Are you exhausted, unexcited, or overly stressed during your nursing shifts? If so, it’s probably time to look for a new nursing role. In your search, you could apply to jobs like your own, but that puts you at risk of a burn-out in a new workplace.
Instead, consider specializing. With a specific nursing specialty, you can take on more meaningful work, command higher pay, and access exciting opportunities. Read on to learn about ten high paying nursing specialities.
Choosing the right nursing speciality
According to Johnson & Johnson, there are at least 96 different nursing specialities. That’s a lot to choose from and could easily lead to decision fatigue.
To break through that indecision, answer these three questions about your professional interests:
What areas of health am I most passionate about?
What matters most in my next nursing role? Answers could include a flexible work situation, low stress environment, making a difference in patients’ lives, or something else entirely.
How much time and money am I willing to invest in continuing education?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you can better determine which nursing speciality suits your interests, work preferences, and commitment to education. Confused what specialties are hiring at a faster rate (and with better pay)? Check out these ten specialities.
Oncology nursing
Oncology nurses care for patients who have cancer or are at risk of developing cancer. Nurses in this role administer cancer treatments, assess symptoms, and help build the right treatment plan. Since oncology nursing is a specialized skill set, nurses in this field often command higher salaries. They also get to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients.
With that being said, nurses in this role work closer with patients than many other nurses. They need to be adept at understanding what patients need emotionally, physically, and mentally during treatment.
Dermatology nursing
Dermatology nursing is a great field for anyone passionate about skin care and health. As a dermatology nurse, you’ll work alongside dermatologists and assist patients with conditions ranging from acne to skin cancer. Like many subspecialties, additional dermatology education can make you a more competitive candidate.
Surgical nursing
Surgical nurses work in a fast-paced, meaningful workplace: the operation room. They assist doctors during surgery and often oversee after surgery care. Being a surgical nurse isn’t for everyone, as it involves fast-paced shifts that are sometimes stressful. However, it often comes with higher pay, the ability to take on more responsibilities faster, and more job opportunities.
Geriatric nursing
Have a passion for helping the elderly? Geriatric nursing may be the field for you. In this role, nurses help the elderly with medication management and other health concerns. Geriatric nurses have the ability to work in a variety of environments, such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, and assisted living homes.
Emergency nursing
Looking for a fast-paced work environment? The emergency room may suit the bill. Emergency nurses work shifts where they administer care and assist doctors in emergency rooms. Often, nurses in these roles are paid higher salaries. Nurse.org estimates emergency room RNs make $20,000 more a year on average than RNs as a whole.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
A sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) works with a forensic team to collect and examine evidence of sexual assault cases in North Carlolina. Since this is such a specialized field, North Carolina has a series of set requirements, culminating in the SANE certificate of completion. Requirements include completing medical forensic sexual assault examinations and a SANE training program.
Informatics nursing
Interested in the intersection of technology and nursing? Informatics nursing might be for you. For this speciality, nurses are trained on cutting edge medical technology and often work in lower stress environments. Nurses in these roles don’t deal with patients as often as other nurses. If interested, this field is well worth pursuing since it’s in high demand in North Carolina.
Psychiatric nursing
Nurses with a passion for mental health should consider this speciality. Roles are available as RNs or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners, a role which requires additional education. For either path, nurses work with mental health patients and assist psychiatrists and other mental health professionals in the administration of care.
Labor and delivery nursing
Labor and delivery nursing is a fulfilling field for nurses who want to help OB/GYNs deliver new babies. Sometimes, the hours for this role can be demanding and being a labor and delivery nurse can come with additional stress. However, it also often means higher pay, more job opportunities, and more fulfillment at work.
Remote nursing roles
While not a specialty per say, telehealth nursing is a quickly growing field. There’s a lot of appealing benefits to working remotely as a nurse, such as better work/life balance, reduced change of patient violence, and skipping the morning commute. To learn more about remote nursing roles, check out our guide to landing a remote job as a nurse.
Next steps
See a speciality you like? Or maybe you want to discover which of the other 96 specialities are right for you. No matter which option you fall under, it’s time to download the HireMe Healthcare app.