160+ Most Popular Nursing Job & Career Titles

Nursing is a diverse and ever-evolving field that offers a wide array of job opportunities and career paths for individuals with a passion for healthcare and a commitment to helping others. With the healthcare industry continually expanding, nursing professionals are in high demand, and there is a multitude of specialized roles available to cater to the unique interests and skillsets of each individual.

In this article, we will explore some of the most popular nursing job and career titles, delving into their responsibilities, educational requirements, and potential for growth. Whether you’re an aspiring nurse or a seasoned professional looking to make a change, this comprehensive guide will provide insights into the many exciting opportunities awaiting you in the world of nursing.

Salary information is sourced from Payscale.com, Salary.com, ZipRecruiter, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of December 8, 2021. Individual links lead to Nurse Journal career pages where you can learn about each specialty’s educational requirements, employment outlook, responsibilities, and more.

Popular Nursing Job & Career Titles

Career	Salary Range
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner	$89,000 – $129,000*
Adult Nurse Practitioner	$84,000 – $124,000*
Advanced Clinician Nurse	$71,000 – $121,000*
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse	$80,000 – $120,000*
Ambulatory Care Nurse	$67,000 – $84,000**
Ambulatory PACU Nurse	$80,000 – $101,000**
Ambulatory Surgery Manager	$23,000 – $166,000***
Ambulatory Surgery RN	$32,000 – $126,000***
Anesthesiology CRNA	$117,000 – $205,000*
Assistant Director of Nursing	$57,000 – $94,000*
Assistant Nurse Manager	$63,000 – $116,000*
BSN Nurse	$53,000 – $116,000****
Burn Unit RN	$52,000 – $73,000*
Cardiac Catheterization Lab Nurse	$63,000 – $112,000*
Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab Nurse	$24,000 – $145,000***
Cardiology Nurse Practitioner	$87,000 – $126,000*
Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioner	$110,000 – $125,000**
Cardiovascular Nurse	$69,000 – $145,000***
Cardiovascular Operating Room Nurse	$73,000 – $109,000***
Caregiver	$38,000 – $47,000**
Certified Nurse Anesthetist	$176,000 – $210,000**
Certified Nurse Midwife	$67,000 – $179,000****
Certified Nursing Assistant	$19,000 – $45,000*
Charge Nurse	$55,000 – $102,000*
Chief Nursing Officer	$95,000 – $202,000*
Classified Procedure Nurse	$64,000 – $122,000***
Clincial Research Nurse	$79,000 – $98,000**
Clinical Nurse Leader	$65,000 – $109,000*
Clinical Nurse Specialist	$65,000 – $109,000*
Community Health Nurse	$35,000 – $85,000*
Critical Care Nurse Practitioner	$55,000 – $112,000*
Dermatology Nurse Practitioner	$95,000 – $108,000**
Dialysis Nurse	$55,000 – $99,000*
Director of Emergency Nursing	$64,000 – $145,000*
Emergency Room Nurse Practitioner	$109,000 – $130,000**
Emergency Room Registered Nurse	$50,000 – $101,000*
Endocrinology Nurse Practitioner	$95,000 – $111,000**
Endoscopy Nurse	$47,000 – $103,000*
ER Nurse	$50,000 – $101,000*
Family Nurse Practitioner	$81,000 – $120,000*
Flight Nurse	$60,000 – $106,000*
Forensics Nurse	$50,000 – $75,000***
General Nurse	$46,000 – $94,000*
Geriatric Staff Nurse	$66,000 – $84,000**
Geriatric Nurse Practitioner	$100000 – $124,000**
Head ER Nurse	$91,000 – $124,000**
Head OR Nurse	$97,000 – $130,000**
Head Psychiatric Nurse	$89,000 – $120,000
Holistic Nurse Practitioner	$81,000 – $117,000***
Home Care Nurse	$71,000 – $90,000**
Home Health Nurse	$50,000 – $82,000*
Hospice Administrator	$80,000 – $110,000**
Hospice Aide	$28,000 – $42,000**
Hospice Care Nurse	$71,000 – $89,000**
Hospice Nurse	$55,000 – $83,000*
Hospice Nurse Case Manager	$57,000 – $81,000*
Hospice Nursing Admissions	$55,000 – $78,000*
Hospital Assistant	$25,000 – $50,000*
Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner	$91,000 – $129,000*
Hyperbaric Registered Nurse	$37,000 – $75,000***
Infection Control Nurse	$58,000 – $99,000*
Infectious Disease Nurse Practitioner	$52,000 – $124,000***
Infusion Therapy Nurse	$85,000 – $101,000**
Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner	$89,000 – $119,000*
IVF Fertility Nurse	$72,000 – $150,000***
Labor and Delivery Nurse	$51,000 – $97,000*
Lead Charge Nurse	$59,000 – $94,000*
Learning Disabilities Nurse	$27,000 – $81,000***
