Highest Paying Nursing Jobs in 2021

Nursing is a versatile field that offers job positions almost everywhere. What are the highest paying nursing jobs in 2021? There are countless options to choose from, and it can be hard to pick your specialty. Your interests may be broad at the moment, or perhaps you already know where your passion lies. 

However, no matter which group of people or age range you want to serve, there’s a nursing position that matches that description. It’s helpful to know the salary earnings for your desired position, especially if you want to plan your life according to your potential income. 

You can earn an excellent living as a nurse in any field, but to help you get started at narrowing down your future area of expertise, we’ll give you the highest-paid nursing jobs in 2021. 

Highest Paid Nurses

Let’s take a look at the highest-paid nursing jobs, with a focus on what kind of work each nurse does and where they work:

1. Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Salary: $183,000 – $185,000

Education Requirements

To become a registered nurse assistant, you have to get a master’s degree from an accredited institution. You must graduate from the nurse anesthesia educational program and pass the NCLEX exam.  

Description

Certified registered nurses are the highest paid nurses and have the largest salary. This type of nurse has the advanced knowledge and necessary skills to work alongside the medical staff for procedures that need anesthesia. 

Because of the intricacies of anesthetic clinical care, anesthesiologists are more susceptible to lawsuits. Therefore, the worker has to be comfortable with these risks. 

Where Do They Work?

A nurse anesthetist can find employment anywhere where anesthesia is needed. This setting is usually an outpatient clinic or a hospital. 

You can also find nurse anesthetists in dental offices and any place where moderate and major surgical operations occur. 

2. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $99,000 – $101,000

Education Requirement

You can work in the neonatal unit as a standard registered nurse. If you want to advance your career, it’s best to seek a neonatal nurse practitioner certificate. 

It indicates that you have special knowledge and skills beyond the general duties of the description. 

Description

As you would suspect, the primary function of a neonatal nurse is to care for mothers before, during, and after the birth of their new baby. 

These nurses will check your vitals as well as the baby’s, monitor the mother, perform the necessary tests on the baby, test the mother for the duration of the pregnancy, and more. 

Patients learn about their options and the most effective course of action thanks to the neonatal nurse. Aside from pregnant women, neonatal nurses work with children until they are two years old. Depending on the institution, neonatal nurses will have varying levels of responsibility. 

Where Do They Work?

A neonatal nurse probably works in a hospital’s maternity ward or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As they continue to get more experience, a NNP might be able to seek employment in regional care centers where there’s more of a focus on rare illness amongst infants and newborns. 

3. Gerontological Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $95,000 – $97,000

Education Requirements

You have to get a master’s degree in nursing, pass the NCLEX exam to become a registered nurse. After a few years of experience, you must pass the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certification exam. 

Description

A GNP will specialize in treating the elderly and in health issues and diseases related to old age. They can manage a patient’s medications, assist with chronic pain and mobility issues, and help out with mental health conditions due to feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Gerontological nurse practitioners watch out for signs of elder abuse, ensuring the patient receives the best course of action based on their wishes, communicates with the family, and more. 

Where Do They Work?

For the most part, a GNP works in any facility where elders get medical care. These locations include retirement communities, nursing homes, hospitals, and even memory care facilities. They can also work in outpatient clinics or hospice care institutions. 

4. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $115,000 – $117,000

Education Requirements

A psychiatric nurse practitioner must first obtain a master’s degree in nursing and go through a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program.

 After 500 hours of clinical supervision, you can apply for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification exam. 

Description

Psychiatric nurse practitioners help communities and families with a wide range of services. They can assess a patient’s mental health status by studying pertinent medical history and conducting a comprehensive psych evaluation. 

The PNP will also diagnose their patient’s mental health disorder and determine the most effective and efficient care plan. 

Often the psychiatric nurse will work with adults or family units, but if there is a child involved and the nurse has the certification to work in pediatrics, they’ll help children.

Where Do They Work? 

Usually, Psychiatric nurses work in mental health facilities, psychiatric hospitals, mental asylums, and correctional facilities. 

They are eligible to practice independently, or they can work alongside a social worker or counselor that has patients that need medication in addition to therapy. 

5. General Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $110,000 – $112,000

Education Requirements

A general nurse practitioner must receive a master’s degree from a credible program before practicing as an advanced NP. You can choose the specialization of your choice while getting your master’s degree. 

Description

A general nurse practitioner is also known as an advanced practice RN. They offer specialized care while working directly with patients. An advanced RN can also deliver the same medical services as a doctor in most instances.

