Nursing is one occupation in which additional education and training can go a long way toward job security and financial stability. The highest paying nursing jobs pay six-figure salaries. But education, experience and credentials generally determine a nurse’s salary and position. Typically, one begins a nursing career in an entry-level health care job, such as a staff nurse, and from there on, can gather knowledge and experience and work toward advancement through various nursing programs and training’s.

When deciding on a specialty, pay is not the only factor to be taken into consideration, but the top five highest paying nursing specialties listed below gives an overview on which type of nurses has the greatest earning potential.

• Head of Nursing / Chief Nursing Officer / Chief Nursing Executive         

Median Salary: $178,734 

The position involves managerial skills which a top executive typically performs including overall planning, personnel oversight and policy-making duties and is combined with hands-on nursing experience for management to be aware of nursing staff’s needs. Requirements usually include Master’s degree in area of specialty and at least 15 years of experience

• Nurse Anesthetist 

Median Salary: $155,646 

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) administer anesthetics to patients and are found in all healthcare settings where anesthesia is administered. There are about 39,000 CRNA’s and all have gone through rigorous training and education. A four-year nursing degree, plus an RN license and at least a year of experience in an acute-care setting is just a minimal requirement. Another two-plus years in an anesthesia education program before passing the certification exam is required. Promotion to chief nurse anesthetist’s positions, which includes responsibility in managing, scheduling and training staff anesthetists, provide an additional $10,000 to $20,000 annually.

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• Nursing Director 

Median Salary: $120,582 

The position requires people skills, project-management ability and leadership aspirations. Tasks include budgeting to policy setting to scheduling, and overseeing all aspects of a department’s nursing staff and often serve as a liaison between the staff and hospital administrators. Requirements include a registered nurse license and advanced degree in nursing.

• Certified Nurse Midwife 

Median Salary: $91,017  

Certified nurse midwives (CNMs) attend to births whether in hospitals or homes, provide family planning education, gynecological exams and prenatal and postnatal care. Ertified Nurse Midwives work in coordination with OB/GYNs. While the educational requirements vary by state, all CNMs are required to hold a master’s degree, as of 2010, in addition to an RN program and midwifery program.

• Nurse Practitioner 

Median Salary: $89,568  

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are required to work collaboratively with physicians, while other NPs are allowed to open their own clinics. Some NPs are required to work under the supervision of a physician. Nurse practitioners’ tasks include specializing in areas such as family practice, women’s health or pediatrics with emergency room and pediatric NPs earning the highest salaries. Nurse practitioners are required to have a Master’s degree and certification as a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner in a specialty area.

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With so many areas of specialty, and also depending on whether you finished a 2 or 4 year program, salary levels will greatly vary.

See all available nursing jobs here.

According to American Nurses Association, RNs earn around $56,000 or may go up to as much as $90,000 for really hard working and ambitious nurses that would go for long hours work including night shifts, weekends and some even holidays, in big city hospitals.

 There is a need to provide attractive salaries for nurses who choose to work in schools and teach to be able to cater to the huge number of enrollees.

 Now for the meantime it is still an option for the US to accommodate foreign workers to bridge the gap while the nursing schools work on training more qualified registered nurses. Well, it’s not about foreign workers taking over American jobs but it’s more on providing the need of society especially in the health care sector.

(Based on a news in CNNMoney.com)

Based on actual survey on primary doctors’ salaries, it showed that nurse specialists are getting higher pay and benefits compared to primary care doctors. This is despite the shortage in the United States of primary care doctors.

According to Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a physician recruiting and consulting firm: In 2009, CRNAs, or the Certified Nurse Anesthetists were getting an average wage of $189,000 – a lot higher compared to that of primary care doctors who were getting just around $173,000. And it will maintain that same difference in 2010.

Why get high pay for being a Certified Nurse Anesthetist or CRNA?

Well, Certified Nurse Anesthetists are specialist nurses who had advance training and can act or perform similar practice with anesthesiologists, which is administering anesthesia to patients. The difference though is when CRNAs do the administering; it still falls under nursing practice while it falls under medicine practice when anesthesiologists do it.

Also the demand for Certified Nurse Anesthetists rose due to the increase of surgical procedures in the past years, though it has brought about some negative reaction from medical doctors and is considered a hindrance in encouraging medical students to choose to pursue primary care medicine to solve the shortage of primary care doctors. CRNAs could still proudly contest that in saying, that they are able to help keep the smooth running of hospital ORs by administering anesthesia to patients and keeping them safe and comfortable when undergoing surgery.

(Based on a news in CNNMoney.com)