After nurses finish nursing school, choosing the right nursing specialty becomes their chief focus. With so many specialties to choose from, many prospective nurses find it difficult to just pick one, but with nearly every specialty requiring candidates to pass a series of exams and fulfill a period of on-the-job training, time is of the essence.

Pay should not be your only considering when deciding on a specialty, but the list below of the highest paying nursing specialties provides a good primer on which types of nurses have the greatest earning potential.

1) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist – $135,000

2) Nurse Researcher – $95,000

3) Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner – $95,000

4) Certified Nurse Midwife – $84,000

5) Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse – $81,000

6) Orthopedic Nurse – $81,000

7) Nurse Practitioner – $78,000

8) Clinical Nurse Specialist – $76,000

9) Gerontological Nurse Practitioner – $75,000

10) Neonatal Nurse – $74,000