Pain management nurses treat patients who cope with chronic pain. While all nurses treat pain, those who specialize in pain management help people who deal with severe discomfort for long stretches of time.
While the initial inspiration may have been worthwhile, what followed was a wave of opioid addiction and dependence that has led to increasing overdose deaths across the country. Now, pain management nurses are tasked with helping patients aggressively treat their chronic pain without opioids. Luckily for pain management nurses and their patients, they have a lot of options to get this done.
Where Do Pain Management Nurses Work?
Pain management nurses work wherever patients in chronic pain seek care, whether at home or in a health facility. Pain patients can be found in:
Hospices
Hospitals
Nursing homes
Oncology
Outpatient clinics
Private medical offices
Rehabilitation facilities
Sports medicine
Patients live with chronic pain for all kinds of reasons. Injuries heal, but some leave behind a trail of pain throughout someone’s life. Many chronic diseases cause pain in different locations and at different levels. Here are some common conditions that cause chronic pain:
Cancer
Chronic headaches
Degenerative disc disease
Diabetes
Fibromyalgia
Stroke
Nerve injuries
Neuropathy
Radiculopathy
Multiple sclerosis
What Does a Pain Management Nurse Do?
A pain management nurse treats pain in all forms and with every tool available. Different patients respond better to different treatments, so pain management nurses must continually monitor progress and work closely with their health team. Some typical pain management nurse tasks include:
Administering pain medications orally, intravenously, topically, or via intramuscular injection
Assisting with conscious sedation
Assisting with invasive pain management treatments
Central line management (like ports and PICCs)
Collaboration with physicians, nurse practitioners, patients, and families
Coordination of care with other departments
Emergency resuscitation
Following up on response to pain interventions
Head-to-toe assessment
IV access and management
Laboratory sample collection of blood and other bodily fluids
Medication adherence monitoring
Monitoring patients after receiving sedation
Monitoring vital signs
Patient and family education
Medications are far from the only way to treat pain. Especially since the opioid crisis reared its ugly head, pain management nurses have learned to administer and work alongside alternative methods for helping patients lessen their discomfort. Many find relief through acupuncture, yoga, hypnotherapy, and massage. Some pain management nurses assist in procedures like botox injections and spinal blocks.
A big part of a pain management nurse’s job is patient advocacy. A pain management nurse may be a patient’s only defender; the only one that listens to their cries for help. Patients in chronic pain can be difficult to treat, and pain management nurses must always work to maintain empathy and compassion.
Nursing school graduates can work as graduate nurses (GN) while in training. Many facilities hire nurses as GNs under the assumption they will soon pass the NCLEX, their state licensing exam. After passing the NCLEX-RN, GNs become registered nurses (RNs) and can legally practice on their own.
After some experience, pain management nurses can go back to school to become nurse practitioners (NPs). To become an NP, nurses must earn their Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). They can graduate with their MSN in two years but can take more time to complete it if they wish to work full-time.
Pain management nurses can also earn specialty certifications and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers a Pain Management Nursing Certification (PMGT-BC). To be eligible for this certification, nurses must have:
An active RN license
2 years of full-time experience as a registered nurse
A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in pain management nursing within the last 3 years
Completed 30 hours of continuing education in pain management nursing within the last 3 years
If a pain management nurse accepts a role in which they will assist with any kind of sedation, they will be required to obtain their Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and sedation certifications.
How Much Does a Pain Management Nurse Make Per Year?
Pain management nurses can earn an average of $81,220 per year as of 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This amount can vary by location and experience, from the low-end average of $61,250 to the high-end of $129,400. Depending on where you work, your employer may be able to offer higher or lower compensation:
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $90,600
Offices of Physicians: $79,810
Outpatient Care Centers: $97,200
Home Health Care Services: $82,920
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities): $77,190
Salaries also vary depending on which state a pain management nurse practices. The west coast generally pays nurses the best, but they also have a higher cost of living.
The west coast, New England states, and Alaska pay their nurses the best, but the cost of living in these areas can also be high. The lowest paying states are in the Midwest and some southeastern states.
Pain management nurse practitioners can earn a higher salary, which on average can be $121,610, according to BLS data from 2022. The low-end average for NPs was $87,340, and the high-end was $165,240. Salary can also change based on employment facility:
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $129,330
Offices of Physicians: $121,880
Offices of Other Health Practitioners:$112,660
Outpatient Care Centers: $134,030
Home Health Care Services: $148,960
The location of employment can affect pain management nurse practitioners as well, with differences similar to RNs.
The top paying areas for pain management nurses and nurse practitioners include
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Napa, CA
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Yuba City, CA
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA
Certified pain management nurses can earn more than nurses who are not certified. The more experience and proof of expertise, the higher a pain management nurse may be compensated.
Are Pain Management Nurses in High Demand?
The National Institutes of Health recently conducted a study that found more new cases of chronic pain in U.S. adults are being diagnosed than new cases of diabetes, depression, or high blood pressure, among other chronic illnesses. The study found that 21% of U.S. adults experience chronic pain, and 8% have chronic pain that interferes with life or work activities.
Nurses are in short supply all over the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 24% of US hospitals have reported critical staffing shortages, and some have even had to call in military reinforcements. With the growing number of chronic pain cases, the BLS projects pain management nurses will be in demand for some time.
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