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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022
| Contributor Information
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) all gain more training and earn more than do their nursing colleagues. But within the specialty, earnings differ.
In our Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022, we surveyed 2618 APRNs, including 1500 nurse practitioners (NPs), 476 clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), 350 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), and 292 nurse midwives (NMs), between May 3 and July 26.
The surveyed APRNs shared details about their 2021 earnings, their work environment, degrees, certifications, and supplemental income. APRNs tend to have undergone more training than have other nurses, so they can prescribe medicine and generally earn about 50% more than do their registered nurse (RN) colleagues.
(Note: Most slides are based on full-time APRNs unless indicated. Some totals in this presentation do not equal 100% owing to rounding.)
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
In 2021, total compensation increased statistically for NPs and was flat for other APRNs. CRNAs earn substantially more than did their advanced practice peers.
"It is good that there was an increase for the NPs, and CRNAs" earn the most, said Diane Koyasu Heine, DNP, RN, CEN, director of Nursing, Emergency Department and Critical Care, Yume Health. "These are the roles in greatest demand. However, the need for the APRNs has increased due to their scope of practice and the decrease in physician providers. This demand for APRNs should be reflected in an increase in salaries for all the specialties."
Total compensation for APRNs was up from 2020 and generally increased for all specialties each year between 2015 and 2020.
The 2021 median earnings for CRNAs was $186,000; for NMs, $112,000; for NPs, $111,000; and for CNSs, $108,000.
NPs and CRNAs also earned income beyond their base compensation. NPs reported $3000 from productivity or incentive pay, a $2000 annual bonus, $1000 in overtime, and $2000 for other pay. CRNAs reported $3000 from an annual bonus and $9000 in overtime.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Three quarters of APRNs surveyed were full-time nurses. None of the hourly wages increased for full-time or part-time APRNs.
And NPs earned the same in 2021 whether they were salaried or hourly.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
At least half of APRNs saw an increase in their income in 2021 compared with 2020, continuing a pattern from last year's compensation report. Most nurses saw their gross income increase by 1%-10%.
CRNAs not only take home the largest income among APRNs but also saw the largest increase this year.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Salary-based earnings for CRNAs increased from $206,000 in 2020 to $225,000 in 2021, and for NPs, from $116,000 to $120,000, along with salary-based earnings for total APRNs.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
NMs age 65 or older feel more fairly compensated than do NMs age 35-54 years. And NMs who have worked for at least 21 years feel more fairly compensated than do NMs who have worked for 11-20 years. Those trends make sense to Heine. "Since they entered the field, their salaries have gone up significantly."
There were significant decreases in NPs and total APRNs who feel fairly compensated from 2020.
Among NPs, 48% felt fairly compensated in 2021 compared with 53% in 2020. Among APRNs, 52% felt fairly compensated in 2021 compared with 57% in 2020.
Amber Mashuta, MS, CPNP, a pediatric NP working in acute care inpatient settings, offered a similar view. "With the amount of people that are leaving healthcare, NPs and APRNs are having to do more with less, which holds true for other healthcare workers."
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
NPs working in the hospital inpatient setting continue to rank first in compensation.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Most APRNs who were surveyed — more than three quarters — were women. Yet, the annual gross income of male CRNA and NP nurses continues to exceed female nurse incomes by about 9%-14%.
Female CNSs earn $116,000, and female NMs earn $122,000. There weren't adequate data on male CNSs and NMs for comparison.
"As an NP, and nurse who has worked in healthcare over 15 years, I am always shocked that a predominately female profession is affected by the gender pay gap," said Bree Becker, FNP-C, MSN, BSN, director of clinical for Matchwell and a member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Nurses Association. "Seems like a profession driven by women is at times biased against women."
Mashuta said that she wasn't surprised to hear that male nurses make more. "Unfortunately, this matches much of the trend in our country when it comes to male vs female pay. Depending on the statistics one looks at, women make around 82 to 84 cents for every dollar men make. We have a long way to go to correct the wage gap."
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Male APRNs have higher salary-based incomes than do female APRNs, a figure based on the total number of APRNs surveyed. Most of that gap is due to the fact that 50% of CRNAs, who earn the most, are men. To compare, 9% of CRNAs are women.
Hourly female APRNs earned $134,000. There wasn't enough information on hourly male APRNs.
