The median annual salary for Registered Nurses (RN) across the U.S. was $62,450 in May 2008. For nurse practitioners, the salary was $92,100 averaged across all specialties. This is an increase of approximately 50%.
Because of their specialized knowledge and expertise, NPs focus their efforts on specific patient cases. In 2008, 62% of NPs saw 3 to 4 patients per hour and only 12% saw more than 5. In contrast, RNs work on a wider range of cases and have to attend to more patients per hour.
Nurses wanting to take on more responsibility and independent medical practice will find these in the Nurse Practitioner role. While NPs are not as independent as Medical Doctors (MDs), they are able to write medical prescriptions on their own and order a wide array of medical tests and procedures. RNs are much more restricted in these areas.