How Much Does a Nurse Earn in the United States, Based on Her Specialty?

Due to their degree of specialty and experience, nurses in the United States can have a range of salaries that can go from $33,000 to $202,500 dollars a year.

Nurses and nurses are an important part of the workforce of any country. Behind the doctors, these health workers are essential for the attention, care and recovery of millions of patients. Due to the endless activities that they could carry out, there are different areas of nursing specialty in the United States, so income can also vary from one professional to another.

As in any other profession, the responsibilities and pay for US nurses and nurses vary depending on the level of education and experience of the worker.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge for the US health sector. Due to staffing problems following the health emergency, the employment levels of registered nurses experienced the largest decrease in at least two decades, according to the Center for American Progress. This crisis was due to the impact of the last two years, where these essential professionals changed their type of work or simply left the field.

According to the 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) National Employment and Occupational Wage Estimates, how much nurses earn depends on the type of nurse each person is and the type of license that nurse holds. Earnings can range from the low end of around $33,000 a year to $202,500 a year.

Here are some of the most popular nursing positions in the US, along with their respective activities and estimated earnings.

Nursing assistants

Nursing assistants (CNAs) are typically entry-level positions within a medical corps. These individuals must have CNA certifications, which vary by state, but generally require graduating from a CNA school and passing a state exam. The average annual salary for nursing assistants is $33,250. Nursing assistants focus on helping patients with comfort and daily needs.

Licensed Nurses

There is a group of professionals known as Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurses (LPN/LVN) who, unlike auxiliaries, are responsible for basic medical care such as checking blood pressure, recording vital signs, monitoring the needs of patients and help doctors. The median annual salary for licensed practical and vocational nurses is $51,850.

Registered Nurses

The range of professionalism and specialization is becoming narrower and registered nurses (RNs) have the ability to see patients in different medical or community settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices and homes. Registered nurses earn $82,750, on average. They work directly with doctors and can prepare patients for tests and administer medications.

Nurse Midwives

Due to the degree of specialization, nurse midwives (CNM) focus on gynecological, prenatal and post-pregnancy care. The average annual salary for nurse midwives is $114,210. They monitor maternal health and fetal growth and can create delivery and postpartum plans for their patients. They also treat routine health conditions during pregnancy, perform physical exams and tests, and deliver babies.

Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have extensive medical skills, to the degree that they can take patients into account and can even serve as primary care providers without a physician. For this reason, nurse practitioners have a median annual salary of $118,040. His other responsibilities include prescribing treatments, ordering tests, and diagnosing patients.

Anesthetist Nurses

Much like a physician, nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) have the relevant training to be authorized to administer and monitor the patients they receive. For this medical degree of specialization and its importance, nurse anesthetists earn an average of $202,470 dollars a year. Registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees can become nurse anesthetists by earning their master’s degree and passing a national certification exam and obtaining a state license.