As of May 2024, Registered Nurses earned an average annual wage of $89,010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, wages for this occupation vary significantly by location. States that pay higher wages typically have higher living costs or greater demand for qualified personnel.

Salary Range: $39,130 – $137,690
Min. Education: Associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Job Outlook 2023-33: 6% (Faster than average)
Related Careers: Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists

Highest Paying States for Registered Nurses

Sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data extracted on June 18, 2024

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients about health conditions, and offer emotional support to patients and their families. These states offer higher wages to attract and retain qualified professionals in this vital healthcare field.

Pregnant and Scared: The Pros and Cons of Midlevel Practitioners in Emergency Rooms

Natasha Valle went to a Tennova Healthcare hospital in Clarksville, Tennessee, in January 2021 because she was bleeding. She didn’t know much about miscarriage, but this seemed like one. In the emergency room, she was examined then sent home, she said. She went back when her cramping became excruciating. Then home again. It ultimately took three trips to the ER on three consecutive days, generating three separate bills, before she saw a doctor who looked at her bloodwork and confirmed her fears. It’s unclear whether the repeat visits were due to delays in seeing a physician, but the experience worried her. And she’s still paying the bills.

This staffing strategy has permeated hospitals, and particularly emergency rooms, that seek to reduce their top expense: physician labor. While diagnosing and treating patients was once their domain, doctors are increasingly being replaced by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, collectively known as “midlevel practitioners,” who can perform many of the same duties and generate much of the same revenue for less than half of the pay.

Critics of this strategy say the quest to save money results in treatment meted out by someone with far less training than a physician, leaving patients vulnerable to misdiagnoses, higher medical bills, and inadequate care. And these fears are bolstered by evidence that suggests dropping doctors from ERs may not be good for patients.

In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of using midlevel practitioners, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, in emergency rooms. We will also provide an overview of the working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research and its findings.

Pros of Using Midlevel Practitioners in Emergency Rooms

Reduced Costs: One of the primary reasons for using midlevel practitioners is to save costs. In many cases, midlevel practitioners earn less than physicians, which can lead to substantial savings for hospitals. Since healthcare expenses are one of the highest expenses that many people face, it’s essential to look for ways to reduce costs while still providing high-quality care. Midlevel practitioners can help make this possible.

Increased Access to Care: Midlevel practitioners can be essential in increasing access to care, particularly in rural areas. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, nurse practitioners are twice as likely to practice in rural areas as physicians. Midlevel practitioners can also help address the shortage of doctors that many areas of the country face.

Faster Service: Since midlevel practitioners can perform many of the same duties as physicians, they can help provide faster service. When emergency rooms are understaffed or overworked, midlevel practitioners can help fill the gap and ensure that patients receive timely care. This can be particularly important in emergency situations, where every second counts.

Cons of Using Midlevel Practitioners in Emergency Rooms

Lower Quality of Care: One of the biggest concerns about using midlevel practitioners in emergency rooms is that they may not have the same level of training and expertise as physicians. Physicians typically spend many years in medical school, residency, and fellowship programs, which provide them with a deep understanding of medical conditions and treatment options. In contrast, nurse practitioners and physician assistants typically complete less schooling and training, which could result in lower quality of care.

Increased Medical Errors: The risk of medical errors is another concern with using midlevel practitioners. Physicians have more training and experience, which can help reduce the likelihood of errors. In contrast, midlevel practitioners may have less experience and may not have the same level of knowledge about medical conditions and treatments, which could lead to more medical errors.

Less Ability to Diagnose Complex Cases: Another concern is that midlevel practitioners may not be able to diagnose complex cases as

Chicago Nurse Arrested for Attempting to Smuggle Drugs into Cook County Jail for Inmate Lover

A nurse in Cook County, Illinois is facing charges for attempting to bring drugs into the Cook County Jail to give to her romantic partner who is in custody. Joanna McCree, 34, of Chicago, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a substance with intent to deliver.

The incident occurred when investigators received information about McCree’s plan to bring the drugs and an investigator posed as a drug provider to meet with her. McCree was taken into custody at her workplace after receiving an envelope she believed to contain illegal drugs.

Her bond is set at $75,000 and she is currently being held at the jail.

15-year-old Anniston Fairbanks from Rapides Parish, Louisiana, has experienced cardiac arrest twice in her life. In October 2016, Anniston, then 9 years old, suffered cardiac arrest at school, but was saved by CPR.

A few years later, she experienced cardiac arrest again at an Alexandria Senior High football game, and was saved by her pacemaker. Louisiana law requires that automated external defibrillators (AEDs) be available at every high school and college that offers athletics, but Anniston and her family believe this is not enough protection.

