An appropriate hourly rate of pay for a Registered Nurse at the bedside?

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. What is an appropriate hourly RN wage at the beside at greater than 1 yr experience?

    • 3
      $10 - $15 per hour
    • 12
      $15.01 - $20 per hour
    • 55
      $20.01 - $25 per hour
    • 65
      $25.01 - $30 per hour
    • 50
      $30.01 - $35 per hour
    • 39
      $35.01 - $40 per hour
    • 24
      $40.01 - $45 per hour
    • 22
      $45.01 - $50.00 per hour
    • 33
      $50.01 or greater per hour
    • 3
      I am not in nursing in order to recieve a pay check, I would work for next to nothing

306 members have participated

I know that cost of living is said to vary from one area to the next but with few exceptions the cost of living is actually comparable.

I have lived or journeyed to many areas in the us and can say the basic costs of living are not that different except when it comes to housing costs.

The price of a new vehicle, and maintenance is very similar.

Some places rent is lower yet the utilities are higher.

State taxes some times are higher in places where you would least expect it.

Some people have the added burden of city taxes.

The cost of day care from what I have heard is similar as well as private schools.

Clothing costs are similar.

Food prices in grocery stores are basically the same with the only major variable being the price of meat or seafood depending on the area.

Answer based on duties and responsibilities

After seeing some of these low wages that nurses value their services as worth, I have begun to wonder why.

Do some RNs actually value them selves, their knowledge, and their responsibilities this low? Then I thought a little more.

There is no way to control who answers these polls. It could be some one who is made at an RN or the group as a whole, John Q. Public who thinks we are not worth that much, an inexperienced nursing student, or someone else who in one way or the other trying to make nurses feel slightly guilty. It could also be an actual RN who truly believes this is an appropriate wage.

Who ever it is, I wish they would explain why they feel this way. As a group we need to hear why?

Maybe there is something about our education, our actual duties, or our professional and legal responsibilities we could clarify.

Please take the time to explain why?

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

You know, maybe I am just dumb or perhaps "used' to getting paid low for what I am worth- but I don't think $80,000 a year for a bedside nurse is really appropriate. I know there are other jobs out there that make more - but perhaps then THEY should be paid LESS.

Each job has it's own stress and level of responsibility that could be considered "high" related to that profession. Simply because someone doesn't make life or death decisions doesn't mean their job is less important than nursing.

My husband is in a pretty high role in the IS field and doesn't make $80,000 - he makes decisions that effect the company's bottom dollar and investment activity - which is about as important to that company as life is to an individual Joe.

I think as nurses our perceptions are skewed, and rightfully so, as NOTHING will ever be as important than a life or death situation at the bedside. I worked in an insurance company and could not get as "stressed" about what stresses them on a daily basis as I could about the stresses of nursing - simply because of of my perception of stress.

And this opinion is coming from a RN who makes $16.75/hour.

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

I agree 100% with Suzy. If we ask for unrealistic salaries, then we will be laughed out of the profession. We MUST remain realistic in what we seek, or we will definitely never get ANY improvement.

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Hey Tracy-

Glad to hear I'm not the only screwed up one out there! I agree, if we demand $80,000 a year we WILL be laughed right out of the profession. Hell, I even laughed when I saw that figure.

We need to be realistic here.

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Here is realism for you. I have made 35 an hour plus had free housing, health insurance many times working as a bedside nurse. No one was laughing me out the door. Many other nurses are doing this as well. They are not being laughed out the door. The offers are still there for us to pick and choose from.

The sad part is, the only people who laugh about this are the nurses who are making this. We work along side of other experienced nurses making far less and have to laugh sometimes when we here comments like yours. We have to laugh because we know for a fact that you could make it too. You could even do it without having to travel away from home. You just have to demand it as a group.

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Wild-

If travel nursing was so attractive to you, tell me, why are you looking into real estate?

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You do not have to travel to make this kind of money in many places in the U.S.

As for real estate, better money better hours, less headaches, better working conditions. Do I need to say more?

