Registered nurses are healthcare professionals who have been in demand for decades. They are also some of the most highly respected professionals in the United States, and there are many top available nursing careers for RNs. Some of the benefits of being an RN include:
High average salaries
Job stability
Great benefits
The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) has listed the average annual salary for a RN is $64,000. This works out to around $30.00 an hour. Both the annual and hourly salary averages are considered to be above the national average. An RN is a job position that is thought of so highly that it was awarded the title of ‘Best Job In the Country’ by U.S. News in 2012.
Registered nurses have job duties that place them on the front lines in the medical field. Not only do they provide patient care, but they are also helping to educate families and patients about certain situations, health care and more. In some cases, they also provide emotional support to family members and patients that a lot of other medical professionals do not provide.
The most commonly performed tasks by Registered nurses are:
Operate medical equipment
Recording symptoms
Administering treatments
Administering medications
Supervise lower level nursing professionals
Assist in exams
Observe patients
So, with that said, what are the best available nursing careers for Registered nurses?
Oncology Registered Nurse
An oncology registered nurse specializes in providing care to patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. These nurses may work in a hospital or they may work in a doctor’s office. The job duties include:
Administering chemotherapy
Monitoring patients
Administer other treatments
Oncology registered nurses often find themselves in positions where they have to provide some level of emotional, mental and moral support to their patients.
Dialysis Registered Nurses
With an average salary of $100,000 a year, this is one of the highest paid nursing careers in the medical field. This type of nurse specializes in providing dialysis to their patients that have kidney problems. These nurses may work in medical facilities, hospitals, and dialysis centers.
In some cases, these nurses may also work on cruise ships and resorts that have dialysis areas set up for their guests.
There is a lot of job stability in this specialized field. In fact, the job growth percentage is projected to increase by over 25%.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse
These are nurses that work in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). They provide care around the clock to newborns who are premature or sick. This job is not only rewarding financially, it is also a very rewarding job to care for those who cannot defend themselves.
These nurses are in high demand, and they also take part in medical care that is highly specialized.
Travel Registered Nurses
If you are looking for a nursing job that allows you to do what you love in different places around the world, travel nursing is the job for you.
Even though it does not pay as much as other types of nursing, being able to travel is one of the major perks. Registered nurses can work on cruise lines, or can work through a nursing agency.
These are some of the top available nursing careers available for qualified nurses. The profession is always evolving, and the best nurses continue to advance their education so they can work in different specialties.