11 high paying jobs for nursing majors

Nursing is one of those career paths you don’t necessarily get into for the money. Many are drawn to healthcare careers because they want to have an impact on patients’ health. The good news is, you can do this while earning a high salary if you choose the right career path, and training as a nurse can prepare you to take on a variety of highly lucrative roles. 

The typical entry-level salary for a fresh graduate who has passed the NCLEX is around $60,000-$70,000 per year. Many professionals can bump that up to $90,000 or higher within just a year or two if they pursue one of the career paths listed below. 

• Anesthetist
• Nurse Informaticist/Clinical Informatics Specialist
• Aeromedical Nurse
• Clinical Research Nurse
• Legal Nurse Consultant
• Case Manager/Utilization Review Nurse
• Cosmetic Nurse
• Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
• Medical Recruiter
• Healthcare Data Analyst
• Medical Device Specialist

Anesthetist

From my experience making placements in the healthcare sector, I can say that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are consistently among the top-paid and most in-demand nursing roles in the industry. We routinely see salaries of $200,000 or more in surgical centers and hospitals, and I’ve seen that nearly double in independent practice. 

In many rural areas CRNAs are the primary anesthesia providers, and this autonomy and authority are at the root of the role’s high compensation. The ongoing shortage of anesthesia providers across the country gives the role a very strong job market and geographic mobility that a lot of nursing roles don’t offer. When we’re filling these roles, strong ICU experience is critical, so I would say nursing majors should target residencies or early roles in ER, OR, or cardiac unit environments that can lead to the ICU positions that pave the way to this career.

Ben Lamarche, Managing Director, Executive Search Toronto

Nurse Informaticist/Clinical Informatics Specialist

The expansion of EHR systems also drives a growing need for people who can bridge the gap between medical practitioners and IT experts, and this is where Nurse Informaticists are hugely valuable. Their role is all about improving patient care by ensuring healthcare teams can use data and digital tools to their full potential—and that’s expertise many companies are willing to pay top dollar to get. 

Nurse Informaticist can be an ideal role for nursing majors who enjoy technology, have an analytical mindset, and want a non-bedside role where they can still have a high impact on patient outcomes. 

Nurses with EHR certification can command the top-tier salaries, but even without this I’ve seen nurses sign offers with a base salary of $90,000 or higher. Consultants in this niche can earn even more, as much as $140 per hour depending on their expertise and seniority. 

Travis Lindemoen, Managing Director, Nexus IT Group

Aeromedical Nurse

Aeromedical nurses are the backbone of global medical mobility. I work with global citizens who are expatriates, humanitarians, and international business travelers. Access to reliable medical care is among their top concerns across the board, and flight nurses are key to providing it. 

For nursing majors looking for something beyond routine hospital shifts, flight nursing blends clinical expertise with adventure and purpose. It’s an especially strong career path for those who excel at staying calm in high-pressure environments. If you excelled in clinical rotations, and want to hone your skills in trauma response, emergency medicine, or navigating international healthcare systems, this role can be a great fit.

And the compensation is strong. Roles supporting international operations, government or NGO missions, and private air ambulance companies are paid very competitively, often with salaries in the six-figure range. The skills honed in these roles also lead naturally to leadership roles in global health operations or aviation medicine management, supporting strong long-term earning potential.

Alex Recouso, CEO, CitizenX

Clinical Research Nurse

Making the shift to the clinical or research side of the profession doesn’t just unlock a higher salary potential. It also usually means a more predictable schedule and the opportunity to drive scientific innovation. This is why it’s one of the paths I recommend the most to nursing majors who have an interest in science, policy, and data, and can bring both a knowledge of patient care and a clinical mindset to their management of complex clinical trials.

Candidates are often surprised by the variety of opportunities available in this field. Nurse Researcher roles are often available in:

• Pharmaceutical companies conducting multi-phase clinical trials
• Biotechnology firms developing treatments in gene therapy or rare disease drugs
• Medical device companies testing new diagnostic technology or surgical devices
• Academic medical centers and research institutes
• Hospitals with dedicated research units
• Government and public health agencies
• Nonprofit research foundations
• Contract Research Organizations that run trials on behalf of biotech or pharma companies

That variety of employment opportunities is another plus for this role. It translates to high demand, which in turn leads to strong job stability and competitive salaries, along with the opportunity to contribute to life-changing medical breakthroughs and a long runway for advancement into leadership or regulatory roles.

Jim Hickey, Managing Partner, Executive Search Fort Lauderdale

Legal Nurse Consultant

A lot of the most lucrative career paths I have seen for nursing majors are outside of the healthcare field. There are a variety of industries that need the clinical expertise that a nurse can bring, and this includes insurance companies, legal teams, and attorneys who need to understand medical information in order to determine if cases have merit, prepare expert witnesses, and assist with depositions, trials, and testimony. 

Becoming a Legal Nurse Consultant turns clinical knowledge into high-value advisory work. These professionals are in high demand across multiple industries, from medical malpractice and personal injury firms to risk management departments, healthcare compliance teams, or corporate legal teams. The earning potential is definitely strong, with salaries regularly in the range of $80,000-$100,000 and often higher for those with specialized backgrounds or significant experience. 

Jason Grable, Principal, Tall Trees Talent

Case Manager/Utilization Review Nurse

I work with many organizations that are adjacent to the healthcare industry as an insurance and employee benefits recruiter. From this experience, I can say that TPAs, workers’ compensation carriers, and health plans rely on nurses who can evaluate treatment plans, understand medical necessity, interpret clinical documentation, and generally balance patient advocacy with cost-effective care. And these types of employers will compensate nurses well for providing this expertise—six-figure salaries aren’t uncommon, especially for those with significant experience. 

