salary of rn vs bsn in TX?

U.S.A. Texas

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Hi I was wondering what the starting salary of an RN in TX would be versus a starting salary for a BSN in TX?

Also which unit of a hospital would you be able to work in as an RN with no experience? I eventually want to work in the ped's er or nicu. Where's the best place to start? :heartbeat

bubbasmom said:
i am planning on getting my bsn after i get my rn license.i already have a bachelors in business. its scary to think i wont b able to get a job with just an rn degree.

~ BSN or RN, jobs are so scarce esp. in certain areas of Texas, we do not get paid 1 penny more for having BSN. Might as well head for NP-seriously, You probably can find some type of business/nurse position moreover as new grad. It's sad out here. Good luck!!

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Definately CNA!!! :idea:

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You need to Google your state and see if it's trying to implement, 'BSN in 10'. That means if it IS in play in your state and you start going into the nursing field as an LVN/LPN, you'll be expected to get your BSN inside of 10 years. If you're LVN you're either TX or CA. TX doesn't have BSN in 10 yet... but there's been some murmuring about it coming into play.. good luck.

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I've heard that you get higher pay and more job prospects with a BSN, one or two more semesters is definately worth it in my opinion.

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RNS in Texas only make $21.50 starting? That is low. I make $22.80 as an LPN.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

Hi there!! NICU nurse here from Texas (large metroplex). On paper there is little to no difference in pay for ADN versus BSN. One important detail. My unit hasn't hired an ADN new grad in several years. They also just told us in the last few months that they have a goal of 100% BSN RN staff by 2018. So. . .

In my experience:

New grad BSN pays: roughly $22/hr

New grad ADN pays: 0, you won't be hired in this large hospital system unless you know someone important, and then just maybe.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
GentleTouch8 said:
RNS in Texas only make $21.50 starting? That is low. I make $22.80 as an LPN.

It depends on the city and the specialty. Texas is 880 miles wide and has multiple major cities, some of which pay more than others.

By the way, I was earning $27.04 hourly as an LVN in a large city in Texas in 2010, right before I earned my ASN degree and RN licensure.

In addition, this thread is more than four years old. Pay rates have increased since 2011, the year this thread was started.

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I figured that I was going the slow route. (I delayed myself from becoming a BSN for a while).

So, I started out as a CNA. It's hard to live off of this wage. Around 2011, I was working at an LTAC in Austin for about 11.00 an hour. I frequently picked up extra shifts. I still had my own apartment and I was able to pay my bills.

I'm currently in the LPN program and plan on going to the ADN program. From there, ADN to BSN.

It's a long process, but financially, it's the best route for me.

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bubbasmom said:
i am applying for nursing school in july.just wondering if it is worth getting a bachelors as far as pay rate goes.

I forgot to quote this post when I was trying to respond to it...

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Having read comments about nursing jobs and pay, I just wanted to put some food for thought out there for you newer nurses. I've been a nurse for 27 years (LVN 1988-present and RN since 2003), hospitals are not the only source for income. That is one of the great things about nursing, you can do hospital work, nursing home, home health (brief visits or shift work), psychiatric, corrections, physician offices, ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis, etc. The opportunities are so vast. Just don't get stuck thinking you've made a mistake going into nursing if you cant get a hospital position. Honestly, I have my ADN and I have been doing home health shifts for years. I work overtime every week but this year I will make over $100,000. Hospital nursing, in my opinion, got too unsafe. Working nights and having 13 patients seemed unsafe to me. That is when I ventured into home health shift nursing. I have ONE patient and I'm not running my tail off the whole shift. I can actually provide quality care and the pay for me is awesome! I have worked in so many areas and they are all interesting. I've done psych, neonatal, corrections, drug and alcohol detox, nursing home, agency staff relief, rehab (non-chemical dependency rehab), medicare visits, etc. I've worked with all ages. If you get burned out in one area, please consider trying something different within nursing. You can make a great living in nursing and you don't have to have your NP, MSN or even BSN.

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Honestly the salary is the same. The difference is that for some positions they'll let you substitute education for experience and therefore you get a better pay. For example for a ICU position, as an RN 1 with 6 months of Med Surg you could get in but if you just have an ADN you'd need 2 years of med surg experience to be considered. Also with a BSN you can get into a research/magnet hospital which most require to hire RN with BSN and most of the time they pay more than a community hospital that's not magnet recognized. But again it also depends on the specialty. A Cath Lab nurse will make more money in a community hospital than a med surge nurse at the Med Center.

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What home health agency do you work for? What is the starting pay?

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