List of Nursing Specialties: How to Pick One You Won’t Regret

Three ways to read a specialty list

A specialty can be defined in several ways, and people mix them up. It helps to separate them.

• By patient group or condition. Newborns, children, older adults, people with heart disease, cancer or addiction.
• By setting or function. The emergency department, the operating room, the community, a school, an office, a classroom.
• By level of practice. A registered nurse (RN) role versus an advanced practice role that needs a graduate degree.

Most specialties combine the first two. A “pediatric emergency nurse,” for example, is defined by patient group and setting together. When you read job postings, check which of these a title is naming.

The specialties

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes several patient-group specialties in its registered nurses profile, calling them examples rather than a full list. Rows marked “BLS” use its wording as the basis. Other rows are our own short descriptions of common specialties, and the pace column is our general view, which varies by employer.

BLS does not report pay for each specialty. It gives a single figure for all registered nurses: a median of $97,550 in May 2025, as we cover in our ICU nurse guide. Pay by specialty varies by employer, region, shift and experience, so compare current job postings.

Advanced practice roles

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have graduate education. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), in its APRN Consensus Model, names four roles: certified nurse midwife (CNM), certified nurse practitioner (CNP), certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and clinical nurse specialist (CNS). It says APRNs are educated and certified in both a role and one of six population foci: family or individual across the life span, adult-gerontology, women’s health or gender-related, pediatrics, neonatal, and psychiatric-mental health.

BLS covers three of the roles in its profile of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners:

BLS reports the three roles combined had a median of $134,920, about 399,000 jobs, and projected growth of 36 percent from 2025 to 2035, which it calls much faster than average. It lists a master’s degree as the typical entry education (some earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice or Ph.D.), plus an RN license, national certification and a state APRN license. State rules on practice authority vary, so check your state board of nursing. Clinical nurse specialists are described by BLS as APRNs who provide direct patient care in a nursing specialty such as psychiatric-mental health or pediatrics, but the profile gives no pay figure for them.

Paths away from the bedside

Not every nursing career is at the bedside. Common non-bedside paths, based on our general knowledge of the field, include:

• Nursing informatics: working with electronic records and clinical software. See our note on the nursing workforce for why technology roles matter.
• Case management: coordinating care and resources for patients across settings.
• Nurse education: teaching in schools or training staff in hospitals.
• Quality improvement: using data to reduce errors. Our guide to Six Sigma in healthcare shows the methods.
• Leadership and management: running units or departments.

Requirements and pay vary widely by employer, so read current postings for the specific title.

Pick by pace and feel

This table is our own summary, meant as a starting point for thinking, not a rating.

Six questions to narrow it down

1. Which patients do you want to spend time with? Babies, adults, older people, people in crisis?
2. How do you handle stress? Do you thrive on emergencies or find them draining?
3. Do you prefer procedures or conversations?
4. What schedule can you live with? Twelve-hour shifts, nights, weekends, or a regular day schedule?
5. How far do you want to study? RN-level roles versus a graduate degree.
6. What kind of tired do you want after a shift? Physically, emotionally or mentally tired. Each specialty leans one way.

How to test a specialty before you commit

• Shadow a nurse for a shift if your hospital or school allows it.
• Ask for a rotation or float to a unit you are curious about.
• Start in a broad role. Many nurses begin in medical-surgical units and move on.
• Talk to people who have left a specialty and ask why.
• Look at residency or transition programs in your target specialty.

Certification and education

Many specialties have a certification exam, and most use a number of hours of experience as a requirement. For example, the CCRN critical care certification asks for hours in direct care of acutely or critically ill patients, as we explain in the ICU guide. Certification is usually optional for staff nurse roles. For APRN roles, BLS says a national certification exam is required, and most states require it for licensure and use of the APRN title. Check the certifying body for current rules.

Many nurses begin with an associate degree or diploma and later complete a bachelor’s. Our guide to the RN to BSN route compares options, and the nursing guides collect related topics.

An example path

This is our made-up illustration of how someone might move between specialties.

Real paths differ. Many people stay in one specialty for a whole career, and others change several times.

Common mistakes

• Choosing by pay alone. The highest-paid role may not suit your temperament.
• Choosing by TV image. Real emergency or operating room work is different from drama.
• Moving too fast. A year or two in a broad unit builds skills used everywhere.
• Ignoring your own limits. Burnout is a real risk in high-intensity areas.
• Assuming the first choice is permanent. Specialties can change.
• Skipping the requirements check. Read the certification and degree rules before planning.

Learn more

For the day-to-day reality of one high-demand specialty, read the ICU nurse job description. For the bigger picture of staffing and demand, see the nursing shortage. We are not affiliated with any university or nursing board. Always confirm licensing and certification rules with your state board of nursing and the certifying organization.

Frequently asked questions

What are the different types of nursing specialties?

They include critical care, emergency, cardiovascular, neonatal, pediatric, oncology, psychiatric-mental health, rehabilitation, public health and many more, plus advanced practice roles such as nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist.

What is the highest-paying nursing specialty?

Among the roles BLS reports, nurse anesthetists had the highest median pay at $236,590 in May 2025. BLS does not report pay by RN specialty, so compare postings for the others.

What is the easiest nursing specialty?

No specialty is easy, and what is manageable depends on you. Some roles have more predictable schedules or lower acuity, but each has its own demands.

What nursing specialty should a new graduate choose?

Many begin in a broad role such as medical-surgical, then move into a specialty after building skills. Some go straight into a residency in their chosen area.

What is an APRN?

An advanced practice registered nurse: an RN educated at the graduate level in one of four roles (nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife or clinical nurse specialist) and a patient population.

Do I need a master’s degree to specialize?

Not for most RN specialties, which you can enter with experience and sometimes certification. APRN roles typically need at least a master’s degree, according to BLS.

Can I switch nursing specialties?

Yes. Many nurses do. Skills carry over, but you may need on-the-job training, a residency or new certification.

Which nursing specialties work regular daytime hours?

Roles in clinics, schools and some outpatient settings often have more regular schedules. Hospital-based specialties usually involve shifts, but this depends on the employer.