Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?
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When it comes to nursing, obtaining a specialty pays. Nurses have varied job roles and nurse titles, even though five nursing occupations employed more than 4 million nurses in 2018. Advanced degrees and specialty training can provide additional income and often greater professional fulfillment.
There are many benefits to pursuing a career in nursing. Discover more about the professional freedoms available to you by pursuing a nursing specialty.
Salary information is sourced from Payscale, Salary.com, ZipRecruiter, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Individual links lead to NurseJournal career pages where you can learn about each specialty's educational requirements, employment outlook, and responsibilities.
Popular MSN Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Popular Nursing Careers FAQs
What are the most popular nursing jobs?
Specialized nursing careers continue to expand, especially for registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). The most popular nursing jobs provide these specialized nurses with high salaries, good benefits, and opportunities for career advancement. NurseJournal.org lists the most popular nursing specialties below:
- Family nurse practitioner
- Neonatal nurse
- Nurse midwife
- Geriatric nurse
- Acute care nurse
What are the most in-demand nursing specialties?
The BLS projects employment growth for all nurses to far exceed the average growth project of 5.3% from 2021-2031 for all occupations. Nurse practitioners during that time should see a 40% increase, with employers adding 112,700 positions. Most nursing professions have a need for nurses, but these jobs rank at the most in-demand specialties:
- Critical care nurse
- Certified nurse midwife
- Certified dialysis nurse
- Operating room nurse
- Nurse case manager
What nursing career makes the most?
Above all other nurses APRNs fetch the best salaries. Nurse anesthetists earn a median annual wage of $195,610, according to the BLS. The best-paying nurse anesthetists make a mean annual wage of $254,180 at outpatient care centers. APRNs make between $79,870 and $200,540. Other top-paying nursing careers include:
- Certified nurse midwife
- Chief nursing officer
- Clinical nurse specialist
- Geriatric nurse practitioner
- ICU nurse
- Nursing director
- Nurse practitioner
- Psychiatric nurse practitioner
What are the different levels in nursing?
Non-degree nurses, such as certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), typically find employment after completing nursing training that does not lead to a degree.
RNs must earn either an associate of nursing degree (ASN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and get a passing score on the NCLEX-RN. Advanced degree nurses must hold a master of science in nursing or a doctor of nursing practice degree to qualify for positions as APRNs.
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Our Integrity Network
NurseJournal.org is committed to delivering content that is objective and actionable. To that end, we have built a network of industry professionals across higher education to review our content and ensure we are providing the most helpful information to our readers.
Drawing on their firsthand industry expertise, our Integrity Network members serve as an additional step in our editing process, helping us confirm our content is accurate and up to date. These contributors:
- Suggest changes to inaccurate or misleading information.
- Provide specific, corrective feedback.
- Identify critical information that writers may have missed.
Integrity Network members typically work full time in their industry profession and review content for NurseJournal.org as a side project. All Integrity Network members are paid members of the Red Ventures Education Integrity Network.
Guide to Nursing Specializations and Concentrations
Updated November 18, 2022
Reviewed by
Our Integrity Network
NurseJournal.org is committed to delivering content that is objective and actionable. To that end, we have built a network of industry professionals across higher education to review our content and ensure we are providing the most helpful information to our readers.
Drawing on their firsthand industry expertise, our Integrity Network members serve as an additional step in our editing process, helping us confirm our content is accurate and up to date. These contributors:
- Suggest changes to inaccurate or misleading information.
- Provide specific, corrective feedback.
- Identify critical information that writers may have missed.
Integrity Network members typically work full time in their industry profession and review content for NurseJournal.org as a side project. All Integrity Network members are paid members of the Red Ventures Education Integrity Network.
NurseJournal.org is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.
Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?
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