The main responsibility in this position is to manage health conditions and prevent diseases. They can perform tests, monitor the patients, diagnose illnesses, prescribe medication, and more. 

Where Do They Work?

There are many settings that you can work in as a general nurse practitioner. Most often, it’ll be a medical office, hospital, or clinic. Other options include long-term and in-home care facilities and hospice care.

6.  Certified Nurse Midwife

Salary: $110,000 – $113,000

Education Requirements

After getting a master’s degree in nursing, an RN must complete a specialized program that has gotten approved by the ACME  (Accreditation for Midwifery Education. After completion, you will receive the nurse-midwife certification.

Description

A nurse-midwife is a maternity care provider. They help pregnant mothers to feel comfortable during their pregnancy and to deliver their baby successfully. 

The nurse-midwife will offer advice on health and wellness, disease prevention, and nutrition information. 

They also provide prenatal and delivery services, and they can assist with surgical operations like a Cesarean section. Pretty much any emergency that arises before, during, or after childbirth, a nurse-midwife can help. 

Where Do They Work?

Nurse-midwives can provide home health services for women who opt to deliver their baby naturally and in their homes. They commonly work on OB/GYN clinics and the maternity ward at s hospital. 

7. Cardiac Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $114,000 – $116,000

Education Requirements

After working as a registered nurse for two years, applicants can take the cardiac nursing exam. 

Description

Cardiac nurses work with cardiac physicians, diagnosing and treating heart disease. The regular duties include helping to interpret any lab data related to arrhythmia, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and more. 

Essentially, any health conditions dealing with the circulatory system and blood vessels will be examined by a cardiac nurse. 

Where Do They Work?

Specialty hospitals, home health care, and cardiology clinics are typical destinations for cardiac nurse practitioners. In this location, the cardiac nurse will primarily focus on the health of their patients’ hearts. The cardiac nurse practitioner receives patients by referral from primary care physicians. 

8. Clinical Nurse Specialist

Salary: $108,000 – $110,000

Education Requirements

A master’s degree in nursing with a focus on clinical nursing is required to become a clinical nurse specialist. 

Description

Functioning as an expert consultant, a clinical nurse specialist works directly with the patient. They seek to make improvements to the health care delivery system. A CNS can be in a management role as well, developing procedures and policies for the benefit of patients. 

General tasks involve reviewing alternatives to current practices, educating the staff members, collaborating with patient care managers, and more. The duties of a CNS can vary from institution to institution, also based on their level of knowledge. 

Where Do They Work?

Clinic nurse specialists can practice in multiple healthcare settings such as schools, private practice, nursing homes, prisons, hospitals, clinics, corporations, and so on. 

9. Women’s Health Nurse

Salary: $107,000 – $109,000

Education Requirements

A bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing is necessary to become a women’s health nurse. After passing the NCLEX exam and completing multiple years as an RN, successfully completing an accredited program for women’s health grants a certificate to practice. 

Description

A women’s health nurse is a medical professional that focuses on providing reproductive health from adolescent years throughout menopause and after. These types of nurses cannot deliver babies, but they can treat many reproductive health issues.

Women can see a WNP for routine examinations, pregnancy examinations, cancer, and disease screenings, and medical prescriptions for birth control. A women’s health nurse can also offer information on long-term reproductive health and best practices. 

Where Do They Work?

Most women’s health nurse practitioners work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, urgent care facilities, and OB/GYN clinics.

They may also find employment in state-sponsored or non-profit organizations that focus on women’s health. 

10. Surgical Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $108,000 – $110,000

Education Requirements

There are a lot of educational and training requirements to become a surgical nurse practitioner. After obtaining a master’s degree and passing the NCLEX exam, some facilities require additional certifications. These training courses will have an emphasis on pre and post-surgery care. 

Description

A surgical nurse is an RN that plays an integral role as a member of a larger team. They have many duties before, during, and after operating that support the overall surgical staff and the patient. 

They help the surgeon determine the best care plan, and they give immediate care to the patient once the surgery is complete. The surgical nurse also prepares the patient before the surgery and answers the patient’s questions.

Where Do They Work?

Surgical nurse practitioners may work in 5he surgery departments of hospitals and specialized clinics. They can also find jobs in intensive care units, emergency care facilities, and recovery rooms. 

11. Home Health Care Nurse

Salary: $112,000 – $114,000

Education Requirements

Many home healthcare centers prefer the nurses to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and to have obtained two years of experience as an RN in a medical and surgical institution. 

