RN pay

MollyJ · Jul 6, 1999

Nursing has traditionally seen ups and downs in the market. During down periods, getting a job can be relatively easy for anyone, during up periods, getting a job is easier with experience, but in general, a nursing credential makes you eminently employable. With a BS in another field, I would definitely look, if I had the mobility, at the programs that are designed to take people with BS in another field and quickly transition them to a BSN. Simply put, you will never have to worry about your "pedigree" that way and your educational preparation will not be an impediment to where you want to go next. Posting on this web site about Transition programs for students with a previous BS/BA would probably get you this type of info OR you can go the www.nln.org site and look under publications for their directory of all nursing programs in the US.

I will tell you that your fixation with pay is a little distasteful to me, but it is a legitmate question. Hospital pay is traditionally the best pay and with good reason. Week-ends, nights, holidays. Occasionally a nurse will "walk into" a day job, but most hospital nurses will spend some time on evenings, nights getting their character built. I am not currently a hospital nurse but would guess that new hospital nurses start at $14.00+ (average) per hour plus differentials for shift and weekend. Agency nurses can be paid more or less, but it takes a truly flexible person to walk into a different institution and perform. Office nurses are not paid as lucratively because the relatively good hours are valued. Similarly, I have worked in public health and pay is not as good. Home health falls between office work and hospital work because of call, weekend hours. Home health agencies CAN be flexible employers. I followed, as a student, a nurse in a HH agency that was allowed to "build her own case load" and she had some BID (twice a day) visits so she would start in the early morning, play tennis and such in the pm, and then do visits in the early evening again.

Working as a school nurse is attractive for some nurse/moms but often requires the BSN (though many schools would hire you with your hybrid ed credential), pays awful to medium awful, gives you school year hours.

Many of us pick our job based on what it is we love in nursing and then we learn to live with the pay *OR* we learn how to make people pay us to do what we love to do.

Nursing, I would think, is not a job I would recommend to someone for the pay. It can be hard work and not always very warm fuzzy. People and families under the stress of illness are not always cuddly people to be around, so nursing is probably not a good field in which to enter if you are solely interested in the cash.

redcat · Aug 11, 1999

I agree with the previous reply, I would not

recommend nursing if one is solely interested in the pay. You might consider correctional

nursing. The work in not nearly as hard as

working in a hospital and the pay is much

better. Contact your state employment agency

for job postings. Most states have websites

your can check for employment opportunities.

Good Luck..

In Ohio the payscale for RNs starts at 18.00

/hour and goes up to 28.00/hr

Ramona · Aug 14, 1999

The most flexible field of nursing right now is Home Health. It is usually pay for service and flexibility is incredible. Because it is fee for visit, most agencies will let you work the amount you want. Need extra money, work extra visits. The only problem is most won't hire you unless you have 1 year acute care experience. good luck!

honeydust29 · Dec 16, 2004

i can certainly understand wanting to know what to expect in pay for the career field you have chosen. simply because you want to know what to expect as a paycheck does not mean you will love your job any less than those who are not concerned about the money. i am a nursing student and i have been looking around in my area and checking local papers to find out what range of pay i can expect to get when i graduate. i do not think this behavior or way of thinking is deplorable. in fact, i think that its just plain smart to know what kind of money you are going to have to support yourself and your family with. right now, my family is a one income family and we have 3 kids to support. i am really looking forward to enabling my family to live a better life while at the same time being able to get paid to do something i love. i am surprised by the judgemental attitudes represented by several of the replies posted. we all know that money isn't everything...however, good thoughts and good deeds do not put food on the table. for all intents and purposes...money kinda does make the world go round. i for one look forward to the day when i get my first paycheck. and no matter how big or small it is, it will in not be able to represent all the good i will be doing in my work. but it will put food on the table. shame on those of you for judging this person without asking the facts. "let he that is without sin, cast the first stone" and "judge not lest ye yourselves be judged as you have judged others"

dreatx · Dec 16, 2004

My God people, that question certainly did not seem to indicate a fixation with pay. the poster asked a question that any intelligent person should ask about their prospective career. i would bet dollars to donuts that neither of the posters that expressed distaste with the OP's question are working for free and living off handouts or something.

actioncat · Dec 16, 2004

I know it depends on the area of the country, but I don't imagine any hospital is starting anyone at 14 dollars an hour. I work in a medium sized city (not on either coasts) and they start new grads out at 21 dollars an hour base pay. There is also shift/weekend differential.

I too see no problem with the poster asking about money. It IS a motivator but I would doubt it is their only motivator.

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 16, 2004

http://www.salary.com

good luck on your schooling and future career! And welcome to allnurses.com

Antelope · Dec 16, 2004

I will tell you that your fixation with pay is a little distasteful to me, but it is a legitmate question.

Only an imbecile wouldn't be concerned about what kind of pay to expect once they get out of school. It is a job. A job above all is for money.

I know that if I didn't have an idea about what kind of pay I will get upon graduation, I would be stressing alot more about my school loans. I look at the expense of school as an investment, and making an investment with no knowledge of the return on that investment is idiotic. Plus the knowledge that I will be making good money in a couple years, helps me deal with how piss broke I am while I am in school. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel you could say. It helps motivate me.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Dec 16, 2004

Antelope, be nicey, nicey. Don't slam MollyJ when she expressed an honest opinion.

Only an imbecile

As a seasoned nurse of 19 years, I find it a little distasteful that "bucks" are the only incentive for some to come into the field. My experience with this type of nurse...is burn out and dissatisfaction. Believe me, the "bucks" are not everything. But, that is MY honest opinion.

JVanRN · Dec 16, 2004

know it depends on the area of the country, but I don't imagine any hospital is starting anyone at 14 dollars an hour. I work in a medium sized city (not on either coasts) and they start new grads out at 21 dollars an hour base pay. There is also shift/weekend differential.

The original question was asked like five years ago so pay may have been that back then (14.00 --- goodness) anyway

NurseGuy_in_06 · Dec 16, 2004

Only an imbecile wouldn't be concerned about what kind of pay to expect once they get out of school. It is a job. A job above all is for money.
I know that if I didn't have an idea about what kind of pay I will get upon graduation, I would be stressing alot more about my school loans. I look at the expense of school as an investment, and making an investment with no knowledge of the return on that investment is idiotic. Plus the knowledge that I will be making good money in a couple years, helps me deal with how piss broke I am while I am in school. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel you could say. It helps motivate me.

I totally agree with you. NO ONE I know of is going into nursing strictly for the money but it sure is nice to be able to do something to help people AND make a living at it. I will go out on a limb and say that no one working as a nurse here is working 40 hours a week and then giving the money back. And what about the hospital CEO's? They make an average of $250,000 per year and they are in the healthcare field also. They get compensated for their work. I don't understand how someone can look at all of the actual greed on TV lately and then get upset when someone who wants to help people wants to make a living doing it. And don't forget about the United Way CEO that makes $500,000 per year plus benefits. It was a fair question to ask about compensation.