Nurses with MSNs serve critical functions in Oklahoma’s healthcare system. For instance, the state of Oklahoma requires that the full-time faculty in nursing education programs either currently hold an MSN, or otherwise work to earn one in a reasonable timeframe. In fact, 99.5% of such faculty in Oklahoma’s BSN programs had at least an MSN according to the 2014 annual report released by the state’s Board of Nursing.
MSN-educated nurses are highly compensated for their additional expertise. In Oklahoma, advanced practice nurses in the 75th percentile earned 1.33 to 2.74 times more than staff nurses in 2013 according to the state’s Employment Security Commission.
While nurses with MSNs can serve as educators, clinical leaders, administrators, informaticists or researchers, most of these professionals have APRN licenses. The number of new advanced practice licenses in the state rose dramatically between 2010 and 2014 according to the Oklahoma Board of Nursing. Their numbers increased by 37.3% during this period.
In 2014, there were 2,597 ARPNS licensed in Oklahoma. More than 59% of them were nurse practitioners. Despite this, many counties in Oklahoma had only one nurse practitioner, while Murray County did not have any.
Salary Comparison for APRNs and Staff Nurses in Oklahoma
Analyses that compare the salaries of APRNs in Oklahoma to the salaries of staff nurses reveal the significant increase in earnings an MSN brings. Staff nurses typically have undergraduate degrees or diplomas.
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission provides an analysis of these salaries for 2013:
For comparison, another analysis that demonstrates the earning power of an MSN is that of the Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses. The results of a salary survey of nurses in the Southern United States in 2013 indicated that those with MSNs earned 22.3% more than those with BSNs:
- MSN – $74,539
- BSN – $60,969
Nurse Practitioner Salaries Throughout Oklahoma
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed analysis of the salaries of nurse practitioners in nonmetropolitan Oklahoma and in the state’s major cities. This information from 2013 indicated that the median salary was highest in the northeastern nonmetropolitan part of Oklahoma, while nurse practitioners in the 75th percentile earned the most when they were located in Tulsa:
Nurse Anesthetist Salaries in Tulsa
Salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that nurse anesthetists in Tulsa earned an average annual salary of $150,440 a year in 2013:
*These figures represent hourly wages that are at least $90.00 per hour or annual salaries that are at least $187,199. These are the maximum salaries reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for North Carolina.