hourly RN pay vs. salaried?

[SpecFuz]

I graduated in December and just passed NCLEX and am trying to make a decision between 2 jobs. One difference that I was hoping to get opinions on is the salaries. Position A is paid hourly. I would think this is good in case I stay late many nights. Position B is salaried so it seems to be a yearly salary + night diff.

Does anyone that is paid either way think one is much better than the other? It seems obvious to me that the hourly pay would be smarter, but I am leaning towards the job that is salaried. Apparently they both should end up paying about the same amount when all is said and done. Both are hospital positions on nights in NYC.

Thanks, I appreciate any feedback.

[old rural nurse, RN]

If this is a staff position on the floor, sorry to tell you, but I think they are trying to get out of paying you overtime. I would never take a floor job for a set salary. Guess who will get all the calls to come in extra, stay late, work holidays etc. And I doubt you will be offered comp time unless its in the same week-which means you are at their beck and call, so don't make any really set plans. If you are really interested in this position, I would talk to other staff who are salaried on that floor (if there are any) and find out how well they like it and how often they are called in or called to stay home. Good luck!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

hi all

in general, salaried positions are considered more of a 'management role'. they usually do work overtime +/or not during a standard workweek (weekend conferences etc.). salaried employees have a freedom of schedule. meaning, they can take days off or leave early if their schedule demands. their work doesn't rely so much on the contribution/skills of others. think of car salespeople.

hope that helps :)

while the original poster didn't specify what exactly the two jobs she was looking at entailed, i can tell you for a fact that not all salaried employees have a freedom of schedule. i'm working 12 hour shifts in an icu on a salaried basis, and you'd better believe it would be a problem if i decided to come in late, take a day off or leave early!!!!!

ruby

[mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP]

Been there and done that on both sides and I would never again take a salaried position again. I worked an average of 60 hours per week, every week. Because of my *position* I was not entitled to sick leave, comp time, vacation or anything else (because they claimed it to be factored into my salary already). The understanding was...you work as many hours as necessary to get the work done (so....you could feasibly leave early one day) but IF you took off early, you were frowned upon by the higher ups for not devoting your life to the *company*. I researched through the state and federal labor laws and yes, I was not entitled to any *extra* time off, again, due to my position. So for 2.5 years I worked 60 hours a week, never came in late, never went home early, never took a vacation and never called in. When it was all said and done (when I finally quit) I made an avg. of $13.25 per hour. It was a fab. way for the *company* to tie down an employee and not give that person anything extra. Not to mention, it makes budgeting that much easier when you don't have to factor in OT and it makes scheduling a breeze because you assume the person will always come to work.

Now I work a great hourly job. If I work more than 40 hours a week, I'm paid for it. I have PTO (paid time off) so when I need time off, I take it. I no longer feel tied to the place where I work and I don't bring my work home with me.

[CHATSDALE]

if this is a floor nurse position, i see no benefit for you to take a salaried job...this is best described as 'getting the shaft'

[actioncat]

I would run, not walk from the salaried position.

[Anniekins]

i am a salary staff rn. at our hospital some areas are salary, others are hourly. mangt. claims that if you divide up the salary into hourly rate, its slightly higher than the hourly people...b/c they figure in a bit of overtime.

i will say this......i never get to leave on time. always about 20 min. later. sometimes more........and that on the hourly floor they always get out of report on time, and can even get in trouble for leaving late. its a priority to do report in a "timley" fashion.

for overtime...as in extra shifts, we do get paid "block pay" which is a block of money...x amount for a 4 hr block..x for an 8 hr block...etc. it does average out to just about time and a half.

i haven't been paid any other way b/c this is my first nursing position, so i can't say if i love it or hate it b/c i don't know it any other way.

:loveya: anniekins