Legal Nurse Consultant	$60,000 – $100,000*
LPN	$31,000 – $62,000*
LPN Charge Nurse	$41,000 – $67,000*
LPN Family Practice	$31,000 – $59,000*
LPN Instructor	$39,000 – $58,000*
LPN Internal Medicine	$40,000 – $61,000*
LPN Long-term Care	$35,000 – $65,000*
LPN Oncology	$40,000 – $54,000*
LPN Physician Practice	$31,000 – $59,000*
LPN Primary Care	$37,000 – $67,000***
LPN/RN Telemetry	$50,000 – $99,000*
LPN Urgent Care	$44,000 – $69,000***
Male Nurse	$54,000 – $83,000***
Maternal and Child Health	$65,000 – $114,000***
Maternity Nurse Practitioner	$67,000 – $179,000****
Mental Health Clinician	$38,000 – $66,000*
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner	$98,000 – $121,000**
Neonatal Nurse	$64,000 – $87,000*
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner	$86,000 – $135,000*
Nephrology Nurse Practitioner	$100,000 – $121,000***
Neurology Nurse Practitioner	$81,000 – $145,000*
Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner	$95,000 – $130,000***
NICU Clinical Nurse Specialist	$48,000 – $104,000*
NICU Nurse	$64,000 – $87,000*
Nocturnist Nurse Practitioner	$102,000 – $118,000***
Nurse Aide	$14,000 – $44,000*
Nurse Anesthetist	$117,000 – $205,000*
Nurse Assistant	$29,000 – $35,000**
Nurse Educator	$59,000 – $106,000*
Nurse First Assistant	$90,000 – $112,000**
Nurse Manager	$67,000 – $119,000**
Nurse Midwife	$67,000 – $179,000****
Nurse Practitioner	$81,000 – $126,000*
Nurse Practitioner Behavioral Health	$98,000 – $121,000**
Nurse Practitioner Family Practice	$81,000 – $120,000*
Nurse Practitioner Interventional Radiology	$99,000 – $120,000*
Nurse Researcher	$78,000 – $96,000**
Nurse Unit Manager	$66,000 – $85,000***
Nursery Nurse Practitioner	$118,000 – $139,000**
Nursing Director	$68,000 – $136,000*
Nursing Informatics	$71,000 – $117,000***
Nursing Instructor	$48,000 – $85,000*
Nursing Manager	$67,000 – $119,000*
Nursing Supervisor	$55,000 – $104,000*
Obstetrics Nurse	$72,000 – $90,000**
Occupational Nurse Practitioner	$76,000 – $113,000*
Oncology Nurse	$59,000 – $102,000*
Oncology Nurse Practitioner	$109,000 – $120,000**
Operating Room Nurse	$72,000 – $89,000**
Opthamologist Nurse	$38,000 – $50,000***
Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner	$108,000 – $123,000**
Orthopedic Surgeon	$146,000 – $592,000*
Otolaryngology Nurse Practitioner	$93,000 – $132,000***
Pain Management Nurse Practitioner	$86,000 – $130,000*
Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner	$96,000 – $119,000***
Pediatric Emergency Room Nurse	$51,000 – $96,000*
Pediatric Nurse	$60,000 – $80,000*
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner	$103,000 – $115,000**
Pediatric Oncology Nurse	$79,000 – $145,000***
Physiatry Nurse Practitioner	$87,000 – $207,000***
Plastic Surgery Nurse Practitioner	$57,000 – $120,000***
Postpartum Nurse	$88,000 – $119,000***
Practical Nurse	$31,000 – $62,000*
Private Outpatient Surgery	$66,000 – $84,000**
Progressive Care Nurse	$75,000 – $95,000**
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner	$90,000 – $143,000*
Psychiatric Nursing Assistant	$22,000 – $46,000*
Public Health Nurse	$47,000 – $92,000*
Pulmonary Nurse Practitioner	$76,000 – $133,000*
Radiology Nurse Practitioner	$87,000 – $112,000***
Registered Nurse	$46,000 – $94,000*
Registered Nurse First Assistant	$90,000 – $112,000**
Renal Dialysis Nurse	$55,000 – $99,000*
Rheumatology Nurse Practitioner	$90,000 – $125,000***
RN Case Management	$60,000 – $93,000*
RN First Assistant	$90,000 – $112,000*
RN Hematology Oncology	$56,000 – $111,000***
RN Intensive Care Unit	$70,000 – $84,000**
RN Labor and Delivery	$68,000 – $85,000**
RN Outpatient Oncology	$70,000 – $87,000**
RN Outpatient Surgery	$66,000 – $84,000**
RN Specialist	$100,000 – $121,000**
School Nurse	$32,000 – $65,000*
Scrub Nurse	$92,000 – $113,000**
Staff Nurse	$47,000 – $100,000*
Surgical Nurse	$46,000 – $81,000*
Telemetry Nurse	$50,000 – $99,000*
Thoracic Nurse Practitioner	$83,000 – $123,000*
Transplant Nurse	$58,000 – $91,000***
Trauma Nurse Practitioner	$93,000 – $114,000**
Travel Nurse	$45,000 – $104,000*
Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner	$82,000 – $128,000*
Urology Nurse Practitioner	$76,000 – $103,000*
Utilization Review Nurse	$59,000 – $85,000*
Weekend Nurse	$60,000 – $78,000***
Wellness Nurse	$43,000 – $64,000*
Wound & Ostomy Care Nurse	$64,000 – $107,000*

