Advance Practice Nurses Make More Money Than Doctors

March 23, 2010 - PRLog -- The average base salary for family physicians for 2010 is expected to be about $178,000 annually. A nice tidy sum, but here's the kicker. The average base salary for advance practice nurses who administer anesthesia is expected to be about $186,000 annually. An even tidier sum.

For reasons not immediately apparent, when an advance practice nurse administers anesthesia to a patient it is still considered the practice of nursing rather than the practice of medicine, but when an anesthesiologist MD administers anesthesia is considered the practice of medicine.

Most medical doctors, including anesthesiologists, typically have four or five more years of medical training than advance practice nurses who administer anesthesia. A light bulb should be popping off in your head if you have been considering a medical career that you have pushed back because of the grueling number of years of education that you would have to go through to become a MD, without even considering the astronomical expense of that education.

Becoming an advance practice nurse looks like a worthwhile career path especially considering that the demand for these specialized nurses is only likely to increase dramatically over the next several years as the US population ages.

Generally, advance practice nurses diagnose and treat illnesses and provide health care. Most are also certified to prescribe medication. Sounds a lot like a medical doctor doesn't it? It takes an extra two or three years of postgraduate education to qualify as an advance practice nurse in most specialty areas. You could also expect specialty tests and licensing exams, but that would be true for almost any area of medical practice.

If you're still in high school take plenty of the most challenging math and science courses that you can. Go for advanced placement classes in English composition. Take speech classes, and drama classes. Your ability to communicate clearly with other professionals will go a long way toward advancing your career.

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