To raise money to place at least one AED in every school, Anniston has started a GoFundMe campaign called ‘Saving Our Hearts‘, with the goal of providing more than one AED in larger schools, as well as training more school personnel in CPR.

The proceeds from the campaign will go towards purchasing AEDs, which cost around $1,500 each. The Rapides Parish School Board reports that every school and district building in the area has at least one AED with trained staff members, and some schools have more than one on site.

New York – In a shocking turn of events, a nurse at a local hospital has been arrested on charges of negligence. According to reports, the nurse, who has been identified as Karen Smith, was responsible for administering medication to patients on the hospital’s oncology ward.

However, an investigation by the hospital’s internal affairs department revealed that Smith had repeatedly failed to follow proper protocols for administering medication, putting patients at risk of harm. In some cases, Smith allegedly gave patients the wrong dosage or type of medication, leading to adverse reactions and potentially life-threatening complications.

Smith was arrested and charged with multiple counts of negligence, and she is currently being held in custody pending trial. The hospital has issued a statement expressing its regret over the situation and assuring the public that it is taking steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The arrest of Karen Smith has raised serious concerns about the safety of patients at the hospital, and many are calling for stricter oversight and accountability in the healthcare industry. This incident serves as a reminder of the critical importance of ensuring that medical professionals are held to the highest standards of care.

Health care workers in Arkansas are starting to walk off the job as instances of short staffing and burnout continue to increase in the state.

Cam Patterson, chancellor of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, told CNN that several staff members have left their post in the middle of a shifts and some are considering retiring early as they struggle to cope with the demands that the coronavirus and its variants are placing on them.

“Teams are stretched thin. People are frustrated. People are very tired,” Patterson said, noting that morale among health care workers has been low. “We are down a significant number of positions here because we just don’t have enough nurses that we can recruit to come here and help us to take care of patients.”

According to Patterson, nearly 360 health care provider positions are currently vacant within UAMS. About 230 of those vacancies are for nurses, CNN reported.

Patterson said that UAMS has offered to pay signing bonuses of up to $25,000, but even that has had little effect on nurses who say that their mental health and wellbeing has taken a toll.

Some have found the anal swabs to be more effective in testing for the virus than the standard nose and throat swabs.

Some Chinese cities are now screening for COVID-19 by means of anal swabs rather than the standard nose and throat swabs.

According to AlJazeera, there has been a justification that they may be more effective than the regular or standard swabs. It basically consists of inserting a cotton swab three to five centimetres into the anus.

A city official in Weinan in northern Shaanxi province reportedly said a 52-year-old man with symptoms including coughing initially tested negative for COVID-19 but after he was tested via an anal swab, the test came back positive.

According to Aljazeera, Zhang Wenhong of Huashan Hospital in Shanghai said: “there may be traces of the coronavirus detected in the abdominal cavity faeces and intestine.”

A respiratory and infectious disease specialist in Beijing city Dr Li Tongzeng said additional tests using anal swabs can pick up infections that other tests miss, as virus traces in faecal samples or anal swabs could remain detectable for a longer time than in samples taken from the upper respiratory tract. Li added that such samples were only necessary for groups such as those in quarantine.

In the hunt for a new opportunity or gainful employment, it’s best to start at the top. Friday morning, U.S. News and World Report released its 2021 list of the 100 best jobs.

More than half of the 100 best jobs are linked to health care. Dentist was at the top of the list, followed by physician assistant and orthodontist. Several medical positions also topped the list of best-paying jobs.

When a fellow passenger fell ill Monday on a cross-country United Airlines flight, emergency medical technician Tony Aldapa knew he had to help.

“Knowing I had the knowledge, training and experience to help out, I could not have sat idly by and watched someone die,” Aldapa wrote on Twitter.

He and two others performed CPR on the dying passenger for nearly an hour, Aldapa wrote.

But the man died at a hospital after United Flight 591, bound from Orlando to Los Angeles, diverted to New Orleans, McClatchy News previously reported.

United Airlines reported Friday it has been in contact with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after finding the passenger had COVID-19 symptoms, McClatchy reported.

The airline says the man did not disclose whether he’d tested positive before boarding the flight, according to the publication.

Now Aldapa, who finished the flight to Los Angeles after the diversion, says he’s also showing signs of COVID-19, KCBS reported.

“Essentially I just feel like I got hit by a train,” he said, according to the station. “I had a cough, my whole body still hurt, I had a headache.”

Aldapa said the passenger’s wife told him they were flying home to Los Angeles for a coronavirus test after he began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, KCBS reported.

“I knew the risks involved in performing CPR on someone that potentially has COVID but I made the choice to do so anyways,” Aldapa wrote on Twitter. He’s waiting to be contacted by the CDC and United Airlines.