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According to the North Dakota Board of Nursing, the state houses three universities located in Fargo, Grand Forks, and Fargo that offer nationally accredited graduate nursing programs. Accredited online MSN programs are also available to nurses in the state looking for a flexible format that better accommodates the schedules of working RNs.
In 2014 the United States Department of Labor reported that registered nurses in the state earned $58,120 annually. On the other hand, the following advanced nursing professions were among the state’s top 35 highest paying occupations in that year:
- Nurse anesthetist: $174,360
- Nurse midwife: $121,790
- Nurse practitioner: $88,520
North Dakota is a premier location for MSN-educated nurses that intend to become certified nurse-midwives. The federal government found that in 2014:
- North Dakota held the fourth highest concentration of nurse midwife jobs in the country. In that year, the state employed approximately 40 nurse midwives.
- North Dakota was also the third highest paying state for nurse midwives in the country. Nurse midwives practicing here received $121,790 annually.
Salaries for MSN-Educated Nurses in North Dakota by Experience Level
Nurses fresh out of graduate programs lack the several years of work experience needed to achieve the highest salaries available in their field.
In fact, the most experienced MSN-educated nurses in North Dakota often earn almost twice that of those new to the advanced practice role. To illustrate this common salary gap, North Dakota’s Workforce Intelligence Center released the following experience-based figures for MSN-educated nurses in North Dakota in 2014:
Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary
- Recent graduate: $49,730
- Mid-career: $72,140
- Experience: $83,350
Nurse Anesthetist
- Recent graduate: $155,430
- Mid-career: $174,360
- Experience: $183,820
Nurse Midwife
- Recent graduate: $89,130
- Mid-career: $121,790
- Experience: $138,130
Nurse Practitioner
- Recent graduate: $68,490
- Mid-career: $88,520
- Experience: $98,530
Salaries for Nurse Practitioners in North Dakota by Location
Although North Dakota’s metropolitan areas employed the majority of nurse practitioners in 2014, the state’s nonmetropolitan areas awarded higher salaries. For example, nurse practitioners working in Bismarck and Fargo earned over $87,000. Meanwhile, those practicing in the Far Western and West Central nonmetropolitan regions netted over $91,000: