Nursing is one of the most fulfilling career fields you can get into. It’s also one where you can make a very good living. Some nursing professions are among the highest paying across all categories, so if you wanted a career that has high satisfaction levels while making a good buck, this is a good choice. It’s also a career with many specializations and one where you can work with the type of patients or in the type of setting you want, some paying more than others. Let’s take a look at some of the highest-paying careers in nursing.
Certified Nurse Anesthetist
Certified nurse anesthetists are some of the highest-paid in nursing and it’s not by accident. They play a very crucial role and are often involved in life-or-death situations. This is a position that requires someone with great knowledge of different procedures and how to adjust the level of anesthesia and the type that needs to be administered. The average certified nurse anesthetist can stand to make as much as $181,000 per year. That’s more than what some physicians make. Those in the top percentile can make as much as $208,000 and this is even higher in certain states with high demand.
If you are wondering what it takes to become one, know that you will need to start with a bachelors. You then need to get at least a master’s after having some time in residency. If you already have a bachelor’s in an unrelated field, however, there’s good news. There are many nursing programs for non-nurses that you can find. You could find online nursing programs for non nurses which will allow you to get your credentials in a fraction of the time using your old credits.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
If you want to help bring children into this world and work on improving the health of mothers and children, this is the field for you. As a neonatal nurse practitioner, you will be responsible for taking care of newborn children principally. You might have to help treat children dealing with birth defects, or those that are born prematurely, for instance. This is a job that is always in great demand, which explains the high salaries. It’s estimated that a neonatal nurse practitioner can make as much as $125,000, with those in the top percentile making over $145,000 per year.
Cardiac Nurse Practitioner
Cardiac nurse practitioners can make as much as $114,000 per year according to data from Salary.com. This is another field where your decisions could mean life or death for a patient, and it’s a very high-pressure job. But if you have what it takes, it can also be very exhilarating. As a cardiac nurse practitioner, you will be mainly responsible for monitoring the state of patients. You will assess their condition and report your findings to physicians. Cardiac nurses will need to interpret radiology, lab work, and answers to questions. They may also play an educational role with patients and their relatives. This is a very demanding but fulfilling field with lots of opportunities and great prospects for the future.
These are only some of the highest-paying careers in nursing. While it shouldn’t be everything, salary is still important, so find a field that will cater to your skills and aspirations, but will also pay enough so that you can live comfortably.
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