If you are entering the nursing job market because you want a decent paycheck, you may find that there is a good amount of money to be earned in the field. In fact, compared to many other entry level jobs, the registered nursing field is one of the better paying ones you’ll find. Today, the need for nurses continues to grow and that means that the average paycheck of a registered nurse that is qualified will continue to grow, too. Yet, if you haven’t considered nursing as a career for you for other reasons, no amount of money can prepare you for what a nurse’s job entails.
Comparing Job Markets
If you enter the field of education and get your degree in elementary education, you will earn an average entry level paycheck of about $31,000. If you enter the field of marketing and sales, it is expected that you would earn about $34,000 per year. Accounting, in which you would be certified and would be entering the field for your first year, you would earn an average income of about $43,000. But, the average entry level registered nurse will earn more than these people. According to salary experts in the field, the starting pay for a registered nurse is that of about $45,000 per year.
Okay, but that’s entry level. What happens after that? If you go by what the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has to say about the salary of registered nurses you will find that in 2004, the average nurse earned $52,000. Those that were in the lowest bracket earned about $37,000 and those in the highest earned about $75,000.
Will your paycheck move up when you enter into a nursing job? There are many things that play a role in how much you will make as a registered nurse. In most cases, your experience will allow you to earn more and more with each year. It also matters what type of work you are doing. Some of the highest paid nurses are those that work as anesthetists and earn upwards of $113,000 a year. A nurse practitioner will make about $70,000 per year. A clinical nurse, on the other handle will earn about $41,000 per year.
Nursing is a field in demand, too. That means that there is likely to be more and more benefits along the way for those entering the field.