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Close to 70 percent of nurses are employed in hospitals, and the standard hosptial nurse salary is slightly higher than nurses who work in a medical office or clinic.
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Hospital Nurse SalaryNurses are the backbone of the medical industry, with hospital nurses providing the high quality medical care needed in an inpatient/outpatient medical center. The hospital nurse, or registered nurse, make up the largest part of the medical profession with over 2.6 million men and women working in this essential position. Even with the high number of nurses already working in these positions, the job growth in the medical field is expected to continue climbing, with current projections expected over 500,000 new RN positions to be created over the next 5 years.
The hospital nurse performs a number of different functions in the medical facility. Their primary goal is to treat patients and assist doctors in the treatment of patients. While the doctor typically takes care of the diagnosis and complex treatments, the nurse gives patients their medication, monitors the health readings, ensures they are comfortable, helps with rehabilitation, provides samples for testing, and performs emergency services should they become necessary. Hospital nurses often work very long hours in a fast-paced, stressful environment, and have a number of potential health hazards on the job. RNs will be exposed to very ill people, those with infectious and contagious illnesses, a large amount of bodily fluids, and conditions related to the large amount of stress and strain in the hospital.  Becoming a nurse is not an easy path to take. Nurses are licensed by a national board after completing a certification program and obtaining an accredited degree from an approved medical training program. You can get a stand degree in nursing from a certified program, an ADN (associated degree in nursing), or a BSN (bachelor's degree in nursing). The BSN takes four years to complete, with the associated and the standard degree taking between 1 and 3 years. Following the completion of a nursing degree, certification is required. The national licensing exam is the NCLEX-RN. This is given on a national level, and will license the nurse to work in one state. For additional specialties, like anesthesia or midwives, additional certifications and licensing will be required, on top of additional educational programs.
Master's degrees and doctorates are available for nursing sciences, and those who are looking to go into an administrative or leadership position are required to advance their education to one of these levels. The larger the hospital, the higher the average salary. The average hospital nurse salary is $45,500 a year. Nurses just starting their career can expect to start at around $39,000, and should be making around the average hospital nurse salary within 3 years. The average nurses salary range is between $37,000 and $54,000 for the standard hospital nurse. Those who move up to a nurse practitioner or into a supervisory or administrative role can expect a higher salary. The average nurse practitioners starting salary is around $57,000.
While the hospital nurse is a high stress job, the growth potential and job security that exists in this professional is very high. Currently, there are more open positions than there are people able to fill them.
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