8 Highest Paying RN Career choices and Nursing Specialties

Walking the path of achieving your ideal RN Career or nursing specialties means you have chosen to help others at their best and worst times. Nursing is a highly respected medical profession. 

By dedicating yourself to helping others, nursing offers you job sustainability, many benefits, and a high salary.
Depending on where you live and your level of education, there are many routes you can take to advance your nursing career.

There are a variety of RN careers and nursing specialties to choose from. Go with the path that sparks passion. In the end, you will find success.

Below are 8 high paying registered nurse positions and nursing careers.

Dialysis (Nephrology) RN

Registered Nurses who take care of patients that suffer from kidney disease are Nephrology nurses. Dialysis RN is another common term. Either way, this nursing specialty aims at the education and training needed to care for patients that have kidney disease.

Some of the main responsibilities involved with this RN career is checking vital signs, evaluating patients’ reaction to dialysis medication and treatments, monitoring dialysis treatment, but most importantly, being the driving force that helps the entire care team to deliver premium care to the patient.

NeoNatal

Caring for newborn babies as a job seems like a dream career, then you should highly consider being a neonatal nurse. 

You will be able to advance your career while helping babies. This nursing specialty also comes with good pay. 

Today, nurses working in the neonatal intensive care unit can earn upwards of $45 hourly. Working as a nurse in NYC in the neonatal ICU can net you an average salary of $74,000 annually. 

A nurse just entering his or her neonatal career can expect to earn around $30 

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

If you don’t already know, the difference between an RN and a Nurse Practitioner is education. While you’re encouraged to get your Bachelor of Science in Nursing, you only need an Associate Degree to be an RN. 

A nurse practitioner has an MSN, Master of Science in Nursing, which takes roughly six years of school.

If you want to work with mental health and substance abuse patients and other doctors working in the field of psychiatry, you may want to consider becoming a PNP- Psychiatric Nurse Practioner.

In the US, the average salary working as a PNP can be upwards of $100,000 annually.

Mental healthcare is vital and substance abuse is on the rise, and PNPs are in-demand.

Intensive Care Unit RN

Working in the ICU requires a nurse to have a versatile skillset. Not only will you have been able to think strategically during life or death (literally), but you will also have to be able to work with concerned family members, strict doctors, as well as your fellow colleagues.

While you don’t need any specific credentials aside from being an RN, but a Batchelor of Science in Nursing doesn’t hurt your employment opportunities.

Certified Anesthetist RN

If you want the title of CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist), get ready to study hard and earn it. Most CRNAs earn over $200,000 in NYC according to salary.com.

This highly versatile nursing specialty can lead to many opportunities. You will work with anesthesiologists, surgeons, dentists. 

In order to become certified, you will have to pass the National Certification Examination, but after achieving an MSN — what’s one more test, right?

Certified Nurse Midwife

In NYC, 50% of all practicing Certified Nurse-Midwives earn an annual salary of over $130,000 according to salary.com. Bring healthy and happy babies into the world is one of the most rewarding nursing specialties. Midwives walk an expecting mother through every step of pregnancy, are there during labor, and after childbirth. 

Knowing how to respond to birth-related complications, and being able to guide and support your patients during their pregnancy is a truly rewarding nursing career choice.

Oncology RN Career

Registered Nurses who specialize in oncology work with cancer patients. It takes serious wherewithal and empathy to help both individuals and their families navigate a very tough section of their life.

As an RN in oncology, you will administer chemotherapy treatments, work with doctors to develop and optimize patient treatment plans, and monitor a patient’s progress. 

You have the option to work with specific areas like pediatric or breast cancer care.

Nursing Administrator

If you have finished your BSN and passed your NCLEXexam, congratulations! You’ve got a lot of options ahead of you. 

Your love of healthcare can take you behind the scenes with a career as a nurse administrator.

Continuing your education with a Master’s of Science in Nursing will give you a high level of experience you need for this role.

In NYC, the annual salary as a nurse administrator is just shy of $80,00 according to ZipRecruiter.com. 

In Summary

The choice you’ve made to become a nurse is highly commendable. Helping others is a very respectable career choice. 

As you will notice in this article, the amount of time you spend on your education, the more options become available.
Your nursing career can be whatever you want it to be. 

Congratulations on taking that first step. Getting your MSN starts with passing the NCLEX. By taking one step at a time, your ideal RN position will be yours in no time.

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