Many registered nurses in Washington, DC are returning to school to earn a master’s degree through specialized RN-MSN programs in advanced practice clinical roles, administration, education and informatics. It is time well spent in terms of increased opportunities, greater status and higher salaries. The 2012 survey of salaries conducted by the Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses showed that nurses with a master’s degree in the Mid-Atlantic region earned an average annual salary of $81,546, compared to those with a baccalaureate or associates degree who earned $69,253 and $59,074 respectively.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing noted that Washington has five accredited colleges of nursing at which 1,429 students were enrolled in master’s programs in 2013. That same year, 1,238 were studying to become Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Of those, 985 intended to become certified nurse practitioners, while 150 and 95 were looking forward to careers as certified nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists respectively. In 2013, APRNs made up 6.9 percent of Washington DC’s nursing force.
Nurse Practitioner Salaries Across the Washington DC Area
According to the occupational wage survey of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics 670 nurse practitioners were working in Washington DC in 2013. Their salaries were as follows:
As a comparison, an RN with a Bachelor‘s degree in Washington, DC earns:
The following BLS table describes 2013 nurse practitioner salaries for two areas of the Washing DC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA):
Nurse Anesthetist Salaries in the Washington DC area
Nurse anesthetists generally earn the most among APRNs. The 2013 BLS salary figures for nurse anesthetists in Washington DC are as follows:
*The BLS does not publish annual salaries over $187,199 or hourly wages that are more than $90.00.
The 75th and 90th percentile figures are not available for either Washington DC or the greater MSA. Nurse anesthetists in this area can easily earn well over $200,000 a year.
Nurse Midwife Salaries in the Washington DC area
The BLS salary table for nurse midwife salaries is not available. However, nurse midwife salaries nationwide are as follows: