APRN vs. RN

Spacklehead, MSN, NP · Sep 10, 2006

I believe that if you compared a full-time day, 40-hour work week of an RN and an APRN, you would see a pretty decent difference in salary with the APRNs making more.

Sure, an RN can go out and work greater than 40 hours/week doing nights and weekends and holidays and make about the same as an APRN or a little more, but who wants to do that all the time?

Don't let salary talk be something to hold you back. If becoming an APRN is something that you really want to do, go for it! :) I'm sure that making more money is not the main reason that people choose to become APRNs anyway, at least I hope it isn't!

MS, APRN, BC, FNP · Sep 10, 2006

Hi everyone-
I am new to this forum and have a question regarding APRN and RN salaries. My mom is a nursing supervisor and has told me that although APRN's have more education, sometimes RNs make more money because of overtime shifts, differentials, etc... Is this true? I really want to become an APRN, and will be starting an accelerate program soon to be one. That just does not make sense to me though. Where I live, starting APRN's will make high $60k/low $70k. Thanks.

You should be content with 70,000 coming out of an accelerated program. Work with Good competent (harder to find than what you might think) doc for 4 or 5 years until you are very competent. The big money is out there for NPs, but you'll need to put your time in and pay your dues.

ERNP · Sep 11, 2006

You should be content with 70,000 coming out of an accelerated program. Work with Good competent (harder to find than what you might think) doc for 4 or 5 years until you are very competent. The big money is out there for NPs, but you'll need to put your time in and pay your dues.

Ouch!!! