Career Opportunities in Nursing
Graduates
of the Virginia Appalachia Tricollege Nursing Program currently work for
a variety of businesses, including hospitals, nursing homes, physicians’
offices, home health agencies, clinics, health departments, public
schools and civil service agencies.Job Outlook
The Virginia Partnership for Nursing predicts that the demand for nurses soon will exceed the available supply by more than 30 percent and the Virginia Employment Commission notes that there are more than 2,500 job openings for registered nurses, the most of any job requiring an associate’s degree. The aging of the baby boom generation coupled with the recent decrease in applications to nursing schools have prompted employers to offer increased salaries and sign-on bonuses in order to attract qualified registered nurses.
Salary Range
The average entry level salary for registered nurses in Southwest Virginia is $30,700, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. More experienced nurses in our region earn an average of $39,000 and can expect to make as much as $42,700 each year. Nationwide, average salaries for registered nurses range from $37,000 to $63,000.