Any bedside nurses making over 100K ?

oncrn17 · Jul 9, 2006

I am a bedside RN with 25 yrs of experience working in a downtown Chicago hospital averaging 48 hours a week. I enjoy 8 hour days, but easily put in 12 or 16 hr days if asked and if I want to work. I also live 2 miles from work and have no children, so my time is mine. It can be done if you want it!

mtngrl, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

wow, that is low. it is a shame you had to quit. did you find another job with better pay? I am still a student but in northern IL (not chicago) I expect to start around 38-48,000. part of it is shift differential. i will look at many things other than just pay when picking my job- scheduling, distance, if the shift fits with my kids, satisfaction, how well respected the hospital is etc...GOOD LUCK!

Well, actually my husband found a better job lol. I took a job that pays $10 more an hour than the hospital did but way less hours, so I don't make any more money, but it's a better job at least.

shihtzu · Jul 10, 2006

I seriously doubt that new grads in San Francisco are typically making $46 an hour, unless it's without benefits.
The average pay for RN's in San Francisco across the board is $38-$39 an hour. The highest paying area in California is actually the San Jose area (Silicon Valley) at $42 an hour.
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm
If people want to look at the data on this, check the link above. Look up your state and then your town. Go to healthcare practitioners and technicians, and you can find RN pay from there.
:typing

it's true, some new grads make $46 or more, with benefits. they make $46/hr or more if they work nights. on my 4th month in my current hospital (UCSF), i made $40 base pay with 16% nights differential (amounted to around 47 per hr). in CPMC (SF) they pay new grads $42 (base), their differential is 15% for nights (11p-7a). but these are in san francisco. the other good paying hospital that i know (that's not in SF) is washington hospital in fremont, which is also in the bay area.

my friend who works per diem in CPMC makes $61 per hr (night) she has 2 yrs experience.

Sheri257 · Jul 10, 2006

it's true, some new grads make $46 or more, with benefits. they make $46/hr or more if they work nights. on my 4th month in my current hospital (UCSF), i made $40 base pay with 16% nights differential (amounted to around 47 per hr). in CPMC (SF) they pay new grads $42 (base), their differential is 15% for nights (11p-7a). but these are in san francisco. the other good paying hospital that i know (that's not in SF) is washington hospital in fremont, which is also in the bay area.
my friend who works per diem in CPMC makes $61 per hr (night) she has 2 yrs experience.

Keep in mind that I didn't say new grads couldn't make that much ... I said it probably wasn't typical. I have found one job that pays a lot more than what I could get pretty much anywhere else as a new grad but, it's definitely not typical for my area.

Also ... and this is just my personal experience ... I don't rely on what friends tell me anymore. Some people tend to exaggerate how much they make. It's human nature. I can't tell you how many times I've been told they make such and such ... just to find out it's actually a lot less than that. Consequently, I tend to rely on actual data or pay rates that I can verify with the hospitals personally.

:typing

KarenF · Jul 10, 2006

with what I make here in Florida, I couldn't afford the cheapest apartment AND eat within the same month! Cost of living here is very high but pay is still stuck in the 1950's. I am an RN w/less than a years experience.

nurseiam · Jul 10, 2006

I'm in the float pool. So I make $5 an hour more, plus RNC $1, Nights $4, a few week-ends $3.50. I try to do at least one shift a month in less rest 14 hours of 1 1/2 and 2 double time. Plus during RSV we go into double time, but I stick to my one shift a month. I think this year I will just break $100K. I have been a nurse for 7 years.

nurseiam · Jul 10, 2006

i'm in the float pool. so i make $5 an hour more, plus rnc $1, nights $4, a few week-ends $3.50. i try to do at least one shift a month in less rest 14 hours of 1 1/2 and 2 double time. plus during rsv we go into double time, but i stick to my one shift a month. i think this year i will just break $100k. i have been a nurse for 7 years.

tanyadrh2 · Jul 10, 2006

hi, i'm interested in the traveling company that you were working for that paid double time, i am a travel nurse and get paid t 1/2 after 40.

mtngrl, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

Just wondering....how much would an all-brick 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with hardwood floors throughout, around 1800 sqft, plus same size basement, with about 0.5 acre lot cost in San Franciso?

Sheri257 · Jul 10, 2006

Just wondering....how much would an all-brick 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with hardwood floors throughout, around 1800 sqft, plus same size basement, with about 0.5 acre lot cost in San Franciso?

A half acre lot in San Francisco? :lol2:

You'd be lucky to get a backyard unless you have millions of dollars.

The average cost of a house in SF is ... $767,000.

http://www.dqnews.com/RRBay0606.shtm

:typing

mtngrl, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

A half acre lot in San Francisco?
You'd be lucky to get a backyard unless you have millions of dollars.
The average cost of a house in SF is ... $767,000.
http://www.dqnews.com/RRBay0606.shtm
:typing

So $46/hr isn't really so much due to the cost of living there then. The home I described is my own...it also has a 12-ft fireplace, pine ceilings, jacuzzi tub, huge master br deck, another deck, big fron porch, eat-in kitchen.....and it cost less than $140,000. So yeah wages are a lot lower here but you can also buy wayyyyy more house for the money. So I'll stay here! PS How much is gas there in SF? I paid $2.66 on July 9 here.

Sheri257 · Jul 10, 2006

So $46/hr isn't really so much due to the cost of living there then. The home I described is my own...it also has a 12-ft fireplace, pine ceilings, jacuzzi tub, huge master br deck, another deck, big fron porch, eat-in kitchen.....and it cost less than $140,000. So yeah wages are a lot lower here but you can also buy wayyyyy more house for the money. So I'll stay here! PS How much is gas there in SF? I paid $2.66 on July 9 here.

I used to live in SF but, not anymore. I'm in southern California now. I paid about $3.10 for gas last week.

There's all kinds of ways to look at these things. SF is incredibly expensive but, it's SF ... the most gorgeous place on the planet. I'm going there for vacation. If I was a millionaire, I'd pay that much for a house too.

But, since I'm not a millionaire, I live in the desert in a similar house you described that cost me $150K a couple of years ago. I have two-thirds of an acre and a built in pool. Now my house is worth $300K. How much will I make when I graduate? $38 an hour. How much does the average RN make in Tennessee? $23-$24 an hour.

The downside: summer heat ... last year was quite mild but this year we're getting fried (hence the reason we made sure we got a place with a pool) and utilities have gone through the roof. I'll have a 45 minute commute to get that nice pay check so I'll probably spend a small fortune for gas but, it's still worth it with the extra money I'll be making, not to mention better benefits than I could get anywhere else.

Just my personal opinion but, I've lived all over the country both in cheap and expensive places. In the end, I've found I do better when I go where the money is and invest in the cheaper outlying areas with lots of job growth potential that are on upswing.

Obviously I couldn't do that in San Fran but I was able to do it in other areas of California.

:typing