25 Highest Paid Nurses – 2024
July 31, 2024
Healthcare has become increasingly central within the U.S. economy, given the country鈥檚 aging population and transition to service-centered industry. Meanwhile, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing within the next decade. In this context, salaries for nurses vary widely according to location, specialization, training, and employer need. Several nursing job fields topped the U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 . While job satisfaction depends on a variety of factors, high compensation is incredibly salient to the desirability of certain nursing jobs. This article provides a general overview of the highest paid nurses by profession, using . It offers a glimpse of job fields with the highest salary ranges, emphasizing the best paid nursing careers today.
25 Highest Paid Nurses
1)听
- Average Salary Range: $149,770 鈥� 208,000
Job Description: Chief Nurse Anesthetists are Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) responsible for managing nurse anesthesia services in collaboration with other medical departments. Given that they both provide patient care in an already highly compensated area of specialization and fulfill an important supervisory role, it comes as no surprise that they top the list of best paid nursing careers.
Education Requirements: Chief Nurse Anesthetists must have their registered nurse (RN) license and be board certified as CRNAs. They also typically have a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and several years of experience.
2)听
- Average Salary Range: $133,970 鈥� 208,000
Job Description: Well-known as top paid nurses, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists provide anesthesia to make surgeries and other procedures pain-free. Unlike Chief Nurse Anesthetists, their primary duties are clinical in nature.
Education Requirements: A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is required of CRNAs. However, it should be noted the highly-competitive field increasingly requires doctoral training for entry. Further, CRNAs must have both a registered nursing license and certification from the National Board for Nurse Anesthetists.
3) Dean of Nursing
- Salary Range: $134,370 鈥� 252,920
Job Description: Many of the best paid nursing careers can be found in the academic sphere. At the highest level, a dean of nursing academically oversees and administers a nursing program at a college or university. These nursing professionals have authority over program budgets and work with faculty and staff to set and meet educational standards.
Education Requirements: Deans of nursing have their DNP degrees and are licensed registered nurses. They also almost always have extensive experience in both clinical and academic work settings.
Highest Paid Nurses (4-7)
4)听
- Salary Range: $115,810 鈥� 217,990
Job Description: CNIOs are responsible for overseeing and implementing medical records systems and other technology in the workplace. They play both strategic and supervisory roles in establishing nursing information standards and ensuring uptake across the nursing staff.
Education Requirements: Either an MSN or DNP degree are expected in addition to the typical registered nurse license. Additionally, several years of experience in IT and management are typical.
Highest Paid Nurses (Continued)
5) Family Nurse Practitioner
- Salary Range: $121,468 鈥� 206,917
Job Description: Family nurse practitioners (FNP) provide primary care for families, including both children and adults. Like family physicians, they can order tests, diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and advise patients on healthy decision-making.
Education Requirements: FNPs must get their master鈥檚 or doctorate degrees and pass national board certification tests.
6)听
- Salary Range: $105,950 鈥� 199,440
Job Description: Chief Nursing Officers lead nursing teams at various healthcare organizations. They oversee finances, schedules, onboarding, treatment plans, and medical technologies.
Educational Requirements: Registered nurses must obtain MSN or DNP degrees to become Chief Nursing Officers. They are also expected to have extensive experience in clinical practice.
7)聽Chief Nurse Practitioner
- Salary Range: $105,050 鈥� 197,740
Job Description: Chief Nurse Practitioners are clinically-practicing health professional who play a strategic and supervisory role. Their unique responsibility lies in developing, implementing, and promoting best practices within their organizations.
Education Requirements: Licensed registered nurses who work as Chief Nurse Practitioners must have an MSN or DNP degree. They also have a few years of experience in clinical and administrative roles and must be board certified.
Highest Paid Nurses (8-10)
8)听
- Salary range: $78,950 鈥� 171,810
Job Description: Travel nurses most often work with agencies staffing them in a range of healthcare settings and job roles. The extent to which they are the top paid nurses depends on many factors, including economic conditions and hospital needs. For example, in 2019 travel RNs made about the same as inpatient RNs. But the salary range of the former spiked after the pandemic. In recent years, nurses who can tolerate frequent changes in job roles and locations can expect remuneration on the higher end of the scale.
Education Requirements: Travel nurses, like all nurses, must be licensed. They are also usually required to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and some clinical experience.
Highest Paid Nurses (Continued)
9)聽Director of Nursing
- Salary: $85,490 鈥� 160,910
Job Description: The Director of Nursing is another key supervisory role that is among the best paid nursing careers. The role functions as the immediate superior of nurses in a healthcare setting. The Director of Nursing ensures standards are met and implements on-the-job training, among other roles.
Education Requirements: Advanced degrees required for this role include an MSN or DNP. Many years of leadership and clinical experience, as well as leadership certifications, are a plus.
10)听
- Salary: $68,890 鈥� 182,910
Job Description: Certified nurse midwives, somewhat uniquely among the top paid nurses, provide care exclusively for women and newborns. They offer everything from physical exams, lab tests, and routine care to therapy and prescription writing. Additionally, they provide service for women experiencing menopause.
Education Requirements: Advanced MSN or DNP degrees are expected. Further, candidates must pass a special certification exam for nurse midwives.
Highest Paid Nurses (11-13)
11) Nurse Practitioner, Inpatient/Outpatient
- Salary Range: $83,460 鈥� 157,090
Job Description: Nurse practitioners have many job functions resembling that of physicians. They can consult with patients, order tests, diagnose conditions, and prescribe treatments. Further, nurse practitioners can have specialties like acute care, surgery, neuroscience, and labor and delivery.
Education Requirements: Advanced MSN and DNP degrees are musts for nurse practitioners. They also must pass certification exams through one of two certifying boards.
