What Can You Earn As a Nurse?

Becoming a nurse is a win-win-win career choice: The work is personally fulfilling, you can find a job anywhere, and it pays well. How many careers meet those criteria? Whether you become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN), you can be sure you'll be able to meet people's physical and emotional needs without neglecting your own.

LPN Salaries by State
After just one year at a vocational/technical school or community college, you can become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and start earning a competitive salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), median annual LPN salaries were $39,030 in May 2008. Top-paying states for LPNs were Connecticut ($51,780); Washington, D.C. ($49,830); Massachusetts ($49,690); New Jersey ($49,570); and California ($48,400). Bonus: It's easy to increase your nursing earnings potential by becoming an RN through an LPN-to-RN training program.

RN Salaries by State
There's more than one way to become an RN, and all paths lead to a lucrative end. A diploma, associate degree in nursing (ADN), or bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) enable you to get your nursing license and secure an entry-level position. According to the BLS, median annual RN salaries were $62,450 in May 2008. Top-paying states for RNs were California ($83,040); Massachusetts ($79,390); Hawaii ($77,950); Maryland ($74,370); and New York ($73,160). In California's San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area, RN salaries were a whopping $104,400.

Highest-Paying Nursing Specialties
When it comes to nursing, it pays to specialize. According to the most recent ADVANCE salary survey of nurses, more than 60 percent of nurses with salaries over $65,000 reported that they have a specialty certification.

According to NursingLink, four of the top 10 highest-paying nursing specialties include advanced practice nursing specialties - clinical nurse specialist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, and nurse practitioner - which require a master of science degree in nursing (MSN) for entry. The highest-paying nursing specialties are neonatal nurse ($74,000); gerontological nurse practitioner ($75,000); clinical nurse specialist ($76,000); nurse practitioner ($78,000); orthopedic nurse ($81,000); pediatric endocrinology nurse ($81,000); certified nurse midwife ($84,000); psychiatric nurse practitioner ($95,000); nurse researcher ($95,000); and certified registered nurse anesthetist ($135,000).

Additional Nursing Earnings
Regardless of education path or specialization, nurse earnings extend above and beyond base salary. Additional pay, variable pay, and longevity pay can add quite a bit of padding to an already healthy nurse paycheck. And because of the nationwide nursing shortage, many hospitals offer significant signing bonuses and subsidized training to attract and retain qualified nurses.

Don't forget to factor tuition assistance into your nursing earnings, too. Whether it's an LPN-to-RN, RN-to-BSN, BSN-to-MSN, or BSN-to-doctoral degree program, many employers are more than happy to foot the bill for your advanced skills.

When you become a nurse, you're committing to a career of making a critical difference in the lives of the sick and the hurting. Nursing is never easy, but it always has its rewards.

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