The 10 highest-paying jobs with a nursing degree
Thinking about studying for a nursing degree and curious about what your career prospects might be? Find out in this handy list of the 10 highest-paying jobs with a nursing degree.
If you plan to pursue a career in the caring profession and you have an interest in clinical healthcare, you may have your sights set on a degree in nursing. With so many different opportunities available to nursing graduates, you might be wondering which career path to pursue when you graduate.
To help you weigh up the decision, we’ve pulled together a list of the 10 highest-paying jobs for graduates with a nursing degree. Read on to learn what the jobs are, what kind of salary you can expect and which types of nursing degrees can open the door to the highest-paying jobs.
What is a nursing degree?
A nursing degree is a university-level academic program that provides comprehensive training and education in the field of nursing. At the end of the course, graduates are able to register with The Nursing and Midwifery Council and work in the UK as a registered nurse.
The curriculum of a nursing degree typically covers subjects such as anatomy, physiology, complex and critical care, public health and patient care planning. Nursing degrees prepare students to deliver quality patient care in diverse healthcare settings, including hospitals.
Students gain the knowledge, skills and competencies required to work as registered nurses or to go into other areas of healthcare. Many go on to undertake further training so they can gain specific qualifications in other healthcare professions, like midwifery.
Available at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with different specialisations and options for further study available, a nursing degree is a versatile degree for anyone seeking a career in nursing.
What are the 10 highest-paying jobs with a nursing degree?
A nursing degree opens doors to a vast range of careers within the healthcare profession. To help you decide on the direction of your nursing career, we’ve pulled together a list of the 10 highest-paying nursing jobs in the UK.
- Nurse consultant
Nurse consultants specialise in a specific practice area. They lead research and quality improvements, develop and implement clinical guidelines and provide expert advice and mentorship.
Nurse consultants operate at a strategic level that’s underpinned by the Royal College of Nursing’s four “pillars” of advanced nursing practice: clinical practice, education, research and leadership. Working across organisational boundaries, nurse consultants don’t always operate in healthcare settings. They can also work in corporate environments, such as insurance companies and government agencies.
The role of nurse consultant is one of the highest-paying nursing jobs available, with a starting salary range of £55,000-65,000. To become a nursing consultant, nurses must undertake further academic study – a master’s degree is preferred. They must also conduct research and have extensive clinical experience.
- Nurse anaesthetist
A nurse anaesthetist administers anaesthesia and monitors patients during operations. It’s a collaborative role that involves working closely with surgeons and anaesthesiologists to maintain patients’ stability and help manage complications during surgery.
Nurse anaesthetists usually work in critical care units, such as A&E wards and intensive care units in hospitals. Another role that comes under the Royal College of Nursing’s definition of advanced-level nursing, it involves conducting pre-surgery assessments and monitoring patients after surgery to help support their recovery.
Nurse anaesthetists usually have a postgraduate qualification in nursing, often at a master’s degree level. The role can be among the highest-paid jobs in nursing for those with experience. While starting salaries begin at around £35,000, they can increase to over £73,000 for the most experienced professionals.
- Nurse manager
Nurse manager is a leadership and decision-making role. The term can be used to describe a variety of positions in a healthcare setting, including ward sister, matron and chief nurse.
The focus of the nurse manager role is on overseeing nursing teams and ensuring high standards of patient care. Nurse managers also manage budgets and staff schedules while leading team development and strategy. In senior leadership positions, nurse managers may be involved in managing services or operations.
While a bachelor’s degree is usually a sufficient level of qualification, nurse managers are usually expected to have undertaken some leadership training. The NHS Leadership Academy runs programs that can help nurses develop these skills.
A nurse manager can expect a starting salary of £40,000- £50,000.
- Pain management nurse
A pain management nurse helps assess acute or chronic pain and helps patients manage it.
