Nursing is a healthcare profession that has, over time, grown to become one of the most lucrative jobs in the world. Since the establishment of the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) in 1983, the body has continued to improve the country’s standard of nursing and health care. Besides the fact that nurses’ salary in Kenya depends largely on the institution or hospital he/she works in, generally, an average nurse in the country earns a salary of about Ksh41,000 per month. But most significantly, nurses’ salary in Kenya is also based on category and rank. Read on to know more about the different types of nurses in Kenya and the estimated salary at each rank/level.
Different Categories of Nurses in Kenya and Their Basic Salaries
The nursing job is a very demanding one that requires a lot of patience, hence, it is pertinent for nurses to be getting an appropriate and adequate salary. Nurses are paid differently based on their education levels, geographic location, specializations and certifications, the size of the hospital or healthcare facility, and years of experience. Worthy to note is that in Kenya, nurses do not have any specified earnings asides from salaries and allowances, but can be rewarded on an irregular basis based on individual performance. Below is a breakdown of the categories of nurses that are in existence in Kenya, their job descriptions, requirements, and estimated average salary at each level.
Nurse Anesthetic
- Salary: Ksh95,000
A nurse anesthetist is an advanced practitioner who works in collaboration with surgeons, podiatrists, dentists, anesthesiologists, and other professionals to ensure safety in the administration of anesthesias. To become a nurse Anesthetic in Kenya, one must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with a cumulative GPA of 3.5, 1-2 years of critical care / ICU experience, registered Nursing License, then shadow a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) for 18-40 hours and document your experience. Based on records, a nurse anesthetic in Kenya earns a salary not less than Ksh 95,000
Registered Professional Nurse
- Salary: Ksh70,000
A professional nurse is an individual under a license to professionally practice nursing. Her job descriptions include directing, teaching, coaching, and supervising less skilled personnel in the performance of assigned nursing activities. To become a registered nurse, you must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a license from your state’s board of nursing. The average salary for a registered nurse in Kenya is KES70,000 per month.
Staff Nurse
- Salary: Ksh62,500
Unlike an RN, a staff nurse is a nonsupervisory nurse who provides routine healthcare to patients but then reports to higher ranking nurses, healthcare practitioners, or doctors. Both a staff nurse and a registered professional nurse need the same skill and educational qualification to complete their nursing programs but the difference is that a registered nurse has room for promotion if she furthers her education to obtain a two-year master’s degree but a staff nurse does not have such promotion opportunity.
In Kenya, an average staff nurse receives a salary of about KES62,500 per month. Their work involves maximum direct contact with patients and they must practice interpersonal skills to ensure patients’ comfortability and emotional sanity.
Military Nurse
- Salary: Between Ksh74,000 and Ksh82,000
Military nurses are registered nurses with licenses who work under contract to provide medical and health care to patients only in military clinics and hospitals (army, navy, and air force). They are among the most respected in the field and so enjoy extra job-related benefits, including housing allowances, sign-on bonuses, and education loan repayment. Their primary role is treating soldiers and other military personnel. To become a military nurse, one must have high stamina, be in excellent physical shape and be able to think clearly even under stress in order to promptly make life-saving decisions. A military nurses’ basic salary in Kenya ranges from Ksh74,000 to Ksh82,000
Accident/Emergency Nurse
- Salary: Between Ksh58,000
Emergency nurses are one of the categories of Kenyan nurses who work as specialties within the field of professional nursing. Their primary role is to care for patients who require immediate and prompt medical attention to avoid death or long-term disability. To become an emergency nurse in Kenya, one must possess a bachelor of science degree in nursing, and then undergo special training in an approved hospital for one year. Their average salary is estimated at around Ksh58,000.
Nurse Tutor
- Salary: Between Ksh43,000
In Kenya, the average salary of a nurse tutor who can also be called a nurse educator is Ksh43,000. They are nurses that have obtained higher degrees that allow them to teach nursing courses in universities or colleges. They work as faculty members in nursing school and also in teaching hospitals and are responsible for training individuals with pre and post-registration teaching in higher education.
Student Nurse
- Salary: N/A
A student nurse is simply an individual still undergoing professional training in a hospital or studying a nursing course in an institution to become a nurse. Their jobs while in the process of training include giving and receiving verbal reports, administering and preparing medication, documenting patients’ needs appropriately, and providing emotional support to patients.
Auxiliary Nurse
- Salary: Ksh22,000
This could also be referred to as a healthcare assistant or nursing aide. An auxiliary nurse is a compassionate individual with a high interest in rendering health services to people. They work closely with healthcare professionals and are eager to learn the job. The point is that there is no exact role for an auxiliary nurse, rather her job is dependent on the medical environment surrounding the nursing practitioner she works under.
Here, a healthcare qualification is not required and also does not have a specific salary. However, a person working as an auxiliary nurse in Kenya earns around Ksh22,000 per month depending on the health practitioner she works under. The only thing you need in order to become an auxiliary nurse is to be interested in a career within the healthcare sector as it does not necessarily require you to have any medical background or qualifications.
Allowance For Nurses’ Salary in Kenya
In addition to salary, allowances are money given to workers to cater for their regular expenses. Here, the amount received by each person is also dependent on an individual rank and specialty. Some of the allowances are
- Housing allowances
- Extraneous expenses
- Leave allowance
- Health risk allowance
- Uniform allowance
- Commuter allowance
What’s more, nurses are oftentimes underrated, but the truth remains that they are one of the most sought-after people in the world. A hospital or clinic cannot function without nurses because they are the key people in it with vital roles. However, in terms of salary, just like many other occupations, a person with a higher qualification has better opportunities for promotion and a better salary than one with a lower qualification, following other factors.