Typically, sufficient certification is a licensed practical nurse or certified nursing assistant, but facilities are starting to request higher levels of experience and education. 

Description

A home health nurse specializes in providing the same medical care that one would receive in a hospital, in the comfort of their homes. The patients they treat are usually terminally or chronically ill, and they have mobility issues. 

The most common group that a home health nurse serves is the elderly. These types of nurses may also offer palliative care as the family desires to make loved ones comfortable in their homes when the patient doesn’t want to go into hospice care.

Where Do They Work?

Home health nurses work in homes, long-term rehabilitation facilities, and retirement communities. 

12. Oncology Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $112,000 – $114,000

Education Requirements

You must gain substantial experience as a registered nurse in an oncology setting and earn your master’s degree in nursing, otherwise referred to as an MSN. At this point, one is now eligible to get certified as an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation.

Description

An oncology nurse practitioner is a cancer specialist who works with cancer physicians and patients to diagnose and treat different kinds of tumors and cancers. 

For the most part, an oncology nurse practitioner’s main job is to properly assess patients, perform cancer screenings, discuss and implement treatment options with patients and their families and caregivers.

Where Do They Work?

You can find an oncology nurse practitioner working in oncology wards, cancer clinics, and general medical facilities. 

Furthermore, oncology nurse practitioners can work as researchers to improve drugs and other forms of treatment.

13. Emergency Room Nurse

Salary: $112,000 – $114,000

Education Requirements

For starters, you’ll need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and then you’ll need to further your education with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). 

Accredited programs are necessary to earn these degrees. The degree must focus either on emergency medicine or family.

Description

An emergency nurse practitioner is referred to an advanced-practice nurse who specializes in emergency medicine. These nurses are trained to treat extremely ill or injured patients of any age. 

This nursing specialty is fast-paced and demands the skills to treat patients with various ailments in busy emergency rooms or urgent care facilities. Oversight by a physician may or may not be required; this is all dependent on the state.

Where Do They Work?

You’ll find that emergency nurse practitioners work nearly exclusively in trauma wards or emergency rooms within hospitals.

14. Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $113,000 – $115,000

Education Requirements

The first step is to complete a master’s in nursing and get experience as an RN. You’re now eligible to work as a Certified Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner after earning the ONP-C credential from the Orthopedic Nurses Certification Board.

Some available MSN programs have a focus on orthopedics. However, you can also get the necessary experience for orthopedics on the job throughout your nursing career. 

Description

Orthopedic nurses are experts on the musculoskeletal system. They can diagnose and treat various illnesses and injuries of muscles, bones, joints, and even other soft tissues.

Usually, an orthopedic nurse practitioner is likely to see patients with various issues such as joint sprains, strains, broken bones, and many other traumatic or related sports-medicine injuries. 

Where Do They Work?

Orthopedic injuries happen to be the most commonly occurring injuries within the populace. Therefore, you’ll find these nurses everywhere, including hospitals, sports medicine facilities, and outpatient clinics.

15. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $107,000 – $109,000

Education Requirements

Becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner requires that you begin by earning a MSN degree specializing in pediatric care. 

Upon completing your MSN, you’ll be able to apply to take the pediatric certification exam. The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) provides this examination.

Description

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, or PNPs for short, are trained to provide medical care to children by tracking their development, educating parents and children on proper nutrition and health, and performing preventative care. 

From day to day, a pediatric nurse practitioner will do many routine checkups and evaluate many symptoms which may require further consultation from a specialist. These nurses will administer vaccines and prescribe medications with regularity.

Where Do They Work?

Because pediatric nurse practitioners specialize in treating children, you’ll find them predominantly in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other facilities focusing on pediatric medicine.

But, many pediatric nurse practitioners work in private clinics and general hospitals treating all kinds of patients of different ages.

16. Family Nurse Practitioner

Salary: $110,000 – $113,000

Education Requirements

A family nurse practitioner is required to have either a master’s degree or a doctorate. Afterward, they are eligible to earn the Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (FNP-BC) designation.

Description

Family nurse practitioners, also referred to as FNPs, specialize in family medicine. They are well-rounded healthcare providers with excellent communication skills. They are trained to treat all patients of all ages with primary and preventative care.

FNPs form close and lasting relationships with families that they care for. Family nurse practitioners will often perform assessments and general checkups. They also frequently prescribe medication and treatments and even make referrals to specialists when needed.

Where Do They Work?

FNPs work mainly in outpatient clinics, hospitals, and other places where people receive general medical care and wellness advice. 

