who come to a hospital emergency room in need of emergency surgery. They work with a variety of patients. Certified registered nurse anesthetists are some of the highest paid RNs in the medical industry according to Nurse.org.
2. General Nurse Practitioner
General nurse practitioners are APRNs who have either a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). They must also obtain national certification and licensure as an APRN for the state in which they reside and work. General nurse practitioners work as primary care providers performing a lot of the work normally done by doctors. Their duties may vary depending on the state in which they work. Some states require general nurse practitioners work under the supervision of a doctor while other states allow them to work independently. They may work in clinics, hospitals or staffing agencies and work with various patients.
3. Certified Nurse Midwife
Certified nurse midwives are trained professionals who work with pregnant women or those who have given birth. They provide their services through not just the labor and delivery but also the postnatal care period. They typically work in doctors’ offices, hospitals, clinics or may have their own practice. RNs interested in becoming certified nurse midwives must complete training in that area and obtain certification through the American Midwifery Certification Board. Certified nurse midwives have exceptionally good job growth with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicting a 31% growth from 2016-2026.
4. Informatics Nurse
A career as an informatics nurse is ideal for an RN who wants to work in both nursing and information technology. An informatics nurse must have a master’s degree in information, computer science or nursing with a focus on informatics. Nursing informatics combines information and communication with clinical nursing with the purpose of being more aware of patients’ needs and providing the best healthcare. An informatics nurse not only provides patients with care but also has the ability and knowledge to retrieve and share information on the computer. Informatics Nurses are expected to be very much in demand in the next five years according to the American Medical Informatics Association.
5. Family Nurse Practitioner
The family nurse practitioner is an APRN who works in the capacity of a primary care physician. The family nurse practitioner (FNP) works in clinics, hospitals, medical officers or nursing facilities. Their duties are almost the same as a doctor. They assess patients, provide patient consultations, diagnose patients, administer treatment and prescribe medication. The FNP must have at least a master’s degree in nursing and must obtain the Family Nurse Practitioner certification.
Registered nurses, which are expected to see a job growth of 15% during the 2016-2026 period, earn wages that can exceed $100,000 per year. As lucrative and positive as this sound, even better opportunities can be found by RNs interested in advancing. With the focus on providing better healthcare, there are more rewarding and high-paying nursing careers than ever before.
