Are you interested in pursuing a robust career in an advanced medical field that boasts incredibly strong job prospects and earning potential? Do you enjoy helping others and creating a positive difference in their lives?

You may want to consider becoming a clinical nurse practitioner. Clinical nurse practitioners specialize in a variety of areas, most commonly including acute care, cardiovascular or neonatal areas.

Clinical nurse practitioners may also specialize in women’s health, school health, occupational health or geriatrics. In order to become a nurse practitioner, you must be prepare to successfully complete extensive education and training to earn your master’s degree and then go on to take a State exam to receive certification.

Let’s take a detailed look at the salary and career outlook expectations for clinical nurse practitioners.

As is the case with most other jobs in the health care industry, salaries for clinical nurse practitioners depend largely on geography and specialty of the practitioner. Let’s consider the salary figures for the three most common specialties: Acute care, cardiovascular and neonatal areas. Newly minted acute care nurse practitioners can expect to make roughly between $78,000 and $$85,000. If the candidate has substantial experience in the nursing field, he or she can start out with a $90,000 salary as an acute care nurse practitioner.

As you gain experience and prove yourself in the field, you salary can increase well over $100,000 as a clinical nurse practitioner. A cardiovascular nurse practitioner can expect to make between $65,000 and $75,000 starting out in the field. As is the case with acute nurse practitioners, cardiovascular nurse practitioners can increase their earning power as they develop experience.

The average salary for neonatal nurse practitioners is $91,000. As you can see, the statistics clearly show that clinical nurse practitioners can command very high starting salaries that will only increase as the candidate gains experience on-the-job.

As the aging members of the baby boom generation will require greater medical care in specialized areas, career outlook is expected to be very strong for clinical nurse practitioners.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a nurse practitioner, feel confident knowing that salary and career outlook is currently strong and expected to only get better over the coming years.