Higher Paid Nursing Jobs

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Hello everyone! I was looking for some advice based on your experiences with higher paid Nursing Jobs. I am currently working as a staff RN in an intensive care unit at a major trauma center in the southeast. I have been a nurse for 4 years. At the current time, I am making $23.00/hr (12 hours shifts/3 days a week). I am interested to hear about other options in nursing that will allow me to have higher pay (excluding travel nursing and/or going back to school for MSN). What jobs pay better than others? For example, home triage nurse or dialysis nurse? Any input would be appreciated.

Specializes in Oncology.
I do agree that rate of pay depends greatly on the area in which you live but it also depends on whether you work for union or non-union, which is what I wanted to show by going into so much detail above.[/quote']

^^This makes a lot of sense. It is also proven by the breakdown you give of union vs non union hospitals.

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No nurse is doing "less" or "more" for their patients than any other nurse. SMH.

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Thank you, klone; well spoken. SMH at those comments...

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Actually, there are differences. That isn't opinion, it is fact. I've worked in telemetry, and I've worked in Intensive Care. Shake your head till the cows come home if you want.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Peds.

I am also in the midwest, (IN) and left my ICU position making 19.75/hr after 2.5 yrs. The final straw was when an RN I graduated with was hired at a much higher rate when I had more ICU experience. I went to a public school setting & make more per hour (21.25) than what I was making in ICU! Thinking about looking for a prn position since I have so much time off in the summer.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Here is the deal......your pay will vary greatly state to state, City to city, facility to facility.

Where I live in the northeast.....at the top union facility, seasoned nurses, >20 make about $70.00+/hr (positions are hard to get here) while a seasoned nurse on the burbs at a union facility can make around $55.00+ .....seasoned nurse at a non union large facility are making around $40.00+/-/hr while small facilities are around $35.00. ALL within a 40 mile driving radius.

You will get paid more to work at the lesser desirable/rough area hospitals, that is called battle pay..... Shift diff varies greatly...as does charge. Per diem is usually more/hr but no guarantee of hours. Agency still pays well....but no guarantee of hours. The LTAC does pay well....but it has to....it's s tough place to work...you EARN YOUR MONEY!!!!

Differential for area worked? NO. Even Union contracts do not offer differential for the critical care areas. You work them and keep all those certifications because you want to work in a critical area. Some facilities will give an extra $0.25 fro CEN or CCRN but that is it.

I have worked critical care my entire career and I will say the biggest urban legend is the ICU/ED/Critical care nurses get paid more money.

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I have been a nurse for only about two years and am earning $10/hour more than when I started. My starting salary at a long term care facility (day shift) was already $5/hour more than my friends who got hospital jobs on night shift. I have since move to hospice where I was offered an additional $2/hour to start, and I have received a $3/hour raise. My advice is to look for a new job "outside the box." The largest companies don't necessarily pay the most. The same goes for insurance. At the long term care facility, I was offered medical insurance that started on the first day of hire. The hospital required a 90-day wait before receiving insurance benefits.

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