The 15 happiest nurse jobs (2024)

Outpatient case managers and office nurses are some of the best jobs in nursing based on happiness, according to Nursing Process.

Nursing Process, an independent, educational resource site, used criteria such as salary, upward mobility, stress level, flexibility, work-life balance and future growth to determine happiness within nurse specialties.

Here are the top 15 jobs for nurse happiness:

1. Outpatient case management

2. Office nurse

3. NICU nurse

4. Informatics nurse

5. Legal nurse consultant

6. Health writer

7. Private duty nurse

8. Dermatology nurse

9. Virtual nurse coach

10. Stress lab nurse

11. Occupational health nurse

12. Transplant nurse

13. Research nurse

14. Ambulatory surgery nurse

15. Nurse medical reviewer

The 15 happiest nurse jobs (2024)

FAQs

The 15 happiest nurse jobs? ›

Working as an office nurse is one of the most relaxed options for RNs seeking a career change. Office nurses work in clinics with set hours and provide basic, non-emergency medical care.

What is the chillest nursing job? ›

Working as an office nurse is one of the most relaxed options for RNs seeking a career change. Office nurses work in clinics with set hours and provide basic, non-emergency medical care.

Which nursing is less stressful? ›

School nursing qualifies as one of the least stressful nursing jobs because of the schedule and typical tasks. Instead of working on a hospital schedule, school nurses work on an academic calendar.

What nursing specialty is less stressful? ›

Hospice nurses work in a more relaxed setting compared to other nursing jobs, which can reduce stress and promote well-being.

Which type of nurse is most prone to burnout? ›

81% of Critical Care nurses experience symptoms of burnout.

Being a critical care nurse isn't easy, as those who work in this position experience more burnout symptoms than any other type of nurse. In fact, the average critical care nurse is more than 2X more likely to experience burnout symptoms than other nurses.

Where do the smartest nurses work? ›

Case in point, within all general areas of nursing, the Medical ICU, Trauma ICU, Peds ICU, Neonatal ICU, are perceived to require the highest skill set of nurses.

Which US state pays nurses the most? ›

Best Paying States for Nurses

The state with the highest annual wage is California, which has an average wage of $133,340 per year. Following behind California are Hawaii, with an average salary wage of $113,220, and Oregon at $106,610. The states with the lowest average wage are Alabama, Arkansas and South Dakota.

What type of nurse is most respected? ›

1. Certified registered nurse anesthetist. Nurse anesthetists are in one of the most well-respected fields in nursing, and it requires years of education, training, and experience to become one. These nurses provide anesthesia to patients, typically in a surgical, dental, or ER/OR scenario.

What is the hardest nurse to be? ›

Acute Care Nurse

Trauma nursing is one of the most demanding and stressful roles a nurse can assume. RNs and APRNs on trauma units work under overwhelming pressure with patients in critical conditions.

What type of nurse makes most money? ›

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist: $205,770

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) earn a nationwide average of $205,770 per year according to the BLS; this makes CRNAs the highest-paying type nursing job by a significant margin.

Which field of nursing has the highest burnout rate? ›

Which field of nursing has the highest burnout rate? Critical care nurses suffer the highest rates of burnout. More specifically, a whopping 81% of crucial care nurses experience symptoms of burnout.

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