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Maybe it's regional, but I do not know any bedside nurse making $80,000 a year unless they are travelers. Obviously traveling isn't all that, Wild, because you left it to go for real estate. Why? Better hours, you say. No call, you say. No holidays, you say. Well...sounds like the $80,000 isn't worth it after all. Sounds like being able to live your life is what is important.

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If I can make $80,000 either way, then what would you choose.

Wold you rather work hard or smart?

I hate to burst your bubble, but between $30 and $40 dollars an hour as local agency is not that uncommon in many areas of the country. In fact in some area the pay can go to $45 and hours and more for ACLS trained nurses.

Believe me, no one is laughing them out the door right now.

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

$30/hour with an agency is not uncommon no - but that's not $80,000 a year is it? Not to mention, by us, our agency nurses get cancelled alot and they are basically worthless to us - because they can't circulate or scrub in for C-sections so we usually have to call in our own staff to take over. Now we are paying a nurse $30/hour to basically do nothing.

I had stated that I don't know any bedside nurse making $80,000 unless they are travelers. And I'm sorry, but there is a price to pay with traveling. Life is not all about money.

Also, if bedside nurses would make $80,000 - what does that leave for nurses in administration, or research, or those who are educators? Are you saying that those roles in nursing aren't as important as the bedside? If so, that is a dangerous opinion to hold.

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

Couple other things:

#1. Wild, you keep speaking of free housing, yet every agency I've researched deducts housing from your pay. In my book, that ain't free.

#2. If everyone went agency, we'd price ourselves right out of a profession. It'd be impossible for many healthcare providers to stay afloat paying the high cost of agency nurses. You only make the big bucks because you're one of the few, the proud...those with no family, no roots.

#3. Hypothetical situation: Majority of exsisting nurse goes agency. We all get (I'll go low) $70k/year plus this free housing I keep hearing of. Then healthcare starts screaming broke, federal govt passes even MORE legislation to flood the market with new grads (which is easy because NOW the average salary for RNs ='s $70k/yr..looks great to a kid). So, 2-4 yrs down the road, the field is flooded with nurses, again. Won't be much need for agency nurses. All those nurses that left their regular jobs for agency now return to regular jobs. "Sorry, due to the market flooding of nurses we can't pay you what you left here making, Ms. I'm gonna get rich doing agency, BUT, I'm sure you'll be back to that pay rate in a few years."

I'm all for increasing salaries; mine suxs. BUT, we must remain realistic. I'm like susy, I have no desire to do travel nursing. I have kids, hubby...you don't just snatch everyone up and say.."but the money's at the end of that rainbow..". Stability means alot.

We can only use that "we hold their lives in our hands" line so much. If the guy at Mc D's doesn't cook the burger enough, doesn't keep the meat fresh...IF the electrician doesn't wire the traffic lights correctly...IF the buyer doesn't order the needed medical supplies..etc. All those have the potential to be life-threatening.

Anyhow, I'd love a big whopping $35k/yr raise, but I think it's a bit unrealistic and I'd honestly feel like a thief. I'd be much happier with $30/hr...and would still feel a little guilty (BUT I'm not trying to handle a 15:1 ratio!).

I don't think you can judge a fair salary for nursing. There's so many factors: specialities, experienced/non-experienced, cost of living, nurse patient ratio, etc. There is no magic number.....

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All I can say is that $35 or more an hour is not uncommon in some areas of the country for agency nurses. And many times this has nothing to do with a high cost of living.

If you are paying a nurse to do nothing well then who's fault is that? How about an orientation or change in hospital or floor policy?

There are agency nurses who work in surgery and I bet that they do not get paid for doing nothing.

No I never said anything about the value of a bedside nurse, but if you think about it when comparing them to research, teaching, and even administration then who actually has the most personal responsibilities. Who is actually there to personally insure the health of a patient. Who is most likely to get sued? Out of this group of nurses which one can you absolutely not do with out? Who do you believe is the backbone of the nursing profession?

This whole conversation started because you stated that if nurses asked for 80k a year that they would be laughed out the door. Well guess what, some nurses already do and no one is laughing them out the door.

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