How Much Can a Registered Nurse Make

Do you know that, aside from doctors, other allied healthcare occupations are also good options for a medical career? Yes, we are talking about doctors’ assistants here, the Nurses. You might think that a nurse is just a clinical assistant to doctors and they can’t earn more money. But that’s not true at all.

Nurses are also known as registered nurses, and their primary role is to play in healthcare settings. They work with doctors and attend to patients and have a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. As registered nurses have a huge role in patient care, they earn very well, even as entry-level nurses. So, in this blog, we will talk about registered nurses and generally how much they can earn annually.

Who is a Registered Nurse?

A registered nurse (RN) is a medical assistant who works under a doctor’s supervision and provides patient care. Their responsibilities include conducting physical exams and checking vital signs of patients, assisting doctors with surgical treatments, and handling administrative tasks for patients.

In nursing, there is also a subordinate position of a vocational nurse (VN). These vocational nurses work under registered nurses, and fulfill basic patient care responsibilities like hygiene care management, helping patients with mobility, and handling administrative tasks of patient care.

How to Become a Registered Nurse

The nursing field has its own medical degree. However, just getting a degree is not enough. There are other requirements that a student has to complete to start their nursing career. Therefore, the following are the steps to become a registered nurse:

Educational Degree

To become a registered nurse, it is essential to have a complete high school degree in hand. Afterward, there are two basic degree programs that you can choose from to get a proper nursing education. These are as follows:

Associate Degree in Nursing

An associate degree in nursing (ADN) is a two-year program focusing on the basic education and practice of nursing care. By completing an associate nursing degree, you qualify to become a registered nurse.

Bachelor of Science Nursing

In addition to an associate degree, the other program is a bachelor's degree in nursing. It is called a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Like a normal bachelor's degree, it is a full-time four-year program that equips you to study and learn all the basic and advanced responsibilities of a registered nurse. Whether it is basic patient care, giving injections, or discussing a patient’s condition with the doctor, you will gain all the knowledge of nursing care. A bachelor’s degree is a better choice to build a strong foundation for your nursing career.

Get a Nursing License

After completing nursing studies, students need a proper validation of their knowledge and experience. Therefore, they need to pass the national nursing exam and earn their license. The nursing license ensures that a person is fully eligible to become a registered nurse.

Earn Entry-level Nursing Certificates

Getting a full-time nursing degree and license is the basic requirement of becoming a registered nurse. However, you can also strengthen your profile by obtaining a nursing certification. Even at entry level, basic and niche-specific certifications, like a cardiology nurse or pediatrics nurse, can enhance your profile.

Salary Bracket of a Registered Nurse

Registered nurses don’t earn in pennies. In healthcare settings, nurses play a crucial role in medical care, alongside doctors, and are typically paid a competitive rate in hospitals and clinics. On average, you can expect to earn around $93,600 annually as a registered nurse.

Where Do Registered Nurses Work?

Now, we know the salary figure of a registered nurse, the next question that often comes to our minds is ‘where registered nurses can work?’ You would be relieved to know that hospitals are not the only healthcare settings for nurses.

Thus, as a registered nurse, you can find a job in the following settings:

• Hospitals
• Physician Offices
• Home Healthcare
• Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
• Blood Banks
• Rehabilitation Centers

How to Increase Your Salary as a Registered Nurse?

Becoming a registered nurse is a small medical journey. Once you get into the practical healthcare field and take on patient care responsibilities, your career doesn’t end there. Instead, you can grow your nursing over the years and increase your earning potential. So, below are some advanced nursing career options to increase your salary and rank in nursing:

Advanced Degrees in the Nursing Field

In the nursing field, you can also study advanced-level nursing education. These degrees provide more knowledge and experience and increase the scope of practice of registered nurses. Thus, below are the higher-level nursing degrees you can pursue:

Master’s in Nursing

After an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing, you can enroll in a master’s in nursing (MSN) degree. The master's level education increases your area of practice in nursing, and you can pursue the following nursing career options:

• Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Leadership and Administration
• Post Master’s Nursing Certificate

The post master’s nursing certificate (PMC) comes after completing a master’s degree. It registered nurses to practice in more specialized nursing areas like Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), and Nursing Education.

Doctoral Degree in Nursing

The doctoral degree in nursing is the highest level of education in the nursing field. This level of education has two options: a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). With a PhD in nursing, students acquire in-depth knowledge and research skills in the field of nursing. Whereas, in DNP, students learn the practice of handling the highest level of clinical positions or leadership roles in nursing.

Become a Travel Nurse

Normally, registered nurses earn a good amount of money from practicing in hospitals and clinics. However, if you wish to increase your income, you can try an additional source of opportunity for nurses. You can become a travel nurse who is a registered nurse, but he/she is eligible to work outside their city and country. The assignments of travel nurses range from several weeks to a few months.

Advance Yourself as a Registered Nurse

Registered nurses are an important part of healthcare settings, and they are compensated well enough for their position and experience. Even at entry level, a registered nurse has an attractive salary package. However, based on your experience and interest, you can get specialized certifications in nursing and advanced-level nursing degrees to become a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). By increasing your experience and knowledge in nursing, you can raise your salary bracket.

Are you a registered nurse looking for your next role? You can get guidance from a healthcare staffing company like Intitutive Health Services. It will help you explore all careers for registered nurses and find your next direction.