There’s no question that the medical field is one of the best that you can enter. With the solid job stability, the opportunity for advancement, and the fact that it rewards you both financially and personally are simply too much to ignore. Among the various specific areas of the medical field worth entering, nursing stands out. That’s because it offers a way to enter the medical profession without years and years of school and still lets you reap the benefits of a medical profession. There are simply few other fields that can match what nursing offers.
Within nursing there are numerous specialties that one can focus on. This is important since each specialty offers its own unique experiences and allows you to work in an area that really interests you. Here are the ten best degree specialties in nursing today, based on financial reward, personal reward, need, and more.
- Certified Nursing Midwife – These professionals actually deliver babies and more. They’ll also provide women with gynecological exams, parental planning options, and more. They earn an average of 84,000 dollars per year.
- Nurse Anesthetist – These are among the highest paid professionals in the entire medical field, and while it requires a good bit of education to assume the position it is well worth it. Average salaries are around 135,000 dollars and a nurse anesthetist helps administer and monitor anesthesia during an operation.
- Nurse Researcher – Those hoping to enter the medical field in a non-clinical role will find that this position, which pays around 95,000 per year, is a great option. They handle research and analysis of various aspects of the medical field in order to improve the medical profession as a whole.
- Nurse Practitioners – Earning around 78,000 dollars annually, these specialists actually serve a similar role as family physicians and provide primary care to patients. They’re allowed to prescribe medications to those who need it.
- Certified Dialysis Nurse – Just as their name suggests, these specialists help provide quality care to those need dialysis. They’ll help them through the procedure and ensure they get the treatment they need. It’s a position that is growing in demand and pays around 63,000 dollars annually on average.
- Certified Legal Nurse Consultant – This is a unique one that many aren’t aware of. These professionals actually don’t work in medical settings in most cases but instead serve as legal consultants for attorneys. The position pays around 62,000 dollars per year.
- Nurse Educators – This is actually one of the most in demand jobs on the list. Nurse Educators do just what their title suggests and help to provide education to the nursing professionals of the future. They earn around 71,000 per year.
- Orthopedic Nurse – Earning around 81,000 dollars per year, these professionals work to provide care in the orthopedic field. It’s a specialty that is growing quickly and is very important in today’s medical landscape.
- Clinical Nurse Specialist – This specialist is a type of registered nurse that has focused their expertise to apply to a specific area of study, whether it is on a certain group of people, a setting, or a disease. They’re in demand within their respective fields and earn around 76,000 per year.
- Neonatal Nurse – As its name suggests, these experts work in the neonatal departments of hospitals providing care to infants and premature babies. It’s rewarding personally as well as financially, and a very in demand job. Currently they earn an average of around 74,000 dollars per year.
These are only ten of the many nursing specialties out there, but based on salaries and job demand they’re ten of the very best. Be sure to focus on an area that actually interests you personally if you want to ensure the most satisfaction from your job.
References: