Types of Nursing Degrees and Their Salaries

Many students look for a career in nursing. This is because of the vast career opportunities they get from a nursing degree. There are many ways of getting a nursing degree or a diploma.



It is a known fact that in all fields, higher the degree the better is the salary. And nursing is no exception! Salaries for RN is always much higher than a LPN or a LVN. So, if you are interested in making a career in nursing then you should look for ways to accelerate your RN salary by getting the appropriate educational qualification and of course experience.



Currently, nurses are very much in demand due to the on-going shortage of manpower. Qualified nurses have great career opportunities in government as well as private health care institutes across the country. Nurses not only have career potential but also salary potential if you have the right kind of degree and experience in this noble field.



Nursing salaries depend on various factors-



- Nursing degree and education: As much as the nursing degree is important to pave a smooth career path, the way in which you obtain the degree is equally important. You need to do some researching before you choose a nursing program. Different programs such as LPN degree, RN degree, Nursing diploma, Associate's degree, BSN degree are available which offer different nursing education with different time frames. Individuals need to choose the one which fits their career endeavor.



- Experience: Like any other profession, RN salary too depends on the years of experience the individual brings with them. If you have an impressive experience list of let's say 4-5 years, then it shouldn't be difficult for you to bring in good salary at a top health care institute.



- State and city where you work: This is a very important factor as far a RN salary goes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses have higher salaries in larger cities like New Your, Los Angeles or Chicago. They also have better benefits and perks when compared to smaller cities or towns. It's because the cost of living is much higher in larger cities.



Payscale.com conducted a survey on RN salaries in June 2009. Statistics below mention the hourly pay-scale of nurses from different states



California: $33.73
New York: 27.91
Texas: $25.95
Illinois: $25.84



- Specialty: You could do a nursing degree with specialty in mental health or psych nurse, certified RN anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, orthopedic nurse, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse, neonatal nurse, etc. The nursing specialty with prime focus will always fetch a higher salary.



Nursing is not a charity profession for sure and nurses get paid well too, for the service they render to mankind.

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Associate Degrees With High Starting Salaries And Room For Further Education

As general wisdom goes, the more education an individual has, the more he or she might expect to earn. For the most part, for instance, a college or university graduate with a bachelor's degree might expect to earn more than the graduate with an associate's degree, the graduate with a master's degree more than the graduate with a bachelor's degree and so on.



There are exceptions, however, and they have to do in part with the occupation as well as the individual. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that students with associate's degrees who go on to work as dental hygienists, nuclear technicians, computer specialists, fashion designers and radiation therapists on average earn between $62,600 to $68,600 a year. A social worker with a bachelor's degree, on the other hand, might earn $45,000 a year even with 15 years of experience, Payscale.com shows.



Some wondered for a time also whether the type of college or university - Ivy league institutions that tend to cost more, for instance - produce higher paid graduates. A Payscale.com survey published in the New York Times in 2009 suggested that graduates of engineering schools were paid the highest starting salaries, while Ivy League graduates earned more at mid-career. College and university majors made a difference: Those who earned engineering, economics, math and science degrees earned some of the top 20 highest paid starting and mid-career median salaries, the Payscale.com survey showed. In Florida, community college graduates with associate's degrees were also found to earn higher entry-level salaries than those who obtained bachelor's degrees from public and private colleges and universities.



The Miami Herald and the St. Petersburg Times on Jan. 4 didn't single out individual institutions but showed that, in general, students graduating with bachelor's degrees from Florida's public and private universities in 2009 were provided average starting salaries respectively of $36,552 and $44,558 annually as compared with the $47,708 that students graduating with associate's degrees in science from community colleges earned. Students with bachelor's degrees over time, however, might expect to earn more based on their potential for advancements in the workplace, the article noted.



At least one expert in The Herald and St. Petersburg Times suggested also that community colleges tend to train students for in-demand careers in areas such as nursing, dental assisting and auto collision repair. "Green collar" jobs also are said to be experiencing increased demand. In Toledo, a university as well as a community college are offering associate's degrees in alternative energy, according to a Jan. 18 report in Toledo on the Move. The associate's degree programs would train students in developing, installing and maintaining alternative energy systems, the Toledo on the Move article noted.



In Worcester County, Mass., community colleges might see increased enrollment as a result of new sheriff's department hiring policies. The News Telegram on Jan. 20 reported on a new requirement that sheriff's department employees either have associate's degrees or two years of experience in the military. The county sheriff centered some of his new hiring policies on those that other sheriff's departments in the state already have in place, the News Telegram noted.



Many two-year colleges are also collaborating more often with four-year institutions in their area. The Orlando Business Journal on Jan. 19 noted that a two-year associate's degree in architecture was part of a new partnership that took students on to bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture at a university in Florida. Students in Pennsylvania who obtain an associate's degree from community colleges in the area are able to apply all of their academic credits toward fulfilling Allentown college's general education requirements in instances where they enroll in the institution's School of Adult and Graduate Education, according to a Jan. 20 article in The Morning Call. In Tennessee, a community college and a technical university have established a "dual admissions" program partnership where students are offered a more structured means of completing an associate's degree at the community college and moving on to a bachelor's degree program at the technical university, a Jan. 19 article on knoxnews.com noted.

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Registered Nurses Salaries

Within the broad spectrum of healthcare, RNs make up the largest workforce group because of the fundamental role they play in caring for patients and running a healthcare facility. Because of the demand for these openings, job opportunities are in healthy supply and allow RNs to have more specific choices in where they work and, in some cases, what shifts they will work. However, as patient care is required around the clock, shift choice is not always an option.



Registered nurses salaries have increased steadily over the recent past by approximately $10,000 to $15,000 annually; almost a 5% increase from two years prior. Some RNs have more responsibility allowing for even higher increases in salary. Dedicated nurses are often placed in charge of a facility and put in charge of other nursing staff.



RNs pursue their career because of their dedication to helping people and their interest in health and sciences. RNs carry out a number of functions depending upon their area of work. They work to document medical information on a patient including medication regimes, allergies, history of the patient, and health concerns. They also document any new information that is pertinent to maintaining accurate records. Many nurses provide education and advice to their patients, their patients' families, and also to the public. Registered nurses offer support and provide treatment and care to those in need. An RN may operate medical equipment for diagnostic testing or treatment methods, and they often administer medication and immunizations.



The current staffing trends are expected to continue throughout the healthcare system; specifically with registered nursing staff. The employment rate for RNs is expected to grow by over 22% within the next five years. In response to this employment rate many students have made this their study of choice. Those employing registered nurses prefer their nurses to hold, at least, an associate degree; however, they are even more likely to hire a registered nurse holding a bachelor's degree. On average 36% of registered nurses hold an associate's degree, 39% hold a bachelor's degree, 11% hold a master's degree, and 0.6% of RNs hold a doctoral degree. On the lower end of the spectrum for registered nurse's salary is approximately $44,000 which is earned by approximately 10% of all RNs. On the higher end of the spectrum are those RNs earning approximately $94,000, representing about 10% of RNs also. The remaining 80% vary between the two figures.

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