Pay, licensure, and travel work in nursing and allied health.
Healthcare careers run on licenses and certifications, so the first question for any role is what it takes to practice and where. Registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) differ in training, scope of practice, and pay. In California and Texas, LPNs are called licensed vocational nurses (LVNs).
Each state sets its own rules. Its board of nursing licenses RNs and LPNs, and a state agency certifies CNAs. Allied health workers, such as radiologic technologists and dental hygienists, need a state license, a national certification, or both. The requirement depends on the job and the state.
The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) lets an RN or LPN with a multistate license practice in other member states without a separate license for each. Not every state is a member. Check the current list from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing before you accept work in a new state.
Travel and contract offers often split a taxable hourly rate from housing and meal stipends. How those stipends are taxed depends on whether you keep a tax home under Internal Revenue Service rules. Wage figures in this section come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Nurse Licensure Compact has 43 members; in 40 states, eligible residents can get a multistate license. Which states, who qualifies, and moving rules.
A nurse practitioner (CNP) is a registered nurse with a graduate degree and state license; most states add certification. US median: $132,300 a year (May 2025).
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