Am I being offered a fair pay?

1. 1 Hi
   I am a Registered Nurse and have 3 years of ICU experience. At an interview for ICU RN position, I was much appreciated for my ICU experience but I was offered a pay rate of $24.60/hr in Austin, Texas. Is this ridiculously low pay or this is the usual pay rate here . I used to make way more than this but that was in Australia.
   
   Can you all lovely nursing friends guide me. Should I accept this pay and start or should wait for a better pay. So confused and upset with the pay rate.
   
   help help help....
   
   Cheers...
   

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2. 41 Comments

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3. 
   #1 0

   Aug 6, '12 by nurse0626

   i am a LPN and work home care and make 25.50 hour.. so i would consider that low pay for a RN with critical care experience... (michigan) and get offered bonuses and triple time some times... and home care is easy compared to other nursing... i also work in LTC and make 23.95 hour.. (crazy, because that is more work then home care)
4. 
   #2 1

   Aug 6, '12 by nurse0626

   can you negotiate your pay? are they in need of good icu nurses or are there an abundance of icu nurses that would except that.. i think it all comes down to their need and yours...
5. 
   #3 6

   Aug 6, '12 by acgoing

   I think you should negotiate that pay scale, since you are coming in with experience. Believe me they need you more than you need them.
6. 
   #4 1

   Aug 6, '12 by gypsyd8, MSN

   Where I work approx. $45 is the going rate, but that is with 8 years experience
7. 
   #5 5

   Aug 6, '12 by traumaRN1986

   I work as a RN in Houston and my pay as a graduate nurse was a little over $26. After a year under my belt, I am getting paid a little over $29/hr. You should REALLY negotiate your pay. I'm not sure what starting nurses get over there in Austin, but I know in Dallas, graduate nurses start at around 24-25, either negotiate your pay or find another job willing to pay you what you deserve!
8. 
   #6 1

   Aug 6, '12 by inacopina

   yeah with 3 years experience (especially in ICU) I say you should definitely negotiate for more! I am a new grad in AZ and we start at $25+ here .... so with 3 yrs experience $24.60 is a bit low.
9. 
   #7 2

   Aug 6, '12 by Ruby Vee, BSN, RN

   what is fair pay depends upon where you are living and working. i make twice that, but then i'm not in austin, tx. (for which i am grateful!) over the years and across the country, i've found that what you make and what you have to pay for housing/utilities/groceries is usually correlated -- the more i've been paid, the more i've had to pay to live. i've also found that most of the hospitals in town pay relatively the same.
   
   icu experience is great, but only if you're going to work in an icu. home care isn't going to pay more for icu experience.
10. 
    #8 0

    Aug 6, '12 by nurse0626

    i am in the process of obtaining my RN and on to my bachalors in nursing and the pay doesn't seem that much more then what i am making as a LPN..... i know the opportunities will be greater... but now i am starting to worry about paying back my student loans once i get my RN.... any suggestions...
11. 
    #9 1

    Aug 6, '12 by Michell464

    That's less pay for what we hire our new graduate nurses in at here in Fort Worth! However, I work at one of the major hospitals in our area and I know the smaller, less than desirable hospitals pay a lot less. I would shop around and call HR departments to ask what graduate nurses are generally hired on at...that will give you a general idea.
12. 
    #10 3

    Aug 6, '12 by Chasity2495

    I am a new grad nurse, currently unemployed, but our starting pay in central North Carolina is $20.10 with differential for nights and weekends. I'm thinking that doesnt really sound that great anymore. :/
13. 
    #11 1

    Aug 6, '12 by stormytxrain

    I am a new grad and recently started my first job as an RN in Austin, TX. I started at 25/hr but was offered as low as 17/hr. So, I would say that it is a low offer with your experience.
14. 
    #12 2

    Aug 6, '12 by 8jimi8ICURN

    Quote from AussiRN

    Hi
    I am a Registered Nurse and have 3 years of ICU experience. At an interview for ICU RN position, I was much appreciated for my ICU experience but I was offered a pay rate of $24.60/hr in Austin, Texas. Is this ridiculously low pay or this is the usual pay rate here . I used to make way more than this but that was in Australia.
    
    Can you all lovely nursing friends guide me. Should I accept this pay and start or should wait for a better pay. So confused and upset with the pay rate.
    
    help help help....
    
    Cheers...
    

    Sorry to say, that the Austin market is saturated. I left there with 2 years of ICU experience making about 25.71. That is AFTER working my way up from the new grad pay scale of 21.5. If you want to get paid for your skills go to another area. Arizona, where I am now, offered me more than that with less experience than you.
    
    Austin will always pay you lower because people want to live in that city very badly. Dallas pays considerably more as well. As new grads, i was making 21.5, my friend started a year after me and was offered 25.50 as a new grad at parkland.
    
    Sorry to say, take your offer, counter offer, or move along. that is the going rate in austin.

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