The Most In-Demand Nursing Professions for 2024
- HCP Guide
- Published on February 9
To maximize your earning potential as a registered nurse, finding the right specialization can be key. Excellent healthcare providers (HCPs) from the most in-demand healthcare niches can earn significantly more than the median. While the industry is always changing, we have enough information to project what kinds of nurses will be in high demand for 2024.
Though not the only indicator of demand, this article will mostly look at salary. After all, more sought after HCPs will naturally find better compensation rates.
APRNs and You
Most of the best compensated professions in healthcare all belong under the Advanced Practice Registered Nursing (APRN) umbrella. Compared to other registered nurses, APRNs provide a specialized set of skills and responsibilities for a certain patient population. Because of the difficult and technical nature of their roles, the educational requirements are also far more stringent.
Most APRN roles need a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or higher, and graduates must pass another certification exam for their specific niche. Most MSN programs last at least two years and the tuition can range anywhere between $13,000-95,000. If you are willing to make that time investment, you will enjoy far greater salary offers and professional opportunities.
What are the best compensating nursing specializations?
It should come to no one’s surprise that the best compensating nursing specializations are all APRN roles. According to the most recent data from the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, these are the best compensated HCP jobs in the country:
There is a good reason why Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) are among the most sought after healthcare professionals in the industry. CRNAs are primarily in charge of administering anesthesia before and during a sensitive operation, and providing crucial aftercare following said surgery.
The safe administration of anesthesia is practically essential for a large number of treatment options, which is why CRNAs make a mean annual wage of $205,770. The expected 9% employment growth between 2022 and 2032 reflects the steadily rising demand for nurse anesthetists, in 2024 and beyond.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses provide critical services to newborns experiencing health complications. Whether it is premature birth or severe illness, NICU nurses work fast to bring these infants to a stable condition, before they can be returned safely to their parents. Due to the unique challenges and pressures that these roles present, it is among the best compensating APRN roles by far. Per Indeed, NICU nurses make around $137,720 a year.
Nurse practitioners (NP) fill a fascinating niche, as primary care providers. In essence, they provide many of the same services that a physician can. They can diagnose and treat healthcare conditions, order and administer medical tests, create preventative care plans, and some states even allow them to prescribe medication.
These tasks can either be carried out within a medical team or independently. With a looming physician shortage , populations will turn to NPs to provide these kinds of primary care services. Their average annual compensation of $124,680 reflects this, as does the staggering 45% projected employment growth from 2022 to 2032.
Nurse midwives specialize in both childbirth reproductive health to women in all stages of their life. Without proper medical attention, childbirth can lead to a number of fatal complications for both the mother and the infant. Nurse midwives make sure the entire process plays out safely for everyone involved, by providing prenatal and postpartum care, infant care, and even some gynecological services.
They also offer education and reproductive health services to women from adolescence throughout their menopausal years. The importance of their role and specialized services is reflected by their $122,450 mean annual wage.
Emergency room RNs are first responders to patients who have suffered serious injuries or conditions. They identify and diagnose the problem, determine its grievousness, and offer immediate treatment to avoid long-term complications or (worst-case scenario) fatalities. Due to the stakes and time constraints that ER nurses regularly deal with, this specialization is far more demanding than the average RN role. Although Emergency Room RNs do not enjoy the same compensation rates as their APRN counterparts, an $86,737 average annual compensation rate (per Payscale) is still more than what most RNs make.