Top Paying Nursing Specialties

You can increase your earning power by pursuing specialization and furthering your education - here are a few of the most rewarding RN career paths.

While many RNs pursue a nursing career because of a desire to help people and provide compassionate care, pay is still an important factor. Nurse play an increasingly vital role in healthcare, and as their responsibilities continue to expand, so does their earning potential.

One way nurses can increase their earning potential is to pursue specialization, which usually requires a mixture of further education, professional certifications, and floor experience. RNs who choose to go into advance practice, such as Nurse Practitioners and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, earn high salaries. Understandable, given the scope of their duties and training, and the fact that the minimum educational requirement for these professions is typically an MSN. But if a master's degree isn't in your immediate future, there are several other nursing specialties that are earning above-average pay for the profession.

Nurses who obtain advanced certifications in specialty areas are in high demand and can command more substantial salaries for their expertise. Other mitigating circumstances that impact pay rates are educational level, experience, and job location. The for these areas are fairly uniform, although some institutions may set their own minimum standards. Here are some of the specialty areas currently needed around the country, as well as average salary ranges, as reported by Payscale Human Capital.

Positions for PICU nurses are open across the country. Nurses work closely with doctors and the families of their tiny charges, making the pediatric ICU specialty one of the most rewarding fields in the profession.

The average salary for a nurse case manager varies depending on location. As case managers, nurses are responsible for coordination of patient care and support. They often work closely with those in other disciplines, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and home health specialists.

Nurses certified in this specialty are in high demand across the country. Cardiac Cath Lab nurses consistently claim a high level of job satisfaction while they care for patients suffering myriad cardiac-related illnesses.

Telemetry pay varies depending on the facility and the technical skills required for each position. Knowledge of technical medical equipment to monitor and manage patients' conditions is essential for telemetry nurses and pay is commensurate with the demands of the position.

OR RNs are vital members of surgical teams in hospitals and in outpatient centers. They may circulate, scrub, or act as first assist. Operating room nurses frequently specialize in specific surgery types; in-demand skillsets such as cardiac, neurologic, and robotic surgery often lead to increased earning potential.

NICU nurses are invaluable. Equipped to care for the most critically ill and smallest of patients, these RNs often work in closed units alongside neonatologists and other specialists. The level of acuity of the NICU (II-IV) often impacts pay along with education, experience, and locality.

Don't lose heart if you're not practicing in one of the above specialties. Pay varies widely with location, experience, type of facility, and responsibilities of the individual position. If a particular specialty is in short supply in a given location, expect the salary to rise. Additional certifications are available in most specialties, and will make you a more desirable candidate and improve your eligibility for more positions.

Nurses who have obtained specialty-area certifications are professionally recognized and respected, in addition to commanding higher salaries. Certifications require education, skills-building and successful completion of certification exams, demonstrating nurse proficiency and commitment. In the end, advanced certifications not only enhance your career, but they also improve patient care.

* Salary ranges are sourced from payscale.com Ranges in salary can be attributed to many factors, with one of the most significant being location.