Quick, name the city in the United States that offers nurses the most career opportunities. If you guessed New York City, you hit the nail on the head. In 2005, there were nearly 70,000 jobs for skilled nurses in New York City. But there's more to the demographic than just numbers. When it comes to nursing jobs, New York is number one in more ways than one.



Salaries

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean salary for a registered nurse nationally is $52,810. In New York, 72% of all registered nurses are earning more than $55,000 annually. The average salary for a registered nurse in New York is $64,000 as compared to the national average of $49,840. (all statistics from BLS). A licensed practical nurse can count on a salary in the $30,000-$45,000 range. New York is the single top market for nursing jobs across the country.

Flexibility

Registered and licensed nurses have incredible flexibility in work schedules and types of jobs. Nursing jobs in New York offer a wide range of opportunities that can fit nearly anyone who enjoys working with and helping people. There are nursing jobs available at prestigious teaching hospitals and universities, at inner city clinics, at upscale doctor's offices and in schools or with the health department. A New York nurse might specialize in obstetrics or dermatology, in pediatrics or oncology or in any one of myriad other specialties. Nowhere else in the world is there such a wide variety of nursing jobs available.

Scheduling is every bit as flexible. As hospital and other medical facility administrators try to cope with the shortage of nurses (predicted to hit 800,000 by 2020); they've started offering schedules that fit anyone's way of life. It's not unusual for a nurse to work three twelve hour shifts in a week and have four days off, or work just weekend nights – for a premium salary.

Career Options

New York has a lot to offer nurses in the way of career opportunities and continuing education. The state is home to some of the best teaching hospitals in the world. Nurses who are ready to move on will find it easy to make a lateral move to a different type of nursing, or to climb the career ladder in nearly any nursing specialty field imaginable. Here are just a few ‘non-traditional' New York nursing jobs.

Community Health Nurse

Not all nurses work in hospitals and nursing homes. Community health nursing jobs in New York include on site nursing in transitional residences, or home visit nurses who help people stay in their homes rather than ending up in a nursing home or institution. Working in community health can include being part of ground-breaking research, combating an unexpected epidemic or teaching new young mothers how to care for their babies in their own homes.

Policy Makers

For nurses who want to make a difference on a wide scale, there are many nursing jobs that include opportunities to help make policy. Nurses are integral team members at insurance companies, in government and on hospital boards. As a consultant to city and town councils, nurses help ensure that patient and family needs are met when the big companies make policies that affect nursing and medical care.

Occupational Health Nursing

More and more large businesses are including an on site nurse on their payroll. Occupational health nurses may work for a single company, doing preventive and assessment nursing, or work for a clinic or rehabilitation facility helping patients recover from sports and work-related injuries, or learn to live with limitations caused by their medical conditions. New York is at the forefront of many trends in nursing, and a nurse who chooses to specialize in occupational health will find many nursing jobs in New York.

Teaching Specialties

Nurse educators are very much in demand in any large city, and New York is no exception. Whether teaching nursing in a formal nursing school or delivering continuing education in the form of in-services and specialty courses, there's a place for a nurse with a talent for passing on knowledge to others.

In short, New York has a little of everything for those interested in pursuing a nursing career. From rural nursing to inner city health, there are thousands of open nursing jobs in New York.