For the most part, these nurses treat walk-in and walk-out patients as opposed to people who will be in the hospital for an extended length of time.

17. Pain Management Nurse

Salary: $101,000 – $103,000

Education Requirements

You do not need an advanced degree. However, to become this kind of nurse, you’ll need to have a considerable amount of experience as a registered nurse to earn certification for pain management as a nurse practitioner.

Description

There’s much responsibility associated with being a pain management nurse. The severity and the cause of the pain will differ depending on the kind of facility. Pain management nurses are always in high demand due to the prevalence of pain. 

Your role as a pain management nurse is to assess your patient’s pain to determine the amount of relief needed and to adjust their plan accordingly.

Where Do They Work?

You’ll find that pain management nurses generally work in hospitals, outpatient facilities, or even as home care providers. You can usually find them working in physical therapy clinics, oncology wards, rehabilitation facilities, and even collaborating with doctors specializing in treating long-term conditions

18. ICU Nurse

Salary: $95,000 – $97,000

Education Requirements

An accredited critical care nursing program can take as long as 2 to 5 years to complete,  depending on whether you are in an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s program. 

Moreover, you have to pass the NCLEX-RN exam and get at least two years of work experience in clinical patient care.

Description

Critical care nurses or ICU nurses are very specialized healthcare professionals who give nursing care to patients with life-threatening conditions or illnesses. 

They are privy to knowledge, experience, and skills needed to keep patients alive or lessen the level of care. When a patient’s medical status changes, these nurses receive training to make fast decisions regarding their well-being.

Their primary work environment in the hospital is in specialized care units. Typically, ICU patients need a high level of care, and most of them get admitted to the hospital.

Where Do They Work?

ICU nurses will work wherever intensive care units are available such as hospitals and health care centers. These nurses work together with other intensive care providers such as doctors, therapists, radiologists, and more.

19. Registered Nurse First Assist

Salary: $99,000 – $101,000

Education Requirements

To be a Registered Nurse First Assist, you are required to have a substantial amount of perioperative experience. The advanced training builds upon the fundamentals and empathizes procedures, surgical anatomy, and techniques. 

To be a certified RNFA, a nurse must earn a CNOR certification, active and unencumbered RN license, a bachelor’s degree, and at least 2 thousand hours of working experience as an RNFA.

Description

A Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) functions as the first assistant during surgical operations. The role of an RNFA can vary immensely depending on the institution in question. 

However, the RNFA collaborates with the surgeon and other health care members for the best results possible. The RNFA practices intraoperatively at the behest of the surgeon.

Where Do They Work?

You’ll find these nurses working in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. They can also use their skills in other healthcare places such as critical access hospitals, dental offices, ophthalmology offices, plastic surgery centers, and more.

20. Nurse Educator

Salary: $82,000 – $84,000

Education Requirements

To be a nurse educator, you must have a master’s degree. Often, many of these nurses will also have a doctoral degree. A nurse educator can earn national certification in their field as well.

Description

A nurse educator takes charge of the development and training of the next generation of nurses. It is a coveted nursing career for those who have a desire to share their knowledge with others. 

As a nurse educator, you are responsible for developing your training programs, curriculum, and teaching material to nursing students and even recently hired nurses. 

Where Do They Work?

These nurses might be in academic environments such as technical colleges or universities. These facilities are different from the fast-moving emergency rooms and hospitals. These nurses are still required to keep themselves and their staff up to date on the latest knowledge.

21. Research Nurse

Salary: $95,000 – $97,000

Education Requirements

You must work as a licensed RN and earn a postgraduate degree to become a Research Nurse. Most of these nurses will have either an MSN or a Ph.D. in nursing.

Description

These nurses are both scientists and healthcare providers. Research nurses both design and conduct research experiments with the goal of better understanding illnesses to better develop medication, new treatments, and even medical devices. 

Research nurses must also analyze their data and present their discoveries to other scientists. 

Where Do They Work?

These nurses can be found anywhere that you can find medical advancement as the primary mission. Therefore, you can find them at university hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical research laboratories.

Final Thoughts

The highest paying states for nurses are Oregon, California, Alaska, Massachusetts, and Hawaii. Various cities in California are the highest paying cities in the country. Those interested in working in this area should be aware of the higher cost of living. 

Nursing is a rewarding field with numerous possibilities in different institutions. Should you decide to pursue nursing as a career, it’s important to understand the position’s duties and the annual income for the highest paying nursing jobs.