RN Pay Rates in NC

nurseuback · Dec 11, 2007

I live in Newport News VIrginia and starting pay for an RN where I work is 20.25 hr, 8.00 night shift differential , no extra for weekends. I can't see myself making anylower. The benefits are great. You can get insurance for a family for 210.00 a month and that includes medical, dental and vision insurance. Sentara pays 196.00 every two weeks. Does anyone know of any hospitals in Raleigh that do that. I'm going to miss my jobs here in Virginia.

tonybloni · Dec 28, 2007

Do You Think Nursing Salaries In This Area Will Improve To Attract Nurses From Other Areas Of The Country? I Live In Ca And It Seems Like An Insult To Me That A Nurse Would Make The Same Or Less Than A Bartender, For The Work We Do. The Reason I Ask Is That My Wife And I Are Looking To Relocate, And It Seems Like All Other Areas Of The Us Pay Much Less Than Ca. I Understand The Cost Of Living Is Much Higher Here, But There Is Such A Dramatic Diff In Pay.

10MG-IV · Jun 20, 2008

That seems awfully low to me. Hospitals here in the RTP area are paying more than that to new grads, plus shift diff!

i WAS thinking of moving to NC, Charlotte area, I will call the Hospitals and State Board there and tell them, I don't give excellent nursing care for :eek: $22./hr, (what an insult) no matter how beautiful their state is. THEY MUST BE PROUD. I have 30+ yrs experience 'Nuff said.

BTW, decent safe housing in Charlotte is outrageous.

misswoosie · Jun 20, 2008

i WAS thinking of moving to NC, Charlotte area, I will call the Hospitals and State Board there and tell them, I don't give excellent nursing care for $22./hr, (what an insult) no matter how beautiful their state is. THEY MUST BE PROUD. I have 30+ yrs experience 'Nuff said.
BTW, decent safe housing in Charlotte is outrageous.

Why do you say decent safe housing in Charlotte is outrageous?

What areas have you looked at and what are the prices.

LittleWing21, RN · Jun 20, 2008

10MG-IV: Did you interview there, is that how you got that number? That is ridiculous...thats close to what a new grad makes in NC...weird.

FAMU_RN · Jun 16, 2009

I was making $36.25 in Atlanta ... and was offered $19.40 upon moving to NC. The strange thing is the cost of living is NOT at all lower in NC, in fact we had to spend over $60K MORE to buy a house equal in size to the one we had in Atlanta. From what I understand, agency and home health is where the money is ...

I am trying to relocate to Atlanta. The pay rate from what I have been quoted in my interviews is quite low. Can you pm to let me know where were you working making 36.25 in Atlanta.

dreamon · Jun 26, 2009

Also -
New Grad salary at Rex Hospital in Raleigh
Base: ~ $20 an hour
Evening Diff: $3.50/hour
Night Diff: $5.00/hour
Weekend: $10/hour
Do the math - A new grad can make up to $35 an hour if he/she works Friday or Saturday nights...not too shabby in a place where you can buy a house for under $150,000.....

The $100,000 question is how many can actually get hired onto that shift? The nurses working those hours probably won't change it unless they absolutely had to. I was surprised to see that nurses make more in SC than NC (and that is not including Myrtle Beach or Charleston). The fact that NC is becoming more and more popular for people who want to move from other states means there will always be nurses coming to work and the hospitals don't have to worry about raising salaries. Lower COL is felt by those who come from NYC, North Jersey, California, etc. Many sold homes up north and relocated into bigger and better homes so it is easier for them. For the rest, it isn't that simple.

ello7 · Jun 27, 2009

I moved from Ohio where COL living was less expensive, and I still took a pay cut coming here to NC. When the HR rep told me my pay, I asked her why it was so low, and she just told me that is competitive for the area...

Still ticked about it. Making less, paying more, and benefits are a joke...

cingle · Jun 29, 2009

I moved here from Indiana about 14 years ago. Housing here in Western NC is expensive...not to mention that we sometimes have the highest gas prices for the whole Southest. Property taxes are high in the town we live near (and which we will likely be annexed by sometime in the next few years) since this is a very desirable retirement area.

Although I've heard that COL is much less in the Piedmont, that doesn't seem to apply here. It took my husband & I about 4 years to start earning here what we used to earn in Indiana. South Carolina is WAY cheaper and we're thinking of retiring there...although we really love NC, in spite of the expense.

avillion23 · Jul 8, 2009

High Point Regional Hospital Rates:

$21.00 - 32.55 weekday base rate

$28.50 - 34.75 weekend premium pay

$3.75 shift diff for evening

$4.25 shift diff for nights

The base rate goes off of a formula based on years of experience.

The premium pay is a three-tier system, again depending on years of experience.

I hope this information helps someone

lighterbeing · Jul 16, 2009

I also really want to move to the Raleigh Area, but since I am the breadwinner in my family, I just don't see how I can live on the pay cut. At present I make 32.00 an hour plus night/weekend diff. I have been a nurse for 12 years. I love the area, my daughter lives there and we have a new grandchild. I need the benefits, so can not do agency. I am putting it off for a while, but can not imagine making so much less, life is a struggle now. We make frequent trips and the drive can be a challenge if traffic is bad, so I am eager to move. I know many nurses who make a couple of dollars more than I do, even more for ICU. I have been impressed with the hospitals in the area, several to choose from.

misswoosie · Jul 16, 2009

The $100,000 question is how many can actually get hired onto that shift? The nurses working those hours probably won't change it unless they absolutely had to. I was surprised to see that nurses make more in SC than NC (and that is not including Myrtle Beach or Charleston). The fact that NC is becoming more and more popular for people who want to move from other states means there will always be nurses coming to work and the hospitals don't have to worry about raising salaries. Lower COL is felt by those who come from NYC, North Jersey, California, etc. Many sold homes up north and relocated into bigger and better homes so it is easier for them. For the rest, it isn't that simple.

It's all about supply and demand.Don't think you can compare NC and SC as places to live.

Lower cost of living is lower cost of living,wherever you are from.If people complain so much about the wages and COL in NC-why did they come to NC in the first place?