Salary ranges sourced from:

*Payscale  **Salary.com  ***ZipRecruiter  ****BLS

Popular Nursing Careers FAQs

1. What are some of the most popular nursing job and career titles?

Some popular nursing job titles include Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Midwife, and Nurse Educator, among others.

2. What are the educational requirements for various nursing roles?

Educational requirements vary depending on the nursing role. LPNs typically require a diploma or certificate program, while RNs need an associate or bachelor’s degree. Advanced practice roles such as NPs, CNSs, Nurse Anesthetists, and Nurse Midwives usually require a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing.

3. Do I need to be licensed to work as a nurse?

Yes, all nursing professionals are required to be licensed in the state where they plan to practice. This generally involves completing an accredited nursing program, passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), and meeting any additional state-specific requirements.

4. What is the difference between a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)?

The primary difference between RNs and LPNs is their level of education and scope of practice. RNs typically have more advanced education, allowing them to perform a wider range of duties and take on leadership roles. LPNs, with their more focused education, often work under the supervision of RNs and are limited in the tasks they can perform independently.

5. What are the responsibilities of a Nurse Practitioner (NP)?

NPs are advanced practice registered nurses who diagnose and treat patients, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications, and develop treatment plans. They can also serve as primary care providers and often work independently or in collaboration with physicians.

6. How much can I expect to earn in different nursing roles?

Salaries for nursing roles can vary based on factors such as experience, location, and specialty. On average, LPNs earn around $45,000 to $50,000 per year, while RNs typically make between $60,000 and $80,000. Advanced practice roles like NPs, CNSs, Nurse Anesthetists, and Nurse Midwives can earn upwards of $90,000 to over $150,000 annually.

7. What are the typical work settings for nurses?

Nurses can work in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, home healthcare, schools, and community health organizations. The work environment can vary depending on the nursing role and the population served.

8. What is the job outlook for nursing professionals?

The demand for nursing professionals is projected to grow steadily in the coming years due to an aging population, increased access to healthcare, and the ongoing need for skilled healthcare providers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 7% growth in employment for RNs between 2019 and 2029 and a 45% growth for NPs during the same period.