Highest paid specialty in nursing ?

I'm doing my LVN clinicals (9 weeks to go) and today was our last day at this particular hospital, so as we're leaving this RN hugged me and said "remember all the money is in L&D" . Is that true ? I've never heard that before.
P.S. please don't send me any "you shouldn't go into nursing for the money" stuff. I'm not in it for the money I was just wondering if that's true.
I generally check salary.com to see what different specialties pay. You can specialize the search to your area so you can see what the salary range for LPNs in L&D in your area is. I think what that RN said was true though, it tends to be one of the higher paying specialties. What are you considering going into?

I really don't know , I specialize in Multiple Sclerosis so I know it isn't that..Good luck in your career what ever you choose.

I had always thought that nurse anesthesia was the specialty that offered the highest pay, and one would need to have completed a CRNA program in order to work as a nurse anesthetist. CRNAs usually earn in excess of $100,000 annually.

Where I work, HR goes by your number of experience-----regardless of which unit you work at.

Oh no not as an LVN as a RN . I'm almost done with the VN program but I have no plans to work as an LVN I'm going straight into a BSN program. She was saying once I get my RN license L&D is where all the money is. I did consider L&D I thought I would hate it but I LOVED it. For the most part There's no sick people, its such a happy place I had a blast showing the moms how to breast feed (with my instructor there of course) . I just figured it would be difficult to get into because I hear a lot of nurses saying they can't get a L&D job . The money part threw me for a loop.

The hospitals near me all may L&D the same as other staff nursing jobs.

I'm in Los Angeles CA.

I've heard that critical care pays a little more for some nurses (especially if you work in resource pool), but not as far as one specialty RN area over another, and not anything special about L&D. Specialties for advanced practice nurses are a whole other ball of wax in terms of payscale differentials.

At my facility you are payed based on experience, not your specialty. The hierarchy in nursing as I was told is: nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, nurse educators, registered nurse.

Nurses usually get paid according to years of experience not specialty.

I transferred from cardiology to L&D in the same hospital. (Large teaching hospital). Pay was NO different. And, for the record, the people aren't always healthy and happy in L&D. Most of the time they are, but bad horrible things can and do happen there. If you want more $$, then advanced practice is the way to go. As far as being a staff nurse, not a APRN, go for a hospital, not a drs office for more $$ work weekend nights is the most $$ for a staff nurse. Some hospitals pay more for ICU (not much) and some pay more for BSN (.50 more an hour) but not all. Good luck

Maybe that nurse was referring to a local facility (or facilities) in which a particular specialty or service line (ie- L&D) pays their nurses incentives for working particular shifts or taking a certain number of call hours. As I said in the other thread about salary, the hospital I work for has a uniform pay scale for ALL RN's, regardless of unit or specialty. The hourly rate for RNs at my hospital is determined by their years of experience and their clinical position (CNI, II, II, IV, nurse manager, etc). There is also weeknight, weekend and weekend/night differential involved. I don't know whether or not NP's and CRNA's at my hospital are paid hourly or are salaried. I'd imagine they are salaried and negotiate their pay upon hire (and at regular intervals thereafter).