6 Highest-Paid Nursing Jobs in 2022

If you asked any Registered nurse why they chose to become one, almost all of them would say they wanted to help people the most. The nursing profession offers more benefits than just a high wage.

Even though the monetary incentive is rarely the driving force behind a person’s career choice, it is nonetheless a crucial aspect of nursing. The contributions of nurses are essential, and they should be compensated fairly for their efforts. This is why the highest-paying areas of nursing provide compensation potentials second only to those of medical professionals in the healthcare industry.

Registered nurses can earn anywhere from $30,000 to over $100,000 annually. However, this number fluctuates greatly depending on location, industry, and specialty factors.

Following is a list of the highest-paid nursing jobs in 2022:

6 Highest-Paid Nursing Jobs in 2022

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

Certified registered nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs, are the doctors who put patients to sleep before surgery or other treatments.

Nurse anesthetists are the ones who step up to the plate when it comes to putting patients to sleep before surgery or other medical procedures. CRNAs make some of the most money in nursing because their work is so important.

How much do anesthetist nurses make?

According to the BLS, average nurse anesthetists make about $189,000 annually. This comes to almost $91 an hour. Nurse anesthetists can expect to make more than $223,000 a year, which puts them at the top of the list of the highest-paid nursing jobs.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Neonatal nurse practitioners, or NNPs, take care of newborn babies who may have anything from minor injuries to problems that could be life-threatening.

A neonatal doctor usually tells a neonatal nurse practitioner how to figure out what’s wrong with a newborn baby and how to treat it. They are often in charge of keeping an eye on incubators and ventilators and ensuring that newborn babies are well-fed and cared for in other ways.

Most NNPs work in hospitals, especially in maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). As neonatal nurse practitioners gain more experience and advance in their careers, they may move to regional care centers focusing on the rarest and most life-threatening conditions in newborn babies.

How much do neonatal nurse practitioners make?

Salary.com says that a neonatal nurse practitioner has one of the best-paying nursing jobs, with an average annual salary* of over $127,000, or over $61 per hour. The top 10% of earners among NNPs can take home $147,000 a year.

Emergency Room Nurse Practitioner

Emergency room nurse practitioners, also called ENPs or emergency nurse practitioners, help people who are hurt or have other urgent health problems that could be life-threatening.

When people who are hurt or sick go to an emergency room, an emergency nurse practitioner and a team of other ER nurses and doctors may check them out and treat them. ENPs have a lot more freedom than other registered nurses in the ER, so they have to make decisions quickly and often when they are stressed.

How much do Emergency Room Nurse practitioners make?

Working in an emergency room can be stressful, so it makes sense that emergency room nurse practitioners are some of the best-paid nurses. Salary.com says that, on average, ENPs make more than $116,000 annually, which is almost $56 per hour. In the emergency room nurse practitioners field, the top 10% of earners make more than $140,000 per year.

Cardiac Nurse Practitioner

Cardiac nurse practitioners are trained experts who treat and try to stop heart and blood vessel diseases.

Cardiac nurse practitioners find and treat serious heart problems like arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. They do thorough evaluations, may order more tests or give patients medicine, and teach them and their families how to improve their heart health.

Cardiac nurse practitioners usually work in hospitals and clinics that only deal with heart health or in the cardiology departments of general hospitals. A patient’s primary doctor usually tells them to see a specialist like a cardiac nurse practitioner.

How much does Cardiac Nurse Practitioner care make?

Cardiac nurse practitioners make a lot of money because they have special training and skills. Salary.com says cardiac nurse practitioners make more than $55 an hour, or about $116,000 annually. In the 90th percentile of earners, cardiac nurse practitioners can expect to make $131,000 yearly.

Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner

Orthopedic nurse practitioners know a lot about the body’s muscles and bones. They can find out what’s wrong with bones, joints, muscles, and other soft tissues and treat injuries and illnesses that affect them.

Orthopedic nurse practitioners see patients daily who have broken bones, sprained or strained joints, and other sports medicine or acute trauma injuries. They may order X-rays or other imaging tests, write prescriptions for medication and home treatments, or send patients to other specialists like physical therapists or orthopedic surgeons.

Because orthopedic injuries are some of the most common, orthopedic nurse practitioners can be found in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and sports medicine facilities.

How much do Orthopedic Nurse Practitioners make?

Salary.com says that orthopedic nurse practitioners make an average of just under $115,000 per year, which is more than $55 per hour. The top 10% of orthopedic nurse practitioners usually make more than $129,000 annually.

Oncology Nurse Practitioner

Oncology nurse practitioners are experts in cancer and work closely with patients and doctors to find and treat different kinds of cancer and tumors.

Most of the time, oncology nurse practitioners spend most of their time evaluating patients, checking for cancer, and talking to patients, their families, or other caregivers about treatment options and putting them into action.

Oncology nurse practitioners usually work in hospitals, cancer clinics, and general medical facilities with oncology wards. Oncology nurse practitioners also research to improve drugs and other cancer treatments.

How much do Oncology Nurse Practitioners make?

Salary.com says that oncology nurse practitioners make an average of just under $113,000 per year, which is more than $54 per hour. Most oncology nurse practitioners who make over $123,000 yearly are in the 90th percentile of earners.

With so many different kinds of nursing jobs, getting your BSN is just the start of a long, fulfilling, and financially rewarding career where you can specialize in something that’s important to you.