Not a lot of people know this, but nurses can have different specialties, just like doctors. Each type of nurse specialization has certain requirements and skillsets that are needed in order to become certified and eligible to work in that particular field.
Not all nursing jobs are the same, especially in terms of job difficulty, schooling requirements and the expected salary – which is why some specializations are more sought after than others. We talked to travel nurse recruitment experts from Ventura MedStaff who pointed to a few rising specialization trends they were able to discern in the past few years and into the first quarter of 2023.
Geriatric Nurses in the US
The population of the world, and especially in the West, is growing older. This brings a whole slew of specialized care needs to the foreground of nursing. There will be a huge need for geriatric nurses to take over this specialized care. Nurses trained in geriatric care used to find employment in nursing homes and hospices, but in recent times, this trend is shifting and they are just as common in hospitals and other medical facilities.
Cardiac nurses All Over The World
Heart and cardiovascular diseases are some of the biggest medical issues plaguing the modern world. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. This leads to an increased need for cardiac nurses who help to treat acute and chronic heart conditions.
The complexities and the length of education cardiac nurses must go through makes them a rare choice for new nurses, but if you want to future-proof your occupation, this is one of the safest specialties to choose.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
CRNA’s are one of the highest-paid nursing specializations – and it is also expected to see a noticeable increase in demand. With an almost $200,000.00 yearly salary, this profession is always on the top of the list of specializations to go after if you want to increase your earning potential. However, it is a challenging profession, seeing how helping doctors with anesthesia during procedures requires a lot of finesse and knowledge.
Family Nurse Practitioner
This is one of the fastest growing nursing specializations because it continues to be one of the top choices amongst nurse practitioners. To become a FNP, registered nurses have to get a graduate nursing degree and pass the FNP national board certification exam. But then, FNPs can order tests, perform diagnostics, and more for their patients. This increased level in care leads to an increase in salary expectation as well.
ER Nurses Are Essential
The majority of professions we mentioned today are a bit more specialized and either a part of a new trend or of a high-paying profession. But the fact of the matter is that one of the biggest job markets for nurses is for those that specialize in ER care. The nurses who work in the ER are often faced with life-or-death decisions and perform critical care. They treat patients every day with life-threatening and often severe conditions.
Nursing jobs are never easy, and the compensation for their hard work should reflect that. These specializations typically have a very high starting salary, and the increased demand is likely to drive these salaries even higher. However, if you want to boost your earnings even higher, there’s always travel nursing which pays significantly better than staff nursing.