Nurse practitioners ranked number 10 on the Idaho Department of Labor’s List of Idaho Hot Jobs 2012-2022. Careers on this list have an abundant level of jobs that are “fast growing and high paying.”
Featured DNP Programs:
- Northern Illinois University's MSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice.
- Nova Southeastern University's Doctor of Nursing Practice.
- Sacred Heart University's Doctor of Nursing Practice.
- Georgetown University's Online BSN to DNP Program.
- Simmons College offers an Online Post-MSN to DNP program.
- Capella University offers a 100% Online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
This Department projects rapid growth for most advanced nursing professions in Idaho between 2012 and 2022. The predicted job growth for postsecondary nurse educators is exceptionally high:
- Nurse Educators – 37.5%
- Nurse Practitioners – 30.0%
- Nurse Administrators and Executives – 24.5%
- Nurse Anesthetists – 19.71%
In fact, healthcare will be the hottest industry in the state according to the 2009 Idaho Nursing Overview from the state’s Department of Labor. Healthcare combines the fastest-growing, highest-paying, and largest industries.
However, this overview predicts that Idaho “will continue to experience severe shortages in graduate level nurses”—those best prepared to compensate for shortages of primary care physicians.
Nurses with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) possess the highest level of practice training available to nurses. Idaho’s nurses are seeking out this degree according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing which reported that 66 students enrolled in DNP programs in the fall of 2015. More than 6 times as many students enrolled in DNP programs as in PhD programs that year, thus reinforcing the value of this practice-based doctorate.
Earning a DNP offers an assurance of high salaries as demonstrated by the Advance Healthcare Network. The Network surveyed nurse practitioners throughout the country in 2014 and determined that NPs with a DNP earned an average of $13,003 more a year than NPs with a master’s degree.
Statewide Salary Data for DNP-Educated APRNs and More in Idaho
DNP-educated nurses in all their various roles are consistently recognized for earning top salaries (Idaho Department of Labor, 2014):
- Nurse Practitioners – $134,620
- Nurse Administrators and Executives – $133,840
- Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners – $107,660
- Nurse Educators – $89,380
Salaries for DNP Nurses in Idaho’s Major Cities
The Idaho Department of Labor provides salary information for DNP-educated advanced nursing professionals in the most populated cities in the state (2014):
Nurse Anesthetists:
- Boise City: $185,460 – >$187,199
Nurse Practitioners:
- Idaho Falls: $123,140 – $173,750
- Lewiston: $93,580 – $151,290
- Boise City: $107,880 – $118,660
- Coeur D’Alene: $95,240 – $116,850
Nurse Administrators and Executives:
- Lewiston: $114,990 – $144,810
- Coeur D’Alene: $94,820 – $127,740
- Boise City: $92,470 – $120,260
- Pocatello: $94,410 – $114,370
- Idaho Falls: $90,730 – $111,410
Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners:
- Boise City: $78,310 – $96,830
Nurse Educators:
- Boise City: $67,800 – 84,060
An Overview of Salaries for Idaho’s DNP-Educated Nurses as Published by the US Department of Labor
The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an overview of the annual and hourly salaries for Idaho’s nurses earning within the 75th and 90th percentiles to best represent earnings for DNP nurses (2014):
*These values are equal to or greater than $90 an hour and $187,199 per year. The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salary data higher than these values.
This page includes salaries that fall within the 75th and 90th percentiles for each nursing role to account for the fact that DNP-educated nurses are recognized as earning more than master’s-prepared nurses in the same roles.