[AllieRN2006]

I am a nursing student and will graduate in 2006. I hear so many different things from students, nurses, and nurse recruiters that I am just sooooo confused about this issue. I just want it straight from the horses mouth. What is your rate, what is your experience and what is your location. Thanks for the input..ahead of time.

[EvelynRN-BSN]

As a new grad I will start at $22/hour if I work the day shift. Then there is shift differential, which I could make up to $27/hr.
Location in Maryland
Unit: ICU

[Erin N]

I live in the midwest. The city I live in is very limited in nursing advancement. New grads start at $15 in the hospitals. Clinics start around 12.

[RN2CNM]

Originally Posted by AllieRN2006

I am a nursing student and will graduate in 2006. I hear so many different things from students, nurses, and nurse recruiters that I am just sooooo confused about this issue. I just want it straight from the horses mouth. What is your rate, what is your experience and what is your location. Thanks for the input..ahead of time.

I am an RN in the NICU in San Antonio and I have been an RN now for about 1 1/2 years. I graduated in Dec 2002 and as a new grad started at $18.00/hr and now I am making a little over $19.00/hr but with shift diffs I make up to $26.00 on weekends and after 3pm, etc. Overall the pay for new grads is good, bur of course if depends on where you are in the country. Also, a lot of hopitals have sign-on bonuses but with those you have to sign a contract that you will work for the hospital X amount of years to get your money.

p.s. Where in Tx are you at?

[Altra]

Hospital salaries for new grads in my area average $19/hr. I don't think there is necessarily a big jump in pay after one year unless you switch jobs or are recruited by another hospital (though I know people who have been out of school for just one year who have taken each of these routes). LTC pay rates can be more or less, depending on the type of facility and how badly they need/want you.

[zambezi]

It depends if you are asking base salary or with shift differential...I started at 19.48 but we renegotiated the contract and it was raised to 21 and some change two years ago...with my raise this year (two year anniversary) I think that I will be up to almost 25.--Shift differential does play a part how much you make. There is no diff where I work for 7-15. 15-23 gets 1.50 more an hour and night differential 23-07 gets 4.00 hour more. So my wage of 25 just bumped up to 29 for 8 hours...Weekend pay is another 1.50 an hour, which on a weekend would put me at 30.5 (So if I pick up days, it is best to do it friday to sunday!!) We also get another raise in January as part of the contract which will put me up to about 25.4...We work on a "step system" when I work...the first five years are ok, but the final raise is after about 20 years of working and the top pay is 33.50 and hour (and after 20 years of service, I think that number could be better...IMO). We also get decent benefits as well though...

[Gromit]

Here in Florida, for that matter, in the central/west part of Florida, the rates run between (for RNs) 17/hr to 24/hr. At my facility, (on a step-down unit) the base is about 20, plus 19% night differential.
LPNs, on the other hand, make considderably less (I think they start at 12 or 13/hr base).
I think we are about average though.

[IWannaBaBabyNurse]

Originally Posted by Evelyn381

As a new grad I will start at $22/hour if I work the day shift. Then there is shift differential, which I could make up to $27/hr.
Location in Maryland
Unit: ICU

This is probably a very dumb question.....but what is shift differentiation exactly? You get paid paid more money to work at night and on weekends?
Thanks!

[dosamigos76]

Exactly. At our hospital in New Mexico, from 1900-0700 on weekdays it is an additional $3 and on weekends it is an additional $3! So as a new LPN I only make $12 something an hour, but I work Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and make $18 something. Not a whole lot, but this area of the country doesn't pay lots of $$.

Cheryl