12)听
- Salary Range: $76,400 鈥� 166,260
Job Description: Pain management nurses assess the source and extent of patients鈥� acute and chronic pain and develop care plans. These nurses must balance promoting patient relief with managing risk factors associated with pain medications, such as addiction. In the context of the ongoing opioid crisis, it makes sense that this role is among the best paid nursing careers.
Education Requirements: Pain management nurses have a BSN and often pain management certifications. They also have experience in clinical settings working with anesthesia and patients with pain.
13)听
- Salary Range: $78,290 鈥� 147,360
Job Description: Nurse Educators are top paid nurses whose primary role involves teaching other nurses. Duties include guiding new nurses through clinical rotations, designing curriculum, and keeping up-to-date on research. Colleges and universities employ them in their nursing programs, as do many non-academic healthcare organizations. They help new nurses prepare for real-world healthcare settings and keep existing nurses current on advancements and best practices.
Education Requirements: Licensed nurses must also have an MSN or DNP degree to be nurse educators. They also typically have extensive clinical experience in their teaching domain.
Highest Paid Nurses (14-17)
14)听
- Salary: $71,130 鈥� 154,780
Job Description: An example of procedural area nursing, the cardiac catheterization laboratory nurse offers care related to a specific medical procedure. Cardiac catheterization, which can diagnose and treat heart conditions, involves inserting a very thin catheter into an artery and moving it to the heart.
Education Requirements: BSN degrees are needed, with certifications and time spent working in cardiac or critical care units a bonus.
15)听
- Salary: $75,420 鈥� 141,970
Job Description: The Clinical Nurse Leader was developed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to advance quality improvement initiatives. They lead other nurses in units, measure patient outcomes, and curtail risk by ensuring best practices are broadly adopted.
Education Requirements: The AACN offers a certification exam, and typically clinical nurse leaders have MSN degrees and leadership credentials.
16)听
- Salary Range: $69,290 鈥� 150,790
Job Description: Geriatric nurses specialize in treatment and care for elderly populations, assisting them to be independent and maintain quality of life. In addition to providing treatment, they typically play a supporting and educative role for elderly patients and caretakers.
Education Requirements: Many employers require geriatric nurses to have a BSN.
Highest Paid Nurses (Continued)
17)听
- Salary Range: $74,060 鈥� 139,410
Job Description: Informatics nurses collaborate with healthcare technology and information system partners to help manage patient data. A bridge between innovative data and technological approaches and patient-centered care, these in-demand professionals are among the top paid nurses.
Education Requirements: Informatics nurses usually have either an MSN or DNP degree, as well as a few years of experience working with healthcare data.
Highest Paid Nurses (18-21)
18) Nurse Researcher
- Salary Range: $73,760 鈥� 138,850
Job Description: Nurse researchers work in both academic and healthcare settings to conduct research that improves healthcare quality and outcomes. During scholarly scientific experiments involving actual patients, nurse researchers are typically the ones charged with monitoring patients.
Education Requirements: This role typically involves an advanced doctoral degree (a DNP or PhD).
19)听
- Salary Range: $77,056 鈥� 130,963
Job Description: Rehabilitation nurses meet patients through in-patient settings and home health agencies. They help individuals recovering from injuries, illnesses, chronic conditions, and disabilities to regain physical movement through treatment.
Education Requirements: These registered nurses usually have a BSN.
Highest Paid Nurses (Continued)
20)听
- Salary Range: $67,880 鈥� 147,710
Job Description: Palliative care nurses care for patients who are seriously ill and/or nearing the end of their lives. They help manage symptoms, work to improve quality of life, coordinate between the patient and family and those developing a care plan, and provide emotional support.
Education Requirements: Palliative care nurses may need to have a BSN and at least one year of experience in clinical settings.
21) Nurse Consultant
- Salary Range: $63,780 鈥� 138,790
Job Description: Like other industry-specific consultants, nurse consultants serve in an advisory capacity within their industry of specialization. Organizations hire these consultants to problem-solve across organization procedures and workflows to improve quality of healthcare.
Education Requirements: Licensed nurses must have a BSN to become consultants. Most importantly, they typically have several years of experience and specialty certifications to mark their expertise.
Highest Paid Nurses (22-25)
22)听
- Salary Range: $61,740 鈥� 134,360
Job Description: Nurse managers are both administrators and clinical care providers. Their supervisory roles can involve staffing decisions, interpersonal conflict resolution, and strategic process reform.
Education Requirements: Nurse managers have their BSN and likely many years of clinical and leadership work experience.
Best Paid Nursing Careers (Continued)
23) Aesthetic Nurse
- Salary Range: $60,010 鈥� 130,600
Job Description: Some of the best paid nursing careers are related to elective, cosmetic care. Aesthetic nurses care for patients utilizing laser treatments, Botox, and other dermatological and plastic surgery procedures. They can work in spas, dermatology offices, and with plastic surgeons.
Education Requirements: Aesthetic nurses are licensed nurses with BSN degrees.
Highest Paid Nurses (Continued)
24)听Pharmaceutical Nurse
- Salary Range: $59,120 鈥� 128,670
Job Description: Pharmaceutical nurses perform research, create education programs, and serve in an advisory capacity on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. They may also have some hand in sales and marketing for medications.
Education Requirements: A BSN is required, and a background in research and the pharmaceutical industry are beneficial.
25)听
- Salary Range: $58,760 鈥� 127,880
Job Description: These senior nurses supervise nursing staff and oversee nursing departments. They help with staffing, team building, and goal setting. Because of their emphasis on administration, they have little direct contact with patients. They also coordinate between nursing staff and other medical teams within a healthcare setting.
Education Requirements: A BSN and several years of clinical experience are expected. For specializations like nursing home administration, certifications are necessary.
Additional Resources – Highest Paid Nurses
