With the increased need for nurses exacerbated by the pandemic, nursing is one of the best job options due to income, mobility, low barriers of entry and good benefits, according to GoBankingRates.
USA Today defines the middle class as those whose income was between $50,612 to $135,042 in 2020. When adjusting for inflation in 2022, those between $54,980 and $146,696 are the middle class in 2022.
The median income of registered nurses is estimated at $68,950 in Georgia. Nurse benefits average $28,070, increasing nurses’ total compensation to $97,020. Benefits include insurance, paid leave and retirement contributions among others, according to NursingProcess.org. Additionally, that salary increases the longer you stay with an employer, GoBankingRates reported.
“A nurse’s salary starts at $50,000, and there is much upward mobility if you stay with an employer long enough, InsuranceProviders.com career expert Dorothea Hudson told GoBankingRates.
“Many nurses make over $100,000 if they stay with their employer for around 10 years. As a nurse, you can expect a pension, paid vacation, and in many cases, gym membership access. Health insurance is also available and cheap, and paid sick leave is available.”
The nursing field has jobs for every type of educational level. Students can pursue a diploma, licenses or certificates to get an entry-level nursing job, according to Nurse Journal. Furthermore, there are 33 programs in Georgia that offer bachelor’s degrees of science in nursing.
Along with what type of nurse you want to be, you can also work wherever you want. For example, travel nurses visit places all around the country and the world depending on where they are needed.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing is also one of the fastest-growing jobs. There are many different types of nursing roles and specialties to consider, which allow for additional mobility in the nursing field. The fastest-growing specialties include cardiac nurses, clinical nurse specialists, ER nurses and registered nurses, according to Gwynedd Mercy University. Nurses can acquire licenses and certifications to move to different health care sectors.
Registered nurses are the third-largest middle-class job and nursing proves to be a stable career path for many, according to the New York Times. Nurses have all the key factors that make it a stand-out job option and stable career path.
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