Registered nursing is a large and diverse field. Its 2.7 million practitioners range from novice staff nurses to seasoned clinicians and administrators with decades of experience. Some of the most highly trained and skilled registered nurses are nurse practitioners. Armed with specialized clinical training and advanced degrees, nurse practitioners exercise an unusual degree of independence and responsibility. Their salaries are correspondingly high.
Average Nurse Practitioner Income
In its 2011 salary survey, consulting firm Integrated Healthcare Strategies reported an average base salary of $92,708 per year for nurse practitioners, with other incentives raising their average cash compensation to $97,552 per year. A comparable study by PhysiciansPractice.com broke down nurse practitioner salaries by years of experience. Practitioners with two years' experience or less averaged $73,816 per year, rising to $80,903 with three to five years of experience. After six to 10 years of practice, nurses earned $85,011, ultimately rising to an average of $90,794 after 20 or more years.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
In general, the highest paid of nurse practitioners are nurse anesthetists. Certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs, are skilled professionals who provide anesthesia and pain management services to patients before, during and after surgical procedures. Medical staffing firm Locum Tenens reported in 2011 that the average salary of CRNAs was $168,998 per year. Male CRNAs averaged $171,700, while their female colleagues earned an average or $160,680. Experience also played a role. Nurse anesthetists in their first five years of practice earned an average salary of $154,674. Those with six to 12 years' experience averaged $170,950, and anesthetists with more than 12 years' experience earned $176,468 per year.
The 2011 IHS salary survey reported an average income of $100,480 for certified nurse midwives, who provide ob/gyn services to women in clinical settings and medically underserved areas where doctors are scarce. Other nurse practitioners with an ob/gyn specialty earned less, averaging 96,138. NPs in family practice reported an average income of $92,229 per year, while those in emergency medicine averaged $113,904. Cardiology practitioners averaged $99,112 per year, while NPs specializing in cardiovascular surgery averaged $104,824 per year.
Nursing is already the largest health care profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it is poised for further growth. The bureau projects that demand for registered nurses will grow by 26 percent between 2010 and 2020, creating over 700,000 new jobs during that interval. Opportunities will be even greater for nurse practitioners, especially in medically underserved areas or cash-strapped clinical settings where their ability to offer advanced care can alleviate the expense and difficulty of recruiting physicians.
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