When we’re filling these positions, one of the things we hear most often from candidates is that they’re drawn to this career path as a way to keep using their skills and knowledge in a non-bedside role. There are even often remote or hybrid positions available, and the schedules in general are less demanding and more consistent, allowing for a better work-life balance. The upward mobility is strong, too. I’ve seen Case Managers move up into roles like Clinical Manager or VP/Director positions after just a few years in their role. 

As far as how to start, employers look for candidates who have experience with care planning, can interpret medical records, and demonstrate strong clinical judgment. Roles in acute care (ICU, ER, Oncology, etc.) are often excellent preparation, building the assessment and documentation skills professionals need in these roles. 

Steve Faulkner, Founder & Chief Recruiter, Spencer James Group 

Cosmetic Nurse

If you’re a nursing major looking for a high-income, patient-facing career with strong long-term earning potential, Cosmetic Nursing blends clinical expertise with the aesthetics industry, a sector driven by high-margin services and strong consumer demand. Elective aesthetics are one of the fastest growing healthcare segments, and that growth directly translates into more job openings for cosmetic NPs and higher salaries rooted in that strong competition. A nursing background gives candidates experience in patient assessment and building rapport, along with practical skills like injections and knowledge of potential treatment reactions or complications. Many nurses also see the role as a lifestyle upgrade since these professionals often work more consistent Monday through Friday schedules without the need for overtime or holiday work. Even entry-level salaries are high in this field, and I’ve seen many professionals break the six-figure threshold within 1-3 years.

Matt Erhard, Managing Partner, Summit Search Group

Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist

Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Specialists are the people who make sure patient medical records actually reflect the care they received. They analyze records to make sure diagnoses are documented and treatments align with coding requirements. By extension, that ensures that the hospital is reimbursed correctly, reducing denials and keeping the facility in compliance with regulations. 

Basically, CDI Specialists have a direct impact on a hospital’s revenue, and that means healthcare institutions are willing to pay a premium to get the best people in the role. Even at the entry level you can expect to make upwards of $70K, and senior specialist salaries run $125K+, which makes this one of the highest-paying non-bedside careers for nurses. The demand for this role is still growing, too, so once you get into this career path the odds are high you’ll have work available.

David Case, President, Advastar 

Medical Recruiter

Nobody understands nursing roles—or the skills and experience that are necessary to thrive in them—as well as people who have been in that industry. A nursing major already understands the industry better than most generalist recruiters, and this equips them to solve one of the biggest challenges in healthcare recruiting: identifying candidates who are actually qualified for specialized clinical roles. Their firsthand knowledge of licensure and competencies, understanding of clinical workflows, and credibility with clinicians are a massive advantage, and many recruitment firms in this sector actively seek former nurses because of their ability to speak the language, assess talent quickly, and earn trust instantly. 

Medical recruiting is performance-driven and this gives high achievers a significant boost in their earning potential. Recruiters often earn a starting base salary of $60K-$80K, but that can easily translate into a total compensation of $100K-$150K with commissions even within the first year, and that can often double within 3-5 years for top performers. Moving into executive search or leadership roles unlocks an even higher revenue potential.

Jon Hill, Managing Partner, Oil and Gas Recruitment

Healthcare Data Analyst

As a tech recruiter, I can tell you nurses with data skills are some of the most valuable candidates right now in the healthcare talent pool. Health systems are drowning in data on everything from staffing trends to clinical outcomes, patient safety metrics, and population health forecasts. They need people who can not just interpret this data, but also understand patient care.

Nursing majors bring what most data analysts don’t: clinical context. They understand hospital workflows, know how to read a chart, and can translate raw data into real insights. This means they can better support initiatives that directly impact patient safety, staffing efficiency, and the overall financial performance of the institution. 

To break into this career path as a nursing major, I’d recommend starting with a position like Quality Analyst, Care Management Analyst, or Health Information Management Assistant. These roles will give you experience working with the core data sets used in analytics roles, and they have a fairly healthy salary in their own right, usually in the neighborhood of $55,000-$75,000 annually. Once you’re in a data analyst role, that salary expectation rises to $80,000-$105,000, and can increase to $135,000 or more for senior roles. 

There are certifications that can help you land these roles and boost your earnings, too. Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) are the ones I see most often in job requirements. 

Rob Reeves, CEO, Redfish Technology

Medical Device Specialist

Companies that develop and manufacture medical devices need professionals with an understanding of anatomy, physiology, and patient care, who can bring the real-world perspective from operating rooms or ICUs into the process and explain the device clearly to end users in terminology they understand. Nursing majors check all of these boxes, and this makes them highly desirable for medical device roles across their lifecycle, from development through sales and education in clinical environments. 

Now, I will say I rarely place new nursing graduates directly into medical device specialist roles. Usually employers are looking for candidates with at least 2-3 years of bedside experience in roles like:

• Clinical Specialist – usually the most direct role for a nurse-to-device transition
• Sales Associate – a junior sales role ideal for learning the business side of the industry
• Clinical Training Specialist – serves as an effective stepping stone into technical roles
• Product Support Coordinator – An operational role that provides visibility into device functionality 

Many of these roles have fairly high salaries, as well. Once candidates have accrued some experience, I’ve seen Medical Device Specialists secure starting salaries of $120,000 or higher.

Linn Atiyeh, CEO, Bemana