They monitor how much pain a patient is in, work with doctors and other team members to create a treatment plan and administer medication. They might use a variety of methods to do this, including intramuscular, intravenous or intrathecal administration.
Pain management nurses offer support to people living with pain and their carers, teaching them how to manage pain and avoid addiction to pain medication.
A pain management nurse can expect a starting salary of £40,000-£50,000.
- Cardiac nurse
Cardiac nurses care for patients who have heart conditions such as arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and heart failure.
Working closely with cardiac doctors and other healthcare professionals, cardiac nurses provide care before, during and after heart surgery and perform procedures like implanting pacemakers. Cardiac nurses also respond to cardiac emergencies and perform life-saving medical interventions.
On a day-to-day basis, cardiac nurses administer treatments and support patients’ rehabilitation. They’re also responsible for educating patients and their families on cardiac health, recovery and management of ongoing conditions.
The starting salary for a cardiac nurse is £40,000-£50,000.
- Neonatal intensive care nurse
A neonatal intensive care (NICU) nurse cares for newborn babies who are critically ill or were born prematurely. NICU nurses operate specialised neonatal equipment, administer medications and perform medical procedures like inserting intravenous lines.
NICU nurses work as part of a multidisciplinary team, which typically includes paediatricians, dietitians, midwives and other children’s nurses. They also have an important role to play in supporting and educating the families of babies in their care. This requires high levels of empathy and excellent communication skills.
Registered nurses must have six months of experience and then undertake additional professional development before they can progress into this highly specialized role.
A neonatal intensive care nurse can expect a starting salary of £35,000-£45,000.
- Research nurse
A research nurse – sometimes called a nurse researcher or clinical research nurse – conducts studies to improve clinical and nursing practices.
It’s an important role that provides an evidence-based method for making decisions about introducing new approaches to patient treatment or care.
The role of a research nurse involves devising and conducting clinical trials, recruiting participants, providing care during a trial and conducting procedures as part of the clinical study. These might include blood specimen analysis, drug administration and clinical observation.
Research nurses usually have a master’s degree in nursing and often choose courses with a strong emphasis on clinical research. Research nurses can expect a starting salary of £35,000-£45,000.
- Nurse educator
A nurse educator – also known as a clinical educator – teaches clinical skills and patient care to nursing students.
The role also has a focus on curriculum design. Nurse educators devise educational programs that balance theoretical knowledge with practical application. They’re expected to keep up with the latest nursing practices and integrate them into their training.
Nurse educators work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, higher education institutes (e.g. universities), private healthcare and other health-related organisations. They typically have a master’s degree in nursing.
The starting salary for a nurse educator is £35,000-£45,000.
- Nurse practitioner
Nurse practitioner is another role that falls under the Royal College’s definition of advanced-level nursing. Nurse practitioners are highly trained nurses who provide advanced nursing care in a specialized area, such as emergency or acute care, cardiology or oncology.
A Nurse practitioner is able to undertake some tasks that doctors usually perform, like diagnosing health conditions and prescribing and administering medication.
They also manage complex or chronic health cases, devise care plans and conduct clinical research. A master’s degree in nursing is a requirement of the role.
The starting salary for a nurse practitioner is £35,000-£45,000.
- Theatre nurse
A theatre nurse supports surgical teams performing a wide range of tasks before, during and after surgery. The role involves preparing patients and surgical areas for operations and assisting surgeons during procedures. Theatre nurses monitor patients’ vital signs and ensure safety in the operating theatre.
They work with a diverse range of healthcare professionals, including surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre support workers and healthcare scientists, like cardiac physiologists.
Outside of the surgical environment, theatre nurses are often involved with procedures on wards and in clinics and specialist units.
The starting salary for a theatre nurse is £30,000-£40,000.
What are the highest-paying nursing degrees?
Now that you’ve learned about the highest-paid jobs in nursing, you might be wondering which degrees open doors to the best opportunities for graduates. Here are the bachelor’s and master’s degrees that can lead to some of the highest-paid nursing jobs.
