Abisola SalahuIn recent times there has been a near crisis in the UK, as many nurses, including those that are fresh out of school, prefer to work abroad. Nurse salaries in the US vs UK are often cited as the number one reason why many choose to move to the US, or any other country where they have the potential of earning good pay for their hard work.
On the average, Nurses in the UK earn about £35,000 per year, while in the US the average is $82,750. Of course, these figures are just the average; what each nurse takes home will depend on the particular nurse, and may be considerably more or less.
It is also important to remember that different employers within the medical sector, especially private ones, may have their own compensation philosophies in place, which can also impact nursing salaries. Many businesses across a variety of industries now have compensation philosophies in place, including global organizations such as Amazon. You can see some compensation philosophy examples here.
To provide a more accurate picture, nurse salaries must be further broken down to reflect their different specializations.
Nurse Salaries US Vs UK
1. Nurse’s Aide
Average Salary In the US: $36,990 Per Year
Average Salary In the UK: £23,603 Per Year
Nurse’s Aides, or Nurse Assistants as they are called in the UK. They are nurses that are primarily assigned to help senior nurses, and doctors with simple tasks such as checking patients vital signs, keeping records, and performing simple administrative tasks.
They also carry out tasks like giving patients their medicines at the stipulated times, ensuring that patients eat, clean themselves, change clothes at the right time, and so on.
2. Home Care Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $73,813 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: $31,860 Per Year
Home Care Nurses are professional nurses who bring the care to patient’s homes rather than hospitals. Of course the patients are usually first diagnosed by doctors, and then the course of treatment is prescribed by the doctor.
While Home Care Nurses can work without supervision of a doctor, they are sometimes stationed by doctors whom they report to.
Usually, this type of treatment is reserved for wealthy citizens or for people whose peculiar circumstances make it difficult for them to be taken to the hospitals.
Part of the Home Care Nurse’ duty is to arrange for transport, and to rush the patient to hospital, should an emergency arise.
3. Travel Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $88,320 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £32,719 Per Year
Travel Nurses are RNs (Registered nurses) who fill in at high need areas. In the US, Travel nurses earn an average of $88,320 Per Year, and they can earn as high as $189,500. Sometimes, Travel Nurses may be in the employ of the government or the state health agency, and they may be sent to help out wherever there is a need.
An example is the Covid 19 pandemic; which created a shortage of nurses in many facilities in both the US and the UK.
4. Hospice Nurse
Average Salary In Canada: $80,801 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £33,277 per year
Hospice Nurses are Registered Nurses who provide care for terminally ill patients. Sometimes the care can be provided in the hospitals, and other times it may be at the patient’s homes. These nurses only swing into action after the patients have been examined by the doctors, and their condition is classified as terminal.
Hospice Nurses help make the final moments of the terminally ill patients’ life as comfortable as possible.
5. School Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $53,742 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £32,344 Per Year
School Nurses are nurses that work in the various schools, where they get to take care of the children, and even the adults if necessary. They mostly provide palliative care in response to the symptoms observed. School Nurses also report to the authorities when they record a surge in the cases of infectious illnesses.
6. Triage Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $79,884 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £43,412 per year
Triage Nurses are nurses that assess patients in order to quickly discover what type of medical treatment they need. They are often Registered Nurses. Sometimes, they diagnose patients with underlying illnesses, and other times, it is trauma patients who they must quickly check so as to save their lives.
Triage Nurses earn an average of $79,884 per year, while they can earn as high as $90,100 in the US. In the UK they earn an average of £43,412 per year for their work.
7. Emergency Room Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $93,405 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £30,394 Per Year
Emergency Room (ER) nurses are those nurses who work in the emergency rooms of hospitals where the conditions are tense and frantic. Aside from being highly qualified, these nurses also need to have the proper temperament so as to be ably calmly carry out their duties.
Emergency Room Nurses are important members of any nation’s healthcare delivery system, which explains why they earn around $93,405 per year in the US, and £30,394 per year in the UK.
8. Community Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $65712 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £31022 Per Year
Community Nurses work with large groups of people; they are focused on providing treatment to communities or groups of people, sometimes in rural communities. Sometimes their work may involve vaccinations, and treatments that must be provided to whole groups of people.
Community Nurses may also be involved in teaching the people; about preventive measures as to prevent outbreaks of diseases, and unnecessary loss of human lives.
9. Public Health Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $63371 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £36271 Per Year
Public Health Nurses are very similar to Community Nurses; they work with people in large numbers. Part of their work is to vaccinate people in groups, and also to treat large numbers of people who have contracted diseases.
Public Health Nurses earn around $63371 per year in the US, and £36271 per year in the UK.
10. Occupational Health Nurse
Average Salary In Canada: $87,720 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £34862 Per Year
Occupational Health Nurses are those nurses who may be hired by particular companies and organizations to provide medical care to their workers or members of staff.
Occupational Health Nurses can be paid a wide range of salaries; depending on what the organization in question is able to pay. However, in the US they typically earn around $87,720 per year, capping at around $406,000 per year. In the UK they can earn between £28595 and £59280; with the average being £34862 Per Year.
11. Psychiatric Nurse
Average Salary In Canada: $80,700 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £35,996 Per Year
Psychiatric Nurses are nurses are Registered Nurses that work with patients receiving treatment for mental health issues. They usually work in Psychiatric Hospitals or in Psychiatric Wards of hospitals.
These nurses help to provide care for these sometimes dangerous patients, and they observe patients behavior, and help doctors formulate treatment plans.
12. Clinical Nurse
Average Salary In The US: $82,750 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £37942 Per Year
Clinical Nurses are usually registered nurses. However, these senior nurses have gained more experience, and can therefore work in leadership positions in the hospitals.
They usually work in supervisorial roles, on the administrative side of hospitals. These nurses can around $82,750 per year on the average, and their pay reaches $125,000 per year.
13. Nurse Consultants
Average Salary In The US: $89,662 Per Year
Average Salary In The UK: £49,574 Per Year
Nurse Consultants are Registered Nurses (RNs) whose experience over the years qualify them to serve as consultants to hospitals and medical facilities with the aim of improving nursing services. They can also fill in whenever the need arises.
Nurse Consultants earn an average of $89,662 per year in the US.
Related:
Closing
The disparity between what nurses make in the US vs the UK does not indicate that a higher value is placed on their work in the US. Besides that, it is also important take note of other factors such as the cost of living, and the conditions of work in both countries, before deciding on where is most suitable to live and work.