How to Find a Well Paying Nursing Job

The nursing profession is a lot more complex than most people realize. There are tons of online nursing programs out there, and every one of them can lead to a different profession. You obviously need to find a career that you can be happy working in, but that career should also pay a decent salary at the end of the day. That's what this article is all about. The charts below showcase what nursing salaries look like in different areas of the medical field so you can see where you may want to go. More pay usually means higher education and greater responsibilities, so you have to weigh the pros and cons to find the right job for you. Here are some options to keep in mind based on the amount of experience you have in nursing.

Home Health Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $36,784 per year
• 1-4 years: $44,744 per year
• 5-9 years: $53,442 per year
• 10-19 years: $61,849 per year
• 20+ years: $64,307 per year

Cardiac Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $62,334 - $87,491 per year
• 1-4 years: $62,916 - $93,810 per year
• 5-9 years: $69,457 - $103,418 per year
• 10-19 years: $70,040 - $120,412 per year
• 20+ years: $59,238 - $112,336 per year

Pediatric Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $32,000 - $60,000
• 1-4 years: $19,794 - $64,564
• 5-9 years: $20,426 - $117,446
• 10-19 years: $38,527 - $67,813

ICU Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $39,663 - $70,121 per year
• 1-4 years: $30,000 - $77,567 per year
• 5-9 years: $23,672 - $91,230 per year
• 10-19 years: $38,390 - $100,414 per year
• 20 years or more: $48,165 - $94,351 per year

Registered Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $15.97 - $29.33 per hour
• 1-4 years: $19.21 - $31.80 per hour
• 5-9 years: $21.16 - $36.82 per hour
• 10-19 years: $22.49 - $40.05 per hour
• 20+ years: $23.12 - $43.13 per hour

Nurse Practioner Salary

• Less than 1 year: $59,335 - $86,215
• 1-4 years: $59,520 - $91,952
• 5-9 years: $59,969 - $97,079
• 10-19 years: $59,485 - $104,689
• 20+ years: $55,261 - $104,588

Critical Care Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $80,500
• 1-4 years: $66,449
• 5-9 years: $67,816
• 10-19 years: $80,272
• 20+ years: $85,283

Licensed Practical Nurse Salary

• Less than 1 year: $21,221 - $46,293
• 1-4 years: $23,673 - $48,483
• 5-9 years: $24,691 - $51,947
• 10-19 years: $26,717 - $59,138
• 20+ years: $26,711 - $56,084

All of the statistics mentioned above are courtesy of PayScale.com.

The key to finding a well paying nursing job is to first get an education that you need to work within it. That way you can immediately land a job and start developing experience in this profession. The more experience you have, the better jobs you can get Better jobs will obviously lead to better pay checks in the long run. Nursing is not a career for everyone, but that does not mean that it is not right for you. You just have to find the role you want to play within it. Hopefully the charts above will help you decide where you want to be in the medical field.