According to the American Association of Colleges of Nurses, nursing employers are more inclined to hire nurses with MSN degrees because recent research indicates that a highly educated staff leads to fewer medication oversights, lower patient mortality rates, and better overall quality care outcomes. As a result, employers often look to MSN-educated nurses to fill key roles in clinical leadership, training and administration, which come with the benefit of higher salary offers.
Diploma and ADN educated nurses in Utah looking to fast-track their careers through higher learning often choose to enroll in RN-MSN degree programs they combine bachelor’s and master’s level education in a single streamlined program. RN-MSN programs are considered an ideal alternative to the traditional educational ladder because they save time and money while still offering students baccalaureate studies through an embedded bridge degree format.
In 2013, RN-MSN programs in Utah helped to fortify the state’s nursing workforce by:
- Encouraging 2,171 students to enroll in master-level nursing programs
- Facilitating the graduation of 3,121 nursing students from baccalaureate and graduate-level nursing programs
- Assisting 278 students to prepare for advanced practice registered nurse positions as nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse anesthetists
A Look at MSN Nursing Salaries in Utah
In 2012, the Advance Healthcare Network spearheaded a salary survey among nurses employed in the country’s western states, including Utah. The results of this salary survey brought forth unmistakable evidence that MSN-educated nurses earned over $10,000 more annually then those holding lower level degrees and diplomas:
- Diploma: $67,994/yr.
- ADN Degree: $71,469/yr.
- BSN Degree: $75,973/yr.
- MSN Degree: $87,933/yr.
A year later, in 2013, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Utah Department of Workforce Services released wage reports for APRNs employed in Utah. Pay averages featured in these official reports further solidified the Advance Healthcare Network’s findings linking MSN-degrees to much higher salaries:
Nurse Practitioners
- Entry-level: $66,000/yr. or $31.75/hr.
- Mid-Career: $89,600/yr. or $43.08/hr.
- Experienced: $119,700/yr. or $57.54/hr.
Nurse Anesthetists
- Inexperienced: $79,610/yr. or $38.27/hr.
- Median: $124,100/yr. or $59.67/hr.
Nurse Midwives
- Entry-Level: $41,500/yr. or $19.93/hr.
- Mid-Career: $80,600/yr. or $38.76/hr.
- Experienced: $94,100/yr. or $45.22/hr.
Regional Salaries for Nurse Practitioners in Utah
In 2013, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics published the following report showing nurse practitioner salary and wage averages in some of Utah’s most prominent regions:
Regional Salaries for Nurse Anesthetists in Utah
Nurse anesthetists looking for positions in Utah will find that pay averages tend to differ according to their geographic location of employment. To illustrate this statewide pay differentiation, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics released the following data showing nurse anesthetist salary and wage averages in St. George, Salt Lake City, and the Eastern nonmetropolitan region of Utah in 2013:
*These figures represent hourly wages that are at least $90.00 per hour or annual salaries that are at least $187,199. These are the maximum salaries reported by the US Bureau of Labor for Labor Statistics.