Becker explained, "COVID also set back closing the pay gap, forcing many women to participate less in the workforce due to digital learning and childcare. Women tend to carry the burden of household responsibilities and childcare, ultimately working two jobs."
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Male nurses work for hourly wages more often than do their female counterparts.
And male nurses reported taking charge-nurse responsibilities and working extra shifts or overtime more often than did their female counterparts.
Male nurses also are more often employed in inpatient units than are female nurses.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Over three quarters of all APRNs hold at least a master's degree with nearly four times more holding master's than doctoral degrees. About 8 in 10 NMs and NPs hold master's degrees, but fewer than 1 in 5 hold doctoral degrees.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
On average, NPs with a doctorate make about 4% more than do those with a master's.
Income for CRNAs and NPs with a master's has risen since 2020.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Virtually all NPs hold advanced practice certifications, most commonly the family NP certification. NPs with psychiatric mental health certifications rank highest in compensation.
Heine explained, "the psychiatric mental health NPs (PMHNP) have been in very high demand for a number of years. It is not a surprise that the nurses with that certification receive higher compensation."
Meanwhile, compensation for APRNs with these certifications was similar to compensation from last year.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Income increases with years in practice but begins to level off after 20 years.
Income for APRNs in practice at least 11 years increased from $129,000 in 2020.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
The majority of APRNs practice independently but don't own their own practice. CRNAs are more likely to own their practice than are their advanced practice peers, with 16% of those surveyed indicating ownership.
CNSs are more likely to have collaborating physicians and practice agreements compared with the other APRN groups.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
A minority of nurses are members of a union or collective bargaining unit.
Compensation among APRNs who are not members of unions or collective bargaining units has increased compared with the previous year ($127,000).
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
APRN urban and suburban salaries are not statistically different. CRNAs in urban areas earned $218,000, followed by $127,000 for NMs, $122,000 for NPs, and $119,000 for CNSs. Among suburban APRNs, NPs earned $118,000, and CNSs earned $113,000. NPs in the rural areas earned $117,000. There wasn't enough data collected for the other community types per specialty for comparison.
The mean income of CRNAs in urban areas ($206,000) and NPs in rural locations ($109,000) in 2020 increased.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
More CRNAs have a supplemental income and are more likely to work extra shifts or overtime or weekends than are their advanced practice peers.
Male CRNAs are more likely to earn supplemental income than are their female counterparts.
Some APRNs said that they took second and third jobs, mostly in the nursing field, for extra pay. The jobs cited included: administering COVID vaccines, serving private duty, home healthcare, summer camp, consulting, and starting a business. "I filled in for labor pool to address staffing issues," one respondent stated.
Another said, "I took annual leave and worked at a moonlighting anesthesia job, part time (1-2 weeks every 1-2 months)." Among other respondents, one APRN offered, "I worked every weekend as the RN charge nurse in the operating room." A change of scenery was also a common supplement, such as this nurse reported: "I am a faculty member and managed a grant during summer."
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
APRNs in the Pacific region earn the highest compensation.
APRNs in the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, East North Central, and West South Central regions experienced an increase in compensation compared with 2020.
The median earnings by region were:
New England: $121,000
Mid-Atlantic: $125,000
South Atlantic: $120,000
East North Central: $117,000
West North Central: $122,000
East South Central: $110,000
West South Central: $130,000
Mountain: $120,000
Pacific: $147,000
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
NPs in the Pacific region also earned the highest compensation.
NPs in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions experienced an increase in compensation compared with 2020 ($116,000 Mid-Atlantic; $106,000 South Atlantic).
The median earnings for the region included:
Mid-Atlantic: $126,000
South Atlantic: 116,000
East North Central: $115,000
East South Central: $107,000
West South Central: $124,000
Pacific: $143,000
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
CNSs and CRNAs are concentrated across hospital settings, whereas NMs and NPs are also often centered around nonhospital medical offices or urgent care clinics.
Among the total number of APRNs: 45% are employed by a hospital system, 35% are employed by a medical group, 11% are independent contractors, 6% are employed by a private NP practice, and 4% are a self-employed or practice owner.
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
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Medscape APRN Compensation Report 2022
Roni Robbins | November 11, 2022 | Contributor Information
Average Income for Advanced Practice Nurses Continued to Increase During Pandemic: Survey
Compensation for all full-time advanced practice registered nurses increased in 2020, while location and gender determined noticeable differences in pay.Medscape_Medical_News, Dec 2021
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