Author: Jonathan Guarine
Earning a nursing degree is no small feat. By the time nursing students walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, they will have spent countless hours building clinical knowledge through a combination of classroom instruction, simulation labs, and hands-on clinical rotations. The preparation is demanding, but it often pays off quickly. Nursing graduates enter the workforce with specialized, job-ready skills that are in high demand, positioning them for early career success.
Drawing on the latest NC TOWER data, we track the 2019 cohort of nursing graduates and take a closer look at what happened after graduation – where they landed their first jobs, what they earned, and how their career paths began to take shape in the years that followed.
For a small share of these nursing graduates, the next step after earning a bachelor’s degree was additional education. Only 3% of 2019 nursing majors from NC public universities went on to pursue graduate-level training, often preparing for advanced practice or specialized clinical roles.
For most of these nursing graduates, however, the transition from college to work was more immediate. Roughly 91% of nursing graduates from the 2019 cohort were employed within one year of graduation. Among those who were employed, 96% found work in the Health Care & Social Assistance sector. This concentration is hardly surprising given that nursing degrees are designed to prepare students for clinical settings like hospitals, physician offices, and long-term care facilities. Starting wage earnings for these healthcare workers exceeded $55,000, making nursing one of the highest-earning bachelor’s degree programs in the state.
These strong outcomes persisted – and even strengthened – over time. Three years after graduation, 90% of employed nursing graduates were still working in Healthcare & Social Assistance, with average wage earnings rising to more than $63,000. Five years after graduation, nearly 88% of employed nursing graduates remained in the sector, earning an average of almost $73,000.
While the healthcare sector remained the primary destination for nursing graduates, some transitioned into other industries as they gained experience. Employment in the Professional & Business Services sector grew over time, accounting for 18% of employed graduates by year three and 14% by year five. These roles may include healthcare administration, medical consulting, or management-related positions that build on earlier clinical experiences.
Against the backdrop of a nationwide nursing shortage, these NC TOWER outcomes offer a dose of optimism. Nursing graduates meet critical workforce needs while building stable, well-compensated careers.
More data and insights are available on NC TOWER. The dataset underlying this story can be downloaded here.