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Nurses looking for advancement opportunities, more autonomy in medical practice, or the ability to move into management and administration typically need to earn a master of science in nursing. Salary potential, job opportunities, and leadership opportunities are also typically better for these highly trained nurses, who have the opportunity to specialize in more lucrative fields of nursing.

The master of science in nursing salary reflects the additional professional training. The top three salaries for all nurses are paid to nurse anesthetists, senior management nurse administrators, and nurse practitioners--all professionals with advanced degrees.

Advanced Nursing: Medical and Health Services Managers

According to the BLS, the 2009 median salary for medical administrators was $81,850, or $39.35 per hour. Most salaries across the nation ranged between $49,750 and $140,300. According to the magazine ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners, the median annual salary for nurse practitioners was $85,000 in 2009--an increase of 10 percent from 2007.

The top 2009 master of science in nursing salary was in the state of Washington, where employers paid a mean wage of $109,460, or $52.63 an hour. Other top-paying states included:

• Massachusetts: $51.45 hr/$107,020 year
• Rhode Island: $51.02 hr/$106,120 year
• New Jersey: $51.01 hr/$106,100 year
• New York: $50.80 hr/$105,670 year

The top-paying metropolitan areas for health managers and administrators were located on both coasts, including:

• Salinas, CA: $63.77 hr/$132,650 year
• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $59.00 hr/$122,730 year
• Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, MA-NH: $58.36 hr/$121,390 year
• Burlington-South Burlington, VT: $58.36 hr/$121,390 year
• Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA: $57.09 hr/ $118,750 year

Job opportunities for nurses should be good during the 2008-2018 decade, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), especially for "applicants with work experience in healthcare and strong business and management skills."