A Poll of actual RN wages in the U. S. for nurses working directly at the bedside

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. For primary nursing positions: How much do you actually make per hour, no shift diff

    • 13
      $10 - $15 per hour
    • 123
      $15.01 - $20 per hour
    • 200
      $20.01 - $25 per hour
    • 150
      $25.01 - $30 per hour
    • 70
      $30.01 - $35 per hour
    • 58
      $35.01 - $40 per hour
    • 22
      $40.01 - $45 per hour
    • 5
      $45.01 - $50.00 per hour
    • 13
      $50.01 or greater per hour
    • 5
      I volunteer all my time

659 members have participated

To get an overall basic view of salaries in the United States as well as a rough average of salaries please take part.

This is for nurses who perform the duties as outlined by many clinical based hospital rotations during nursing school.

This poll is not designed for case managers, nurse managers, full time charge nurses who do not take patient care assignments, etc.

This poll is also not meant to be used as way to say I really do not have it so bad and in someway cause contentment.

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I make 15.28 an hour. While that is pretty good for this area, i feel overall it is not very good.

But then Iowa does rank 50th out of the 50 states for nurse wages.

At least it is better than a cna makes, as i posted on your other poll.

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Allevi,

The reason for the statement.

{This poll is also not meant to be used as way to say I really do not have it so bad and in someway cause contentment.}

Emphasis on the word; contentment.

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While i do feel that nurses can and should be paid better, I have no plans to change my job. I absolutely love what I do and am happy with the money I make now. It is certainly better now than all those years that I was a stay at home mom and we lived off of one income.

My job also has other benefits, good friendships with coworkers, and I drive under 10 miles to work.

Of course maybe some day when my kids are grown and out of the house, I will become one of agency or travel nurses and see the country and make better money!

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Allevi,

You comment make no sense. You say you are happy with the money you make right now but go on to say that latter when the kids are gone you will pursue more money.

If the kids are gone and your need for it is reduced, i.e. Christmas presents, clothes, car, auto insurance, food, and everything else expense related to a growing family, then why the need for more money later?:confused:

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Hey Wildtime - do you have kids? I would love to make more money and travel, but the reality is I love spending time with my kids more. I often stay home on call to play with the family, because someday they will be grown and gone. Then I can make all the money I want and travel, have a hot tub, etc.

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I have been an RN with a BSN for 27 years, and make $26 an hour. My daughter is going to be a civil engineer in one year. She will either make more money that me or almost as much as I do know. My sister who has been a teacher for 26 years, makes over $10,000 a year more than me, and with much better benefits. Nursing has not stayed up with the current job market. If we don't change some of these things, such as working condition, salaries and benefits, we are not going to attract the best and the brightest to our profession anymore. WOMEN DON'T HAVE TO BE NURSES ANYMORE. We need to be marketable in the current job market. Our profession is loosing bedside nurses at an alarming rate. With winter coming up, every morning when my alarm goes off, I think can I make it thru another day in the ICU, taking care of very sick people with little or no help because everyone is running just as fast as me.

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Originally posted by RNKitty

Hey Wildtime - do you have kids? I would love to make more money and travel, but the reality is I love spending time with my kids more. I often stay home on call to play with the family, because someday they will be grown and gone. Then I can make all the money I want and travel, have a hot tub, etc.

RNKitty, well said, you spoke for me, too. You can't put a price on time with kids, they are my priority.

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I agree, time is precious not just to spend with kids but also in every aspect of life.

So as an agency nurse you can work less than you do now and make the same amount of money. This equals being able to spend more time doing anything you enjoy.

The same can be said if salaries were to be raised to an appropriate level. Instead of working full time, one could opt to work part time. You could bring in the same income and work less again using the extra time to do what ever you choose to do with it.

Agency also has the added benefit of not having to work the family/child centered holidays unless you choose to do so.

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

You gotta think like wildtime. He did not intend to imply you should become agency and/or spend less time with your kids. His message is simple; Until we loose that "contentment" with our conditions and salaries, we will continue to be behind. Just because I'm happy with my job and I make more than I did working fast food, should I be CONTENT with my salary??? Absolutely not! If our wages were what they should be, we'd automatically recruit more people into nursing, including all the nurses that left the field for more lucrative careers. If our wages were what they should be, we'd have enough staff that we wouldn't have to work OT AND we'd have enough money that we wouldn't have to work OT. Less or no OT means more time with the kiddies.

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i had a hard time deciding on what catagory i fall in or the voulunteer preference. they are the same thing

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I will be graduating in May, but I have already accepted a position for after graduation.

As a brand-new grad, I will be making 15.83 an hour. Since I will be working nights, I'll get a 1.50 an hour on top of that. Raises are 6% a year, plus a merit-based bonus for CEUs and inservices.

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