Is this salary range realistic?

Nursing Students ADN/BSN

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Hi All,

I'm a new RN and at this point I'm still trying to figure out whether to focus on continuing my education or start gaining more work experience in different settings.

I just have a quick question. I recently read about a salary range for RN's of $46,399- $93,833. To me that is a very wide range, and I was wondering how realistic a salary of $90,000 is for RN's in today's job market? Is that something only a select few can hope to achieve? And how many years of experience does it take to get to that level?

Thank you in advance! :)

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.

It's highly regional. Don't just look at the numbers. New grad RNs can easily make $90,000+ in NYC and San Francisco, but these places also have some of the highest costs of living in the country. Look at salaries in your specific region to get a realistic expectation.

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

where do you live?

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It all depends on cost of living in your particular city. Do not extrapolate data from one area to another.

In my state of Virginia, new grad salaries range from $14.25 - $38.50 per hour. This reflects the cost of living in different regions of the same state. As a means of comparison, in the first city you can buy a 3BR detached home for under 90K. In the second area you would be lucky to find a 3BR detached house for under 400K.

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Thank you guys! I understand that there is a big salary difference in different regions. I'm located in Tampa Bay, Florida and I saw the above mentioned salary range for a local RN job posting. Obviously, a new grad would never get offered the $90,000. But I am just wondering how many years of experience it would take to make that kind of money?

I know money isn't everything. I'm just trying to decide if I should invest in 4 more years of schooling (with the burden of taking on additional debt) in hopes of making a similar kind of salary upon graduation with a Masters or PhD, or if I could reach a similar salary as an RN. I just never talked to any RN who actually makes that much...

Anyway, I appreciate all your thoughts!

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Specializes in Pedi.

It depends how much you're willing to work too. I made over $80K last year in my 5th year as a nurse because I was working two jobs (over 50 hrs/week regularly) and got a large PTO payout when I left one job.

For a full time (40 hrs/week) employee, a salary of $90,000 is roughly $43/hr. You can easily make this much as a staff RN with experience in my area of the country. I worked with many nurses in the hospital whose hourly wage was higher than that.

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Thank you KelRN215! That gives me a much better understanding of what's possible. I know talking about salaries is still a sensitive issue for many people and I truly appreciate your openness! :)

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A nurse I work with has worked at the same hospital for 20 yrs. She is making 45$ an hour(new grads making 20$ plus shift diff) and works 36 hours a week. That roughly translates to 77k a year(but you have to subtract tax and retirement etc). Cost of living isn't too high either.

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I'm making $74,000 a year after 1 year of experience at my hospital. I live in a high COL area. I recently finished an MSN and will be looking for a new job soon.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

For many higher paying nursing jobs, expertise is just as important as an advanced degree. For instance, even with a PhD, you would never be able to land a $500k nurse executive job unless you also had mad skills and experience. Likewise for those top-flight CV nurse positions that pay 6 figures.... unattainable without stellar clinical skills.

Stay on the pathway - continually improve your skills & knowledge. You'll get there.

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Specializes in depression/anxiety/chronic pain mgmt.

Many large hospitals have tuition assistance or reimbursement that will allow you to gain experience, at your job as an RN, while you are also working on a higher degree. Hopefully, as you increase in experience and education, you will also have opportunities to increase your salary. Myself and several nurses I have worked with have done it this way. I started my career in the midwest where the salaries for us were fairly low and moved around a little within the state (with the same company) which gave me more opportunity for advancement.

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Specializes in depression/anxiety/chronic pain mgmt.

Have you looked for employment opportunities on USAjobs.gov?

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