Nearly 82% of Oregon’s nurse practitioners and 3.8% of its staff RNs had an MSN in 2012, according to a 2014 report published by the Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research (OOHPR). Advanced practice clinicians, as well as nurse leaders and educators that hold MSNs are highly compensated for their additional expertise. These professionals earned 1.3 to 1.89 times more than staff nurses with lesser degrees in 2014, according to the State of Oregon Employment Department.
The number of advanced practice nurses with MSNs working in Oregon increased dramatically between 2010 and 2012 according to the OOHPR report. While the number of RNs increased by 5.2% during this period, the number of nurse anesthetists increased by 23.8%. In addition, the number of nurse practitioners rose by 11.2%.
In 2013, there were 206 students enrolled in MSN programs in Oregon according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. In addition to joining the ranks of APRNs in the state, graduates of these programs have the option of becoming faculty at nursing education programs, researchers, administrators, informaticists and more.
Comparing APRN and Staff Nurse Salaries in Oregon
A comparison of the salaries for ARPNs and staff nurses reveals a substantial increase in wages for MSN-educated nurses. Staff nurses typically have ADNs or BSNs. The State of Oregon Employment Department provides this information for Oregon’s nursing workforce in 2014:
Additional evidence for the increased earning power conferred by an MSN comes from the Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses salary survey of such professionals in the West. The results of this survey demonstrated that APRNs earned $20,508 more per year on average than staff nurses in 2012:
- APRN – $90,975
- Staff nurse- $70,467
The results of this survey also helped illustrate how MSN-educated nurses in Oregon earned more on average than those in the rest of the western United States.
Oregon Nurse Practitioner Salaries
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an analysis of the salaries of nurse practitioners in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Oregon (2013). They indicated that the highest median salary was in the Portland area:
Nurse Anesthetist Salaries in Coastal Nonmetropolitan Oregon
Salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that nurse anesthetists who practiced in the coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area had a median salary of more than $162,000 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 Oregon.
Salaries for Nurse Midwives in Portland
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed analysis of hourly wages and annual salaries paid to nurse midwifes who practiced in the Portland area in 2013: