We keep hearing the demand for nurses is expected to grow, but how much can we expect to earn in the coming year?
Look no further! Whether you’re a CNA in Delaware or an RN in California, we’ve rounded up salary projections for 2011 you don’t want to miss.
Find out what you could be earning.
Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants all provide basic patient care, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, and moving patients between rooms. Employment for each is expected to grow 19% over the next eight years, a faster-than-average rate compared to the national average. The number of jobs is expected to grow by 2% in 2011 to total 1,552,600, with an annual median wage growth increase to $24,641.
According to the U.S. Institutes of Labor, the main reason for the growth is because the U.S. population that is moving into elderly homes is growing to record levels and is in greater need of physical and long-term care. In addition, the bad economy is forcing hospitals to discharge patients sooner than normal to less urgent patient care facilities where orderlies can take care of them.
Number of Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants Jobs: 1,469,800 (2008), 1,552,600 (2011), 1,745,800 (2018)
Median Hourly Wages: $11.56
Median Annual Wages: $24,040
Mean Annual Wage for 2011: $24,641
TOP 10 STATES IN 2010
Hourly Wage Annual Wage
Alaska                 $15.32             $31,900
New York           $15.15              $31,500
Nevada               $14.72             $30,600
Hawaii                 $14.44              $30,000
Connecticut       $14.31              $29,800
Rhode Island    $13.84             $28,800
Massachusetts  $13.68             $28,500
Delaware             $13.38             $27,800
New Hampshire $13.30Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â $27,700
Maryland             $13.07           $27,200
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Licensed practical and vocational nurses are needed in all types of healthcare environments, including hospitals and residential facilities. The former constitutes about 25% of all vocational nurse jobs in the U.S. Other types of facilities include community care facilities for the elderly, outpatient care centers and government agencies
Employment for this type of nursing has grown faster than the national average. The best job opportunities are in nursing care facilities and home healthcare services, with the overall number of jobs growing to nearly 1 million by the end of next year (2011). Just like other nursing jobs, the biggest demand for licensed practical and vocational nurses stems from the growth of the elderly population and the shift of after-surgery patient care from hospitals to nursing care facilities. In addition, the U.S. Labor Department says one of the biggest reasons for growth is the fact many of these types of nurses are exiting the workforce, leaving many highly needed jobs open.
Median annual wages of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses were $39,530 by end of last year. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses are: Employment services ($44,690); nursing care facilities ($40,580); home health care services ($39,510); general medical and surgical hospitals ($38,080); and offices of physicians ($35,020).
Mean Hourly Wage: $19.66
Mean Annual Wage: $40,900
Mean Annual Wage for 2011: $41,900
TOP 10 STATES IN 2010
Hourly Wage Annual Wage
Connecticut               $25.34                       $52,700
New Jersey                $24.23                       $50,400
Rhode Island            $23.99                       $49,900
Maryland                   $23.82                       $49,500
Massachusetts          $23.81                       $49,500
California                    $23.74                        $49,400
District of Columbia $23.16Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â $48,200
Nevada                         $23.15                       $48,200
New Mexico                $22.89                       $47,600
Delaware                     $22.88                       $47,600
Registered Nurses
There were 2.6 million nursing jobs in 2009 and about 60% of them were in hospitals. In 2011, there will be small increase of jobs from last year (0.5%), and unfortunately, an even smaller increase of the median wage of 0.2%, to $65,075.
The three main paths to becoming a registered nurse are attaining a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Specialists like nurse anesthetists and practitioners need a master’s degree.
The median annual wage of registered nurses has gone up about $3,000 on average since May 2008. Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of registered nurses were employment services, general medicine and surgical hospitals, offices of physicians, home health care services, and nursing care facilities.
Mean Hourly Wage: $30.65
Mean Annual Wage: $63,800
Mean Annual Wage for 2011: $65,075
TOP 10 STATES IN 2010
Hourly Wage Annual Wage
California           $39.86                          $82,900
Hawaii                            $39.34                           $81,800
Massachusetts                $37.39                          $77,800
Maryland                         $36.38                           $75,700
New Jersey                       $35.85                           $74,600
District of Columbia         $35.36                           $73,500
Alaska                              $35.33                            $73,500
Oregon                            $35.30                            $73,400
Nevada                             $35.23                             $73,300
New York                          $34.66                              $72,100
Popular Industries: Family medicine, hospital, medical office, health clinic
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary
Nurse educators play an important part in the healthcare business. They develop the educational programs for the professional development of nurses and RNs, which are becoming increasingly central in the caring of patients.
For 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor expects there will be a small increase (< 2%) in the number of new postsecondary teachers and that the annual wage will rise from $61,360 to nearly $63,000.
Mean Annual Wage: $61,360
Mean Annual Wage for 2011: $63,000
TOP 10 STATES IN 2010
Annual  Wage
California                   $79,800
New Jersey                 $77,000
Connecticut                 $71,000
Oregon                         $70,900
Hawaii                          $70,700
Florida                         $70,600
Rhode Island             $70,200
New York                    $69,000
Massachusetts           $67,600
Michigan                     $67,400
Popular Industries: Education/college, education, secondary education, technical college, community nursing
Top Degrees: Master of Science, Nursing (MSN), Bachelor of Science, Nursing (BSN), and Master of Science (MS)
Wage Range Estimates of Specific Jobs:
Case manager RN: $65,000 to $165,000
CCU nurse: $48,000 to $62,000
Community health nurse: $35,000 to $56,000
Emergency room nurse: $42,000 to $67,000
Gerontology nurse: $38,000 to $92,000
Licensed practical nurse: $35,000 to $41,000
Nurse assistant: $21,000 to $27,000
Nurse midwife: $47,000 to $86,000
Nurse practitioner: $59,000 to $123,000
Nurse supervisor: $53,000 to $81,000
Registered nurse: $38,000 to $64,000
School nurse: $19,000 to $40,000
Editor’s note: All data used in this article comes from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Numbers are based on the most recent available data.
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