Nurses are giving, resilient, and inspiring people who put the needs of others before their own, and they deserve an income that matches their abilities. Here’s how to make that happen for you.
Pursue an Advanced Degree
If you are serious about increasing your salary, you’ll need to pursue an advanced degree. But, don’t worry – there are plenty of degrees and online msn programs you can study from home, so you don’t have to jeopardize your current role for a better education.
If you plan on studying and working simultaneously, you’ll need to manage your time wisely while taking care of yourself. A few tips for doing this include –
Write Yourself a Weekly Schedule
With so many responsibilities, you must have a schedule planned at the beginning of each week. That way, you are less likely to miss a meeting or forget about a looming assignment deadline.
Start Your Assignments Early
You might think you have plenty of time to get your assignments completed, but as a nurse, time moves fast, and you might find that amid your busy schedule, an important deadline is only a week away. To prevent this, make it your mission to always start your assignments early.
Have a Word with Your Manager
Before applying for online msn programs, have a word with your manager about your time. They might be willing to shorten some of your shifts or take away some of your overtime when necessary.
Form a Study Group
Studying online doesn’t mean you can’t form a study group – you’ll just have to create a group chat and talk over video calls.
Seek Advice from Your Mentor
Your mentor is a great person to seek advice from, as they have been in the same position that you are currently in.
Keep Study Notes with You
As you study, keep simple notes to the side and take them with you wherever you go. That way anywhere can be a study session!
Study While You Travel
With so little time on your hands, you must make use of every available minute, and that includes the time you travel. If you get a bus or a train into work, use those hours to catch up on your online msn programs reading or go over your notes.
Advance Your Training
It’s not just formal education you should seek – you should also look into the training courses on offer. While this may take some time out of your workday, you will gain knowledge and skills that will help you earn a promotion and a higher salary in the long run. In addition, there are plenty of nursing certifications on offer, so speak with your supervisor or manager to determine which one would suit you.
Work the Night Shifts
The night shifts often offer better pay, so where possible, take them and watch your salary increase. It’s not easy to work the night shifts, though, as you don’t get the same amount of daylight as usual, which can lead to stress and even depression. To ensure you don’t fall into this, here are some tips:
Don’t Exclusively Work the Night Shifts
Working the night shifts for too long can result in poor health, so don’t overdo it. On the other hand, if you’ve barely seen daylight in a week, that’s your sign that you need to work during more sensible hours, if only for a few shifts.
Purchase Blackout Blinds
Sleeping during the daytime is a struggle, so purchase blackout blinds to give your body and mind the illusion of nighttime.
Make the Most Out of Any Daylight You See
The sun provides lots of benefits, so even when doing the night shift, still try and soak up a little of those rays. If you finish at 6am, for example, you could take a half an hour walk to enjoy that beautiful sunrise.
Aim for a Leadership Role
Leadership roles often mean higher pay, so if you want to increase your nursing income, study hard and aim for management. Of course, studying for advanced degrees like online msn programs will help, but it’s also important to improve your soft skills, especially leadership.
Some simple ways to improve your leadership skills include:
Practicing Active Listening
When you’re young, you might assume great leadership involves a loud voice and strong opinions, but this isn’t true. In fact, the best leaders are those who listen well, so learn to hear everyone’s voice during projects.
Taking Initiative
Taking the initiative is essential for standing out as a leader-type. People will naturally flock to you, and you’ll show that you have the knowledge and the skills to lead a team.
Working on Communication Skills
Great communication skills are essential for any nurse, but especially nurses who want to advance to a leadership role, so work on articulating yourself clearly and writing well.
Accepting Your Mistakes
Humbleness is a necessary trait for leaders. After all, no leader is perfect all the time, and mistakes will be made. It is better to learn from your mistakes than to let them defeat you!
Increasing Your Knowledge
The more you know about nursing, the better chance you’ll stand at attaining a leadership role, so keep on studying even once you’ve completed your online msn programs.
Always Being Reliable
Reliability is a must. No matter how clever or talented a nurse is, if they don’t always show up on time or sometimes forget their equipment, they can’t be relied upon. So, work on your organization and time management in order to stand out and lead the team.
Choose a Nursing Specialty
Registered nurses often receive a lower salary than nurses who focus on a particular area, such as pediatric care, midwifery, or geriatric care. For this reason, if you want to boost your salary, you must think about pursuing online msn programs and choosing a nursing specialty. Remember to consider your current skillset as well as the salary provided by a role. After all, you’ll lose more money in the end by pursuing a specialty you don’t enjoy!
