If you’re a registered nurse who is eager to maximize your earning potential, there are several ways to go about it.
Our tips?
Pursuing higher education can help you secure a lucrative role as an advanced nursing practitioner.
Alternatively, you may consider stepping up into nursing management. If leadership is not for you, there is also the route of per diem, PRN, or travel nursing.
Let us take you through the options.
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Pursue an Advanced Nursing Qualification
Keen to earn a higher salary as a US nurse? Pursuing further education can help you maximize your earning potential. Attaining an advanced nursing qualification like a post-masters AGACNP, for instance, will enable you to earn more than you would as a general registered nurse.
If higher education sounds like something you’d like to consider, there are several advanced nursing specializations RNs can pursue.
These include, for example, specializing as a family nurse practitioner (FNP), a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP), a women’s health nurse practitioner (WHNP), an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner (AGNP), or a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), just to name a few.
But regardless of which advanced nursing specialization you choose to pursue, one thing remains the same. Your earning potential will increase significantly.
As an advanced nursing practitioner, you will become one of the highest-paid healthcare professionals in the industry.
Indeed, because they are so in demand, the salaries of advancing nursing practitioners are even said to be rising higher than the salaries of primary care physicians.
So, if you’re a registered nurse who is yet to enroll in an advanced nursing degree, let this be your sign.
Take On Higher Professional Responsibilities
As a nurse who wants to improve your earning potential, it pays to take on more responsibility at work. Stepping up into management is a surefire way to increase your salary.
You can take several different routes when pursuing a role in upper management in nursing. Some of these include:
Nursing Supervisor or Team Leader
As a nursing supervisor, you’ll oversee a team of nurses within your nursing unit at the medical facility. This role is multifaceted, as it takes on a blend of clinical duties, as well as administrative functions, and also, team management responsibilities.
Nursing Care Coordinator
A nursing care coordinator is responsible for creating care plans for patients and coordinating patients’ needs with other healthcare professionals. Communication skills are essential for this role.
Nursing care coordinators also need to be highly organized and have strong time management skills.
Clinical Nurse Manager
As the nurse manager for a clinical nursing unit, this role requires you to oversee, manage, and supervise the daily operations of the unit. It may also require you to hire new nurses, as well as manage the performance of the existing team.
In addition to this, maintaining a high standard of patient care and satisfaction will also fall under your umbrella of responsibilities.
Director of Nursing
Becoming a director of nursing takes your role in nursing management further, as it is a step up from clinical nurse manager. As well as overseeing staff and the satisfaction of patients, the director of nursing must also create long-term plans for the ongoing success of the nursing unit.
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
One of the most senior nursing roles, being a CNO requires a great deal of education and experience. No doubt, however, the earning potential of a CNO also matches the greater responsibility. CNOs in the US can expect to earn up to $300,000 annually.
Consider Per Diem Nursing, PRN, or Travel Nursing
Want to increase your earnings without taking on the responsibility of stepping up into nursing management? Consider per diem nursing, PNR, or travel nursing.
While there are some differences between the three fields, some elements remain the same. Namely:
- You will be paid higher wages, as your role will be treated as casual. While this does mean giving up some employee benefits like sick leave and annual leave, on the whole, your hourly rate will be maximized.
- You will not be bound by usual restrictions like workplace policies around the number of required hours, which means, you can take on as many shifts as you like.
- With no set schedule, you will have the freedom to choose how often you work.
There you have it, our tips to improve your earning potential as a nurse in the US. But whether you choose to add to your education, pursue upper management, or consider other types of nursing, you won’t regret the enhancement to your salary.
