The Average Salaries for Neonatal Nurses
Neonatal nurses are registered nurses who provide nursing care to infants during the first 28 days of life. There are no nationally recognized standards for staff registered nurses who wish to work in the neonatal unit of a health care facility. Standards are typically established by the health care facility, and may range from licensure as a registered nurse to certification by an independent credentialing organization. Wages for neonatal nurses typically track those of other registered nurses, although advanced practice nurses and those with neonatal nursing credentials typically earn higher wages.
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National Wages
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All neonatal nurses are registered nurses. Staff registered nurses who work in neonatal units typically are paid the same as other staff registered nurses. The median annual income for all registered nurses at all levels of experience and credentials from across the United States was $64,690 as of May 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Registered nurses who worked in neonatal intensive care units, sometimes referred to as NICU nurses, earned average annual wages of $62,000 as of May 2011, according to the Simply Hired website.
Regional Wages
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A neonatal nurse's income can be significantly impacted by the part of the country where she practices. More registered nurses worked in California than in any other state. California-based registered nurses earned the highest mean annual wages in the country, at $87,480 as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. California-based neonatal intensive care nurses earned average annual wages of $70,000 as of May 2011, according to the Simply Hired website. Iowa-based registered nurses earned the lowest mean annual wages in the country at $51,970, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Iowa-based NICU nurses earned average annual wages of $53,000 as of May 2011, according to the Simply Hired website.
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Advanced Practice Nurses
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Registered nurses who have advanced graduate degrees, extensive practical experience, and specific studies in the field of neonatal nursing care may qualify to practice as neonatal nurse practitioners. These advanced practice nurses typically earn significantly higher wages than other neonatal nurses. The median annual income for a neonatal nurse practitioner was $100,313 as of may 2011, according to the Salary.com website. The top 10 percent of neonatal nurse practitioners in the U.S. earned in excess of $117,611 per year, while the bottom 10 percent earned annual wages of $84,848 or less. The middle 50 percent of U.S.-based neonatal nurse practitioners earned between $92,218 and $109,367 per year.
Considerations
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Neonatal nursing is one of the newer sub-specialties for registered nurses. Registered nurses can earn professional credentials in either low-risk or intensive care neonatal nursing. Nurse practitioners can earn professional credentials as a neonatal nurse practitioner. Credentialed nurses may earn higher wages than their non-credentialed counterparts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates strong demand for registered nurses in all specialty fields, including neonatal nursing, through at least 2018. Neonatal nurses who are willing to work in rural or inner city areas, which have been traditionally under served by the medical industry, may have greater employment opportunities.
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