Salaries
Although the average annual salary of a registered nurse in 2011 was $69,110, according to the BLS, salaries are affected by a number of factors. These include whether the nurse was an advanced practice nurse, the place of employment, the state in which the nurse practiced and whether she practiced in a metropolitan area. Advanced practice nurses earn the highest wages, so a nurse practitioner could earn an annual average salary of $90,583, according to a 2011 salary survey conducted by “Advance for NPs and PAs.” Certified registered nurse anesthetists, also advanced practice nurses, earned between $125,000 and $250,000, according to a 2009 Merritt Hawkins and Associates survey.