According to the University of Vermont’s Area Health Education Centers Program, in 2013, 40% of all RNs working in the state held a bachelor’s degree education or higher.
As major national and statewide nursing leadership organizations such as the Institute of Medicine and the Vermont Nursing Action Coalition continue to call for an even more highly educated nursing workforce, many RNs are returning to school to earn master’s degrees through RN-MSN programs. Aside from promoting greater career advancement opportunities, MSN degrees also offer the added benefit of higher salaries.
The American Association of Colleges of Nurses reports that there are currently 159 RN-MSN bridge programs nationwide that allow diploma and ADN-educated RNs to earn a master’s degree in nursing, most of which are online.
These nontraditional degree options are an ideal way for RNs to quickly and economically gain the graduate training needed to land lucrative nonclinical positions in administration, research, education, and leadership as well as clinical positions in various specialized APRN roles. By qualifying for these increasingly in-demand and largely sought-after positions, RNs are often awarded some of the highest salaries in their field.
In 2013, nursing schools in Vermont helped to create a more highly educated nursing workforce in the state by:
- Enrolling 169 students into master’s-level nursing programs
- Initiating the graduation of 192 students from bachelor and graduate nursing programs
- Encouraging 82 students to prepare for careers as nurse practitioners
MSN Degrees Produce High Salaries in Vermont
In 2012, the Advance Healthcare Network sponsored an official survey that polled education-based salary averages among nurses employed in the nation’s northeastern states, including Vermont. The results of this survey unequivocally proved that RNs that held MSN degrees earned substantially higher salaries than those with diplomas, ADNs or BSNs:
- Diploma: $64,951/yr.
- ADN Degree: $64,598/yr.
- BSN Degree: $72,665/yr.
- MSN Degree: $85,974/yr.
In 2013, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics released salary reports for APRNs employed throughout Vermont. Pay statistics enclosed in these government reports even further reinforced the Advance Healthcare Network’s conclusion that MSN degrees generate the highest salaries among Vermont’s nurses:
Nurse Practitioners
- Entry-Level: $63,800/yr. or $30.66/hr.
- Mid-Career: $88,900/yr. or $42.72/hr.
- Experienced: $114,200/yr. or 54.91/hr.
Nurse Anesthetists
- Entry-Level: $103,600/yr. or $49.82/hr.
- Mid-Career: $143,000/yr. or $68.76/hr.
- Experienced: $187,200+/yr. or $90.00+/hr.
Nurse Midwives
- Entry-Level: $77,400/yr. or $37.23/hr.
- Mid-Career: $94,400/yr. or $45.40/hr.
- Experienced: $116,200/yr. or $55.85/hr.
Nurse Practitioner Salaries in Vermont
Salary averages for nurse practitioners in Vermont may differ depending upon their location of employment. In 2013, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics released the following salary and wages averages for nurse practitioners working in the Burlington-South Burlington, the southern nonmetropolitan, and the northern nonmetropolitan divisions of Vermont:
Nurse Midwife Salaries in Vermont
Nurse midwives will experience pay differences depending upon their geographic placement of employment. For instance, in 2013, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the regional pay averages for nurse midwives working in the following areas of Vermont:
- Southern Vermont: $56,810/yr. or $27.31/hr.
- Burlington-South Burlington: $50,830/yr. or $24.44/hr.
- Northern Vermont: $49,290/yr. or $23.70/hr.