By Josephine Reid
It is difficult to put a scale on what nursing jobs are considered “most important” within the medical field. However, it is much easier to put emphasis on positions that are making the most money in a flock of nurses with a wide range of salary levels. For instance, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist makes between $105K and $130K annually, (these nurses work in both inpatient, outpatient, and emergency facilities alongside dentists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons). This nurse typically prepares the patients and mixes and administers anesthesia. As one of the top ranking nurse professions when it comes to salary, it is in question if it's the most important.
For example, nursing careers like a Nurse Researcher, Psychiatric Nurse, Certified Nurse Midwife are the highest paid, these roles require the most education and training compared to other types of nurses.
There are many factors that affect the reason certain jobs are paid top dollar. A Nurse Researcher, for example, can expect to earn a salary between $75,000 and $95,000 per year, because people in this profession work in universities, medical labs, or industries and healthcare non-profits. Strong writing skills are required in the researcher profession, which entails grant proposals, medical journal contribution, and presentations.
A Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner earns an average of $90k, partly due to the long and challenging process of earning a master's degree specializing in psychiatric nursing just to break in.
These positions involve a wide spectrum of important medical needs, including nurses in the psychiatric profession who work alongside psychiatrists, specializing in mental disorders ranging from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and personality disorders - or a Nurse Anesthetist who has an extraordinary amount of responsibility in surgical operations. These are just a few of the factors that affect the importance of the highest paying nursing career positions.
Are women's salaries reflecting the importance of their jobs? Dress A Med partners with LeanIn.org, who makes it their mission to one day be able to answer that question with a resounding “Yes.” Find out how Dress A Med loves to care with LeanIn here.