The highest-paying bachelor’s degrees in nursing
At the bachelor’s level, there are just a few types of degrees that allow students to qualify as registered nurses. Here are the courses that are most commonly on offer at UK universities.
BN (Hons) Nursing Studies
This comprehensive degree course teaches general nursing practice across a diverse group of patients, including children and adults.
Covering all fields of nursing, courses usually include work placements in a variety of nursing specialisms.
This degree is a good option for students who want to gain a comprehensive understanding of nursing at the bachelor’s level and don’t yet want to specialise in a particular type of patient care.
Graduates typically pursue careers that involve system-wide nursing and delivering care to a broad population.
BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
The curriculum of this degree course focuses specifically on adult nursing care. It typically includes modules on caring for adults with chronic or acute conditions, clinical assessment, adult pharmacology and patient safety.
Adult nursing degrees include practical training with adult patients in hospitals, primary care settings (e.g. a GP’s office) and community care settings.
This degree is a good option for students who know they want to focus on adult care from the outset of their nursing education. Graduates typically pursue careers in adult healthcare settings, like hospitals, care homes and hospices.
BSc (Hons) Child Nursing
This degree course focuses specifically on nursing care for children. This includes neonatal, paediatric and adolescent care.
The curriculum typically includes child development, childhood illnesses, paediatric pharmacology and family-centred care.
Child nursing degrees include clinical placements in children’s hospitals and community settings. Placements can also involve working with children with long-term health conditions.
This degree is a good option for students who know they want to focus on nursing care for children. Graduates typically pursue careers in child healthcare settings, like children’s hospitals, paediatric care and community settings.
The highest-paying master’s degrees in nursing
At the master’s level, nursing graduates have the opportunity to hone their core professional skills further or to specialise in a particular aspect of nursing. With a master’s degree, nurses are often better equipped to pursue some of the highest-paid nursing jobs, such as nurse consultant.
MSc Nursing
This master’s degree equips nurses with advanced knowledge of nursing practice, research, leadership and clinical skills. It offers a broad curriculum, giving graduates the opportunity to specialize even further after graduation.
Designed for nurses who want to deepen their clinical knowledge and professional practice, the course usually includes research-focused modules, which allow nurses to engage in evidence-based practice and contribute to nursing research.
It’s a great option for registered nurses who want to be in a stronger position to pursue some of the highest-paying nursing jobs, like nurse educator, research nurse and nurse practitioner.
MSc Advanced Nursing
This course focuses on developing leadership and clinical expertise in nursing. With an emphasis on patient care improvement, this master’s degree includes leadership training, evidence-based practice and preparation for roles that require nurses to work independently at an advanced level.
This master’s degree equips nurses with the tools they need to work in senior clinical roles or leadership roles with a focus on the management of complex nursing care systems.
It’s a great option for registered nurses who want to be in a stronger position to pursue some of the highest-paying nursing jobs, like nurse manager, nurse consultant and nurse educator.
MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
With a focus on developing assessment, decision-making and advanced clinical skills, this master’s degree course equips nurses for careers in specialised clinical settings.
With an emphasis on working autonomously in areas like primary care, emergency care and critical care, this course gives nurses the opportunity to strengthen their hands-on clinical practice.
It’s a great option for registered nurses who want to pursue clinical leadership roles, particularly in settings like emergency care, intensive care and surgery. Graduates are usually in a strong position to pursue some of the highest-paying nursing jobs like nurse consultant, theatre nurse and advanced nursing practitioner roles.
Take your nursing career to the next level with a master’s degree from FutureLearn
If you’re interested in pursuing some of the highest-paid jobs in the profession, a nursing degree is essential. Many of the best-paid jobs require or strongly prefer graduates to have a master’s degree in nursing.
Are you ready to give your career prospects a boost? At FutureLearn, we can help you take your nursing career to the next level with our flexible online options.