Never Stop Learning
As a nurse who wants to increase your income, one of your biggest goals is to get a promotion. Several things will increase your chances of doing this, with one of them being constantly increasing the amount of nursing knowledge you have.
To ensure your education never ends, look out for excellent online msn programs, speak to your supervisor about training opportunities, and do plenty of reading in your own time. A nurse who spends their breaks brushing up on knowledge is a nurse that stands out in the healthcare crowd!
Take on All Overtime
Overtime is a great way to build a higher salary. If you take on enough, then you will see a dramatic increase in your paycheck at the end of each month. So, let your supervisor know that you are always available for extra hours and prepare yourself for some hard work.
Remember, though – many of your nursing co-workers will be on the lookout for overtime, too, so don’t be too disappointed if there isn’t enough to go around sometimes. To ensure your supervisor is more likely to consider you, make sure you put in the one-hundred-percent effort each shift.
Network, Network, Network
The nursing role you are in now isn’t necessarily the one you will stick with for the rest of your life, especially if you have a higher salary in mind. That means you must always stay open to new nursing opportunities, and that means networking with more people.
Networking can be done anywhere, but as a nurse, it’s best to network while studying, at nursing training sessions, and at your current place of work. If you are studying for online msn programs, for example, make sure to make friends with as many classmates as possible, as they could end up recommending you for a high-paid nursing role at their place of work in the future. The more people you know, the better.
Monetize Your Knowledge
It’s not just your career that can earn your money – it’s your knowledge, too. As a nurse, you have a lot of specialized knowledge that you’ve learned from nursing school, online msn programs, and the general work experience you’ve had.
With the help of the internet, you can sell that knowledge for a price in the form of an e-book, an online course, or even a YouTube channel. Plenty of nurses have successful online platforms that they can monetize, which means helping other developing nurses out while increasing your income. So if you have lots of handy tips for getting through nursing school, for example, you could make an educational video on that.
Choose the Right Nursing Path
One of the most important actions you can take to increase your income as a nurse is choosing a nursing specialty that matches your skillset. If you are great with children, you could work toward becoming a pediatric nurse, which would greatly increase your earnings. Not only will you earn a higher salary with a nursing specialty, but you will also ensure you show off your greatest skills, which, in turn, improves your chances of getting a promotion.
Remember – when choosing a nursing path, think about the average salary as well as the skills you have.
What are the Highest Paying Nursing Roles?
If you are greatly motivated by money, then it makes sense that you would choose a nursing role that pays well. Fortunately, there are plenty out there, so you are sure to find a nursing career that suits your skillset. Here are some of the highest paying nursing roles:
General Nurse Practitioner
Average salary: $111K per year
A general nurse practitioner has more responsibility than a registered nurse. In fact, many can assess, diagnose, treat, and prescribe to patients. There is a lot of need for general nurse practitioners in the healthcare world, so look at some online msn programs to see if it’s the role for you.
Nurse Administrator
Average salary: $100K per year
Nurse administrators handle the administrative tasks, including setting budgets, contacting other practices, and organizing the week’s schedule. It’s a lot of responsibility and would suit someone who has high organization and writing skills.
Nurse Midwife
Average salary: $108K per year
Midwifery is more than just being there during the birth – it is also about caring for pregnant mothers throughout their entire pregnancy. That means, to be a certified nurse-midwife, you must be caring, attentive, and focused. It’s an extremely specialized role that requires talent, but the career itself is fulfilling and lucrative.
Nursing Teacher
Average salary: $88K per year
Do you have a knack for passing on your knowledge? As well as monetizing your skills online, you could also pursue a nurse teaching role. Again, the salary is reasonably high, and you’d get to educate the next generation of nurses.
Nurse Anesthetist
Average salary: $154K per year
Nurse anesthetists work alongside surgeons and doctors by providing pain medication to patients undergoing surgery. With such a high salary comes high responsibility, so study hard, pursue the right training, and gain as much experience as you can.
There are plenty of other nursing roles that provide a lucrative career, so research the different roles and pick one that speaks to you. Remember, it’s just as much about enjoyment and passion as it is about the paycheck.
Nursing is about more than earning a high salary, but when the role is so demanding, challenging, and time-consuming, a large income is more than deserved. By following this advice, you ensure that you earn the salary that you deserve.
