Des Moines area nurse practitioners’ wage growth in 2018 was among the highest in the nation, according to a new report by Doximity, a professional online network for healthcare professionals. Pay growth for nurse practitioners averaged 14 percent in the Des Moines metro — second-highest among U.S. metros — compared with a national average pay growth of 3 percent. The survey also evaluated the top metros for growth in physician positions, which in the Midwest included Chicago with 19 percent job growth. Nationally, physician jobs increased by 7 percent in 2018. The study is based on approximately 8,000 physician jobs posted on Doximity in 2017 and 2018. Data on 50 metro areas and 15 medical specialties were analyzed. Compensation growth data was drawn from self-reported surveys of approximately 70,000 physicians and 7,500 nurses.