I am working in Australia with 25 critical care behind me , with BA in NURSING, ACLS, TNCC,and POST GRAD in CRITICAL CARE. We get $27.00 an Hour, equal to half in American dollars,plus penal rates we may clear $1200 a fortnight. However if you work agency you get $35.00 for weekdays and $75.00 for weekends. We pay up tp 40cents in the dollar tax plus GST. However it not to bad a pay.
Jane Aussie

I that I had it bad but according to all of you, I'm making a great salary then, if only the staffing and office politics were better I would stay where I'm at. I make 13.60 per hr, all the overtime I want, draw back is I'm the only nurse on duty at night for 110-118 residents. I made $40,000 last year and you know what I'm a LPN. But I'm the only one that likes nights, so I work all the time but you know I think I'm burning out because I've been on vacation for 3 weeks and I don't want to go back but I'm also scared of the job market. It sound tough. I was wanting to relocate up north to wyoming or somewhere but I don't think I can make the same salary. Besides I wanting to get my RN and make a living. My children are grown and its tough being alone in a new place. Anyway, I going to think hard about what I have and if I willing to leave it or not. The stress of office politics is tremendous where I work now.

Hey Stella!
I've been thinking about relocating to Florida.Tampa sounds good.(my grandma used to take me to the Colonade when I was small).What hospital do you work at?Someone had recommended St.Joes,But it always helps to have an extra opinion.

I am a new Grad RN working in a 12 bed ICU/CCU, and make $19.35. After my preceptership on days, I will go to night shift and will receive a $1.75 differential. Pay does not differ by department. Northern Nevada

New nurse in OR- 2 mos. experience. All new grads in any dept. start at 17.56/hr and then get 17.81/hr after passing boards.

Hey BebeSweet

I live on the west coast of Florida (Sarasota area) which is about an hour south of Tampa. The salaries here start at $14.90, and I don't believe that you are going to get all that more up in Tampa. I had moved from NY where I thought the cost of living is high, I was quite shocked when I realized that the COL isn't much lower in this area but salaries are really low. I'm planning on finishing my education at least to a BSN here and then moving back to NY.

I don't know where you live but believe me, it isn't as cheap to live in Florida as you think. Whatever you do, make sure that you aren't carrying too much debt, because that'll kill you.

In Massachusetts, the pay scales of course depend on where you are (near Boston or in the nether regions) and if you are unionized or not. I left a teaching hospital in Boston in Oct 99 and the MNA nurses there were making upwards of $35/hr. In a community hospital nearer RI, the pay scale was in the range of $18-25. In RI, I was making $28/hr in 2000 as a cath lab nurse with 14 yrs critical care experience. Now I live in So FL and the pay scales here are awful. The average staff nurse makes about $20. Thank heaven i am a CNS now bacause housing costs are greater where I am than they were in RI!

I have 5 years of nursing under my belt and only 1 of those years is CCU... I get paid $23.33 base with $1.75/hr noc diff. If you are CV trained you get an extra $1.50 and hour add it up!!!! I am not even at the top of the pay scale I believe the top is at 9 years of nursing at my hospital is a base of $28.00/hr Wisconsin sounds better than down south but I think our COL is higher too.

I'm concerned! I'm new to this site! And I left a job in the Dallas area about 2 years ago as an echo/stress lab tech - I was the clinical manager over the Non-invasive Cardiology dept. so I know how much the intro pay for a new echo tech was - $16. When I left, I was making $21.50/hr. with benefits.

I'm a 1st year ADN student. Am I making a mistake? I sure hope not! I've busted my tail getting to this point!

I don't want to do just Cardiac testing - I got tired of having the "good" projects taken away from me by the Cardiac Nursing coordinator because she had R.N. behind her name! But I also don't want to take a huge cut in pay!

Are there any nurses in the north texas area out there with insight for me?

Thanks!

hey swkbmckay, keep your tech job! i work in central tx, and i am an rn working in a cvru post op-ing open hearts, making 18.60 an hour + benes. i also have 5 years experiance!