Experience

How much of a pay boost you will receive after completing your graduation in nursing depends on several factors such as: Specialization Job role Employer State Location Experience Record However, we can still make an estimate from the data that’s available. To make things simple, let’s compare salaries of different advanced practice nurses on a nationwide average scale with the national average salary of an undergraduate RN. Undergraduate Registered Nurse (RN) - Approximately $71,000 per year. Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN - FNP) - Approximately $101,500 per year. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (MSN - PNP) - Approximately $99,000 per year. RNs can potentially receive a salary boost of 40% or more after completing their MSN, as we can see from the above comparison. This should prove to be a lucrative enough incentive, especially when you consider the future prospects of assuming leadership roles that an MSN might open up. Higher Pay without the Specialist Job Role? It should be noted that you can only expect a hike as big as stated above if you can also find a job that suits your new qualification. There is a growing demand for advanced practice nurses, so that should not be too difficult. Estimates also point towards an exponentially growing employment rate up top for nurses, with each new year. What if you don’t manage to become a nurse practitioner right away? Will you still be working for the same money, despite all the effort and expenses? Not quite, because you can still expect a significant boost in your salary as a senior nurse with higher qualifications. According to the BLS, the average salary of a RN – MSN is $89,000 per year, which is 25% higher than the average salary of the undergraduate RN. At the end of the day, it all comes down to you and your present circumstances. Now that you have some of the more important facts though, making an informed decision should be easier.