100k salary?

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. How possible is it to make over 100k?

    • 80
      Very possible
    • 71
      possible but requires some hard work/overtime
    • 117
      possible but requires LOTS of overtime/hardwork
    • 58
      Very hard

165 members have participated

18 year old male. I've wanted to be a nurse for a couple years and will be starting to work towards my BSN this fall. I've volunteered at the local hospital on med/surg floors and the ER room to make sure this is what I want. I will be taking classes to be an EMT-B or ER tech during college in order to gain medical knowledge, contacts in the hospital, and experience in an acute care setting.

Med/surg floors are........eh...but I am absolutely in love with the ICU and ER. When I was volunteering on a med/surg floor a male nurse said he had worked 20 years as a nurse an was making 120k

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My question is how possible is it for a nurse to make over 100k a year?

Does it pretty much require overtime to make that?

Whats the highest you have ever heard of a nurse making that wasn't a anesthetist or practitioner? And what did that require(overtime, certifications, years of experience, department,etc)?

I was thinking of becoming a charge nurse for the ER eventually. Good or bad idea?

I want to make it clear I am NOT getting into nursing for the money, but just like everyone I wouldn't mind making a decent amount doing what I love. I am just interested in how obtainable a "decent" salary is when it comes to nursing

Well PMFB-RN,

If I can brave the cold maybe I'll have to head north once I'm finished.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Well PMFB-RN,

If I can brave the cold maybe I'll have to head north once I'm finished.

*** There are plenty of little old ladies and toddlers living in Minnesota and they manage in the winter. I am sure you can too. Be warned, nursing in Minnesota is a little like takes a step back in time. Not to the extent it is in Arizona or Florida though.

Wisconsin on the other hand seems much more up with EBP and the times. pay is better in MN. In Wisconsin to get paid well you pretty much need to stick around the Madison area.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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1. NOT going to happen with an ASN.

2. can easily happen with a Masters degree.

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Definitely area depending, in Cali 100k is nothing, where I am at you might need a BIT of overtime as a nurse with 5-10+ years of experience to hit 100k.

100K is relative to be honest.

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.
1. NOT going to happen with an ASN. 2. can easily happen with a Masters degree.

#1 is not true. When I had an ADN, I worked nights and if I wanted to reach $100k, I could have easily done so by doing just 1 extra shift per month.

I'm more interested in time spent away from work, so didn't do it. But it is possible!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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1. NOT going to happen with an ASN. 2. can easily happen with a Masters degree.

Yes it can happen. I knew plenty of nurses at my old job with ADN's who cleared 100K with no OT. We did the forbidden thing and talked about salary. Heck I'm at 68k already and I'm PRN but I do have a BSN but have several coworkers who work more than me and they have ADN's. I made 72k working nights my first year as a nurse with my ADN.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
1. NOT going to happen with an ASN.

*** Of course it can. Any ADN can make over $100k/year if they are willing to make the choices that will make it happen.

2. can easily happen with a Masters degree.

*** I have never worked anyplace where a masters prepared nurse got paid any more than the ADN and BSN nurses she worked beside.

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1. NOT going to happen with an ASN.

2. can easily happen with a Masters degree.

Not sure what you're basing this on.

I've made over 80k one year as a LPN by picking up OT. Many, if not most, ADNs who work FT in a hospital/LTC can make 100k by picking up OT.

Of course, a RN with a MSN will make it to 100k faster if he/she uses that degree to move beyond the floor. In the vast majority of facilities, floor RNs with a ADN, BSN or MSN all make nearly the exact same wage.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I've made over 80k one year as a LPN by picking up OT. Many, if not most, ADNs who work FT in a hospital/LTC can make 100k by picking up OT.

*** Sweet! Good for you.

Of course, a RN with a MSN will make it to 100k faster if he/she uses that degree to move beyond the floor. In the vast majority of facilities, floor RNs with a ADN, BSN or MSN all make nearly the exact same wage.

*** Pfft! All those nurses with MSNs who have moved beyond the floor WISH they made what I do. What they don't wish to do is work my schedule.

My hospital has a 25% weekend differential, 10% NOC differential, and those of us in critical care who are full time NOCs and have extra duties (RRT, PICC, arterial line placement, resource etc) get another 8%. I work every other weekend and I get a full 36 hours of weekend differential every pay period.

The Managers, educators, wound nurses have a higher base pay than we do, but a smaller take home pay because of the differential we get.

The NPs & PAs have a higher base pay too but don't start to make more than we do until they are pretty high on the NP pay scale. Only CRNA start out making more than we do.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, Neurology, Rehab.

Brandonlpn:You sound like a go-getter. I have read your post and you seem to have so much knowledge about nursing and life in general,etc. so it does not surprise me that even as an LPN you made 80K. Keep up the good work!!!

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After seven pages I think the short story is this.

100k Obtainable how?

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Floor nurse: (Associates/Bachelors/Masters (i know master prepared nurses working on the floor) Either live in a place with a high cost of living, work in a department that requires heavy critical thinking, or the glorious OT.

Other: (masters) Education equals increase in salary. No heavy lifting and no OT required in most cases.

Good Luck...and welcome to the tax bracket.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
After seven pages I think the short story is this.

100k Obtainable how?

______________

Floor nurse: (Associates/Bachelors/Masters (i know master prepared nurses working on the floor) Either live in a place with a high cost of living, work in a department that requires heavy critical thinking, or the glorious OT.

*** No I think you missed a few posts. First MSN prepared nurses working at the bedside is normal and there are many doing so. I have never seen them get paid any more than their ADN and BSN coworkers. Second, if you read my post not every place that pays well if a high cost of living. Third, what do you mean work in a department that requires heavy critical thinking? I have worked as a staff nurse in 4 states and several more states as a traveler and never heard of nurses in one department getting paid more than nurses in another, at least not more than a tiny differential.

Other: (masters) Education equals increase in salary. No heavy lifting and no OT required in most cases.

*** I think that is not the case at all. How does simply having a masters degree equal an increase in salary? Most MSN prepared nurses I know make close to what other nurses make. Even managers don't make more. Their base pay is usually more, but not what they are actually paid.

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