How to Choose a Nursing Specialty
After years of schooling, we all have opportunities to choose a career. Selecting a nursing career can be a meaningful, profitable choice. Choosing a nursing specialty can bring even greater satisfaction as you focus on areas you enjoy. As author John Maxwell says: “Life is a matter of choices and every choice you make makes you.”
Nurses are in high demand and will continue to be in the foreseeable future. Currently, the United States has a nursing shortage. The demand for nurses is increasing with the rapid growth of the senior population. With more than one-third of nurses eligible to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, nursing is a secure career path with many opportunities.
While a nursing degree opens doors to career opportunities, selecting a nursing specialty further enhances those opportunities. Nursing specialties offer great benefits including further professional growth, higher pay, better job options, increased responsibilities and greater respect. Specialized nurses also report higher job satisfaction.
With more than 100 nursing specialties, choosing a nursing specialty can feel overwhelming. Tinkbird Staffing can help.
What is nursing specialization and why should I consider it?
A nursing specialty is an additional, specialized focus on a particular patient population or area of medicine.
During the pandemic and even afterward, working in healthcare was hard. Today, the quality of healthcare workplaces has improved. According to the State of Nursing 2024 report, many of today’s nurses say they are happier, have greater job satisfaction and enjoy their jobs – especially those with advanced nursing degrees.
The report found a strong correlation between nurses’ job satisfaction and their level of nursing education and specialty. Those with an advanced nursing degree, like a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), shared significantly higher job satisfaction ratings than those without a specialty or advanced degree.
Flexibility and adaptation to new or changing environments are part of a nurse’s job. While some people thrive with constant change, others excel in a more focused environment. Specialization allows nurses to focus, hone their skills and build expertise in the type of medicine they enjoy.
Each specialty requires different levels of experience, training and credentials. Some require additional certification as well. Generally, nursing specialties are defined by the age of the patient population served, the medical acuity of the patients, the illnesses managed and the type of care they provide.
How to choose a nursing specialty
- Evaluate your goals
The first step to deciding on your nursing specialty is to evaluate your personal and professional goals. What do you want your career to look like? Do you want to work full-time or shift to part-time if you have children or need to care for an elderly relative?
- Assess your skills and talents
Next, consider your natural skills and talents and what specialty may suit your capabilities. If you work well under pressure, you may choose to specialize in intensive care unit (ICU) nursing. If high-pressure situations stress you out but you’re great at managing budgets and people, then perhaps a nursing administrator is a better fit.
- Consider what you enjoy and dislike
Enjoying the work you do matters! Select a specialty that allows you to perform duties or work with populations you enjoy. If you are passionate about advocacy, health policy and research, consider health policy nursing. If you love caring for babies, then perhaps a neonatal ICU nurse is a better fit for you.
- Still unsure? Take a quiz to help
Herzing University has a helpful quiz to focus in on your nursing profession. Johnson & Johnson also has a good quiz.
Benefits of nursing specialization
Choosing a nursing specialty will allow you to focus on a single practice area, develop and deepen your understanding of your patient population’s needs and develop the next generation of nurses.
Other benefits include:
Career development is important for the next generation of nurses. The training offered to nurses in specialty positions sharpens their knowledge and skills to keep them at the forefront of their specialty. Nursing programs with advanced training also open doors to other leadership and job opportunities.
- Higher salary
With many nurses nearing retirement, the demand for nurses, and especially specialty nurses, is growing. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) often start out with a salary of $48,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average registered nurse (RN) makes $86,000. Salaries of the highest-paying specialty nursing jobs can range from $85,000 to over $200,000.
- Respect, confidence and credibility
The education requirements that nurses must complete to achieve a nursing specialty are often rigorous. But, they also build confidence and credibility. As you grow in experience in a specialty, your confidence in your skills will grow, as will your colleagues’ respect.
- Making a difference
Many healthcare professionals enter the medical field because they have a strong desire to care for patients. Beyond basic medical care, nursing specialties offer greater ways to make a difference. For example, clinical research nurses administer and report on medication trials and patient care initiatives that directly influence what treatments are offered and how care is provided. This is one of many ways specialty nurses make a difference in the lives of patients and communities.
- Better work-life balance
Often, the work of specialty nurses happens during regular office hours, providing a predictable work schedule.
With career mobility, stable work schedule, better pay and flexibility, choosing a specialty is an attractive option for nurses.
Disadvantages of nursing specialization
Choosing a specialty does have some potential disadvantages. Obtaining a nursing specialty requires more training and education. You may have to pay for the training unless you find an employer willing to cover the cost.
Nursing specialization will also bring greater responsibility. Some people thrive with more responsibility, so evaluate if that is something you desire.
Best nursing specialties
Salary, demand and work-life balance are just a few of the factors that make a nursing specialty one to consider. While the highest salary doesn’t always correlate with the best job, it is a big factor.
According to NurseJournal.org and Nurse.org, seven of the highest-paid nursing jobs are:
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist – $175,000 – 212,000
- Certified nurse midwife – $103,000 – 129,000
- Neonatal pediatric ICU nurse – $75,000 – 128,000
- General/family nurse practitioner – $101,000 – 126,000
- Clinical nurse specialist – $98,000 – 124,000
- Psychiatric nurse practitioner – $117,000 – 119,000
- Informatics nurse – $84,000
- Travel nurse – $81,000
Nursing specialties in high demand include:
- Critical care nurses
- Certified nurse midwives
- Certified dialysis nurses
- Operating room nurses
- Nurse case managers
- Skilled nurses
- Long-term care nurses
- Travel nurses
Some of the nursing specialties with the best work-life balance are:
- Occupational health nurses
- Research nurses
- Case managers
- School nurses
- Community health nurses
- Informatics nurses
- Hospice house nurses
- Stress test lab nurses
Finding a nursing specialty that’s right for you
TinkBird Staffing is ready to help you find a perfect-fit job, choosing from a variety of nursing roles. Our boutique staffing firm offers around-the-clock service. Contact us today to discuss our competitive rates and nursing specialty positions!
