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What Are the Top Employers of MSN Degree Holders?
With an MSN, there are four career paths you can consider – nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, or certified registered nurse anesthetist. From there, you can specialize further, working with a certain age group (for example, prenatal nursing, geriatrics, etc.), working with a certain part of the body (cardiovascular, digestive system, etc.), or working in a certain environment (emergency room, family practice, etc.). No matter where you go in the United States, you will find job openings, but you can increase your success rate when interviewing, as well as your salary, if you start by applying with top employers.
According to Payscale.com, some of the highest-paying types of employers for those with an MSN, on average, are as follows:
- Schools: $92,000
- Foundations: $88,608
- Non-Profit Organizations: $79,480
- Hospitals: $78,391
- Federal Government Departments and Organizations: $77,511
- Private Practices: $73,958
- Other Companies: $74,013
Another way to classify employers of nurses holding MSNs is by type of facility. Some of the top employers, in terms of both salary and number of nursing employers, include extended care and nursing home facilities, schools, ambulatory care centers, community organizations and home health services, health insurance companies, and physician’s offices. By far, one of the largest types of employers of workers with MSN degrees will always be the general hospital. In general, mid- to large-sized hospitals pay slightly better than smaller hospitals, and location also makes a difference; hospitals in cities typically have better average salaries for their employees than hospitals in more rural areas. Your salary and the job openings available will also depend on the department in which you want to work. Many hospitals are, for example, hiring more and more nurse anesthetists, since they can do jobs that could once only be performed by licensed doctors. There’s also a high demand for women’s health nurses in the OB/GYN or prenatal departments of many hospitals, as well as in geriatrics, as the population is getting older with advanced medical treatments, and finally nursing informatics, as advanced technologies continue to become more ubiquitous in healthcare settings.
Of course, the best employer for you might not be the best employer for everyone. As a nurse with an MSN, you’ll likely be offered a number of positions when you start applying for jobs; many facilities have a vast shortage of nurses at all times, so they hire anyone qualified for the position. When you’re job hunting, answer the following questions:
- Is this employer located in an area where I want to live?
- Does this employer have programs for advanced training or doctorate degree education?
- Can I see myself growing in a career with this employer?
- Will I be a part of a family with this employer, or just another face in the crowd?
- Does this employer have special perks for employees, like day care facilities?
- How limiting will this employer be on my resume in the future?
A “top” employer isn’t necessarily the one paying the most or hiring the most people; the best place for you to work is somewhere where you feel comfortable and enjoy your job.