10 Countries With The Highest Registered Nurse Salaries In The World
Nursing is a career within the healthcare sector that involves the care of individuals, families and communities. Responsibilities can range from making acute treatment decisions to providing inoculations in schools. If you ever wish to work abroad in some of the best-paying countries there are a wide variety of options. Each country needs a work visa in order to be legally employed. It would be a much easier process if you worked with an international nursing travel agency. Here are some of the countries in the world with the highest-paid nurses: (all salaries are listed in USD)
10. United Kingdom
Salary – $52,000
A newly qualified nurse working for the NHS expects to earn £28,407 annually and this rises to £34,581 on Band 5 of the NHS Agenda for Change pay rates. A senior nurse on Band 6 expects their salaries to progress to £35,392 to £42,618. The highest paying positions are the nurse consultant and modern matron which range from £50,952 to £57,349.
9. Norway
Salary – $51,000
Norwegian healthcare is administered by 4 regional authorities which cover the southeast, west, central and northern regions. All healthcare practitioners should have formal authorization from the Directorate for Health and Social Affairs. According to the Norwegian Nurses Association, the starting salary for an authorized nurse working in Oslo is NOK 463,000. This rises to NOK 481,000 after 5 years and finally NOK 565,000 after 10 years.
Special nurses are able to earn between NOK 516,000 and NOK 650,000.
8. Australia
Salary – $59,200
A Registered Nurse In Australia earns between AU $76,000 and AU$97,568 per year, according to the Austrian Government Ombudsman. One’s salary is influenced by factors such as location, experience, qualification, specialization, employer, unions, working hours etc. A level 1, paypoint 1 RN starts at AU $1,084 per week (AU $28.53 per hour) while the highest level RN, level 5 grade 5, earns a weekly rate of AU $2,406 (AU $63.33 per hour). Those working on public holidays or Christmas get double the pay for those days.
Once you start working as a registered nurse, your pay will grow by an average rate of 5% every year till you get 8 years of experience. At this point, your pay will flatten out. The only way to grow your income further is to get a more senior role or a more specialized position. Some of the highly-paid jobs in the nursing field include certified registered nurse anesthetist, nurse researcher, mental health nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife.
7. Sweden
Salary – $60,000
District nurses is Sweden earn an average of SEK 42,000. Those based in Stockholm and Gothenburg generally earn a much higher amount of approx SEK 55,000 per month.
6. Ireland
Salary – $63,300
According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, the average salary of a staff nurse is €42,000 after achieving a number of years of experience. Permanent nursing employment contracts can offer an average of 39 hours per week. One of the nursing supports offered to nurses includes sponsorship of postgraduate formal academic courses which will help in career progression.
Student nurses start at 18,838 per year and then move to become staff nurses where they expect to earn from €29,289 to €51,628 depending on the number of years of experience. Public health care nurses are able to earn higher. Their annual salaries range from €55,739 to €65,926 and are also eligible for an extra allowance that amounts to €2,554 per year.
5. New Zealand
Salary – $63,800
Registered nurses working for Te Whatu Ora Health in New Zealand earn between NZ $75,773 and NZ $106,739 depending on ones level of experience. New graduates are usually on step 1 and as they progress through their career they peak at step 8. They get extra allowances of between NZ $1,000 and NZ $2,000. Senior designated nurses get a higher pay of between NZ $114,025 (Grade 1) and NZ $162,802 (Grade 6) a year.
4. Germany
Salary – $76,000
According to the collective agreement under public law, a nurse is usually classified in pay group 7. At the start of one’s career, the starting salary is around €2,932 per month. As one gets more experience, they graduate to higher pay groups. The highest is at P16 and level 6, where the pay stands at €6,010 per month.
3. Canada
Salary – $86,000
In Canada, nurses working for the government are generally paid more than those working in the private sector. Those working for the Government of Canada in a remote or isolated First Nations community receive a base salary and allowances that add up to a well-paid package.
Community health nurses are paid a base salary + allowances that range from CA $90,867 to CA $101,262 depending on experience. Nurse practitioners are paid between CA $105,362 and CA$118,359 while nurses in charge CA $99,362 and CA $112,359. Nurses working in remote and isolated First Nations communities are eligible to receive an isolated post allowance to mitigate the cost of living in a community. The amount can range from CA $5,500 to CA $31,340 depending on a wide variety of factors (the more remote the post, the higher the allowance).
2. United States
Salary – $155,000
The average United States registered nurse earns an average annual salary of $82,750 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is much higher than the national average salary of $24.34 an hour.
When you break down the wages by state, California ranks as the highest-paying state for a Registered Nurse with an average annual salary of $124,700. Those working in metropolitan areas such as San Jose and San Francisco can earn around $155,000 annually. Other states that pay highly include Hawaii, Oregon, the District of Columbia and Alaska.
The United States has over 3 million Registered Nurses and they work in a variety of industries outside hospitals. Nurses working under the Federal Government are the highest paid with an average annual salary of $87,000. Other industries they can work in include general medical and surgical hospitals, outpatient care centers, colleges & universities, insurance carriers, educational services and psychiatric & substance abuse hospitals.
1. Switzerland
Salary – $220,000
A registered nurse in Switzerland would generally earn between CHF 76,000 and CHF 200,000, depending on your level of experience and specialty. A freshly graduated nurse working full-time can expect to earn a monthly pay of 5000 CHF – 7,000 CHF.
Career growth is mainly based on your accredited education. Nursing is mainly dispersed on 3 levels.
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The FaGe: “Fachangestellte Gesundheit” (lowest level) – They are basically only responsible for the basic hygiene of the patients and making sure they’re comfortable even though they have the education and proficiency for a lot more. 3 year apprenticeship.
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“Diplomierte Pflegefachperson” (Middle tier) – They do anything from simple mobilization to administrating medications/IVs/shots with the occasional hygiene tasks. This is a 3-year continuing education from the FaGe that is 50% school and 50% interning to get more work experience.
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“Pflegefachperson bsc.” (Highest tier) – Usually runs a nursing station. More paperwork and medication prep than actual nursing work. They are the sole contact for doctors. This is a 3-year bachelors course.