Which nursing is the most stressful?
Asked by: Dr. Allison O'Conner | Last update: August 2, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (75 votes)
Critical Care Nurses Experience High Levels of Stress While nurses in all specialties are prone to stress and burnout, critical care nurses experience the highest levels. Nurses who work in the ED and ICU have higher acuity patients with increased morbidity and mortality.
What is the most stressful type of nursing?
The most stressful nursing jobs include ICU nurse, ER nurse, and NICU nurse. In these roles, nurses work in an intense environment with high stakes.
Which nursing specialty has the highest burnout rate?
Critical care nurses suffer the highest rates of burnout.
More specifically, a whopping 81% of crucial care nurses experience symptoms of burnout. This is mainly due to the nature of the job, as critical care nurses work specialize in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU).
Which field of nursing is the hardest?
- Oncology. There's no surprise that this specialty is near the top of the list. ...
- Hospice. ...
- Medical-Surgical. ...
- Geriatric Care. ...
- Emergency Room. ...
- Psychiatry. ...
- Correctional Nursing.
What type of nurse is the happiest?
Obstetrics, infection control, labor and delivery, radiology, gastrointestinal, cardiac, gynecology, pulmonary/respiratory, critical care, and psychiatric nursing are considered some of the happiest nursing specialties.
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What is the lowest paid RN specialty?
School Nurse - $65,048
Many nurses love the idea of moving out of the clinical setting and into an environment where they can help children in an educational setting. If this is you, school nursing may be a perfect fit. However, school nursing is also one of the lowest-paid nursing specialties.
What is the least stressful nurse position?
- Nurse Educator. Stress: 7/10. ...
- School Nurse. Stress: 6/10. ...
- Public Health Nurse. Stress: 6/10. ...
- Nurse Researcher. ...
- Home Health Nurse. ...
- Telehealth Nurse. ...
- Clinic Nurse. ...
- Occupational Health Nurse.
What is the easiest RN job?
Several nursing roles such as school nursing, occupational health nursing, and nurse education are identified as low-stress yet fulfilling career paths within healthcare, offering regular schedules, competitive salaries, and less physically demanding environments.
What is the most difficult nursing class?
Pharmacology, the study of medications and their effects on patients is often considered one of the hardest classes in nursing.
What nurses get paid the most?
Nurse anesthetists are the highest-paid nurses, with a median annual income of $195,610 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Projected Job Growth: The number of jobs available for CRNAs is expected to grow by 45% between 2020 and 2030, much faster than the average.
What type of nurse is most respected?
Nurse anesthetists are in one of the most well-respected fields in nursing, and it requires years of education, training, and experience to become one. These nurses provide anesthesia to patients, typically in a surgical, dental, or ER/OR scenario.
What career has the most burnout?
- Design Professionals. ...
- Entrepreneurs & Corporate Professionals. ...
- Lawyers. ...
- Academic STEM Professionals. ...
- Journalists. ...
- Retail Workers. ...
- Military Personnel. ...
- Teachers & Educators. Teachers invest so much in their students, often at the expense of their own well-being.
Where do the smartest nurses work?
Case in point, within all general areas of nursing, the Medical ICU, Trauma ICU, Peds ICU, Neonatal ICU, are perceived to require the highest skill set of nurses.
What nursing specialty has the highest burnout?
According to the data, the percentages of nurses suffering from burnout in the presented research ranged from 14.3% to 84.7%, with the highest value of burnout among nurses who worked in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the easiest nursing degree to get?
A BSN degree is the easiest type of nursing degree to pursue if you are interested in continuing your nursing education and the advancement of your career.
Which nurse has the best work-life balance?
Occupational health nursing is one of the best nursing jobs for work-life balance. You can enjoy predictable hours and focus on preventing issues rather than tackling emergencies. Working in corporate settings, you'll contribute to employee well-being by managing health and safety programs.
What is the hardest type of nurse?
- Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. The ICU is an extremely high-pressure environment. ...
- Emergency room nurses. ER nurses face stress levels that are similar to what first responders experience. ...
- Neonatal ICU nurses. ...
- Operating room nurses. ...
- Oncology nurses. ...
- Psychiatric nurses.
What level in nursing is the hardest?
Advanced Medical-Surgical Nursing
This course is an extension of your initial med-surg class, but it delves into more complex and acute health issues. The advanced nature of the content, combined with high expectations in clinical settings, makes this the hardest class in nursing school for some students.
What is the lowest class of nurse?
As the name suggests, CNAs assist nurses with patient admittance and vitals. It is the lowest-level credential related to the nursing field and the quickest point of entry.
What is the happiest field of nursing?
The happiest nurse job is a nurse educator. Nurse educators reported the highest satisfaction ratings of any other type of nurse, with 33% reporting that they were happy in their current role.
What nurse is least stressful?
- Public Health Nurse. ...
- Nurse Researcher. ...
- Nurse Informaticist. ...
- Case Management Nurse. ...
- Home Health Nurse. ...
- Clinic Nurse. ...
- Occupational Health Nurse. ...
- Final thoughts. If your job as a registered nurse is getting too stressful and overwhelming, it may be time for a change.
Which nurse is more prone to burnout?
ICU Nurses Show Symptoms of Burnout
Nurses who work in the intensive care unit are also highly prone to burnout. Study results published in the American Journal of Critical Care found that between 25% and 33% of nurses who work in a critical care area show severe symptoms of burnout.
What are soft nursing jobs?
Soft nursing describes nursing jobs that offer a less stressful work environment and a better work-life balance compared to traditional bedside nursing roles. These positions often have more flexible working schedules, fewer physical demands, and may include perks such as predictable work hours and holidays off.
Which nursing specialty is the easiest?
- School Nurse.
- Nurse Researcher.
- Case Management Nurse.
- Occupational Health Nurse.
- Camp Nurse.
- Informatics Nurse.
- Nurse Educator.
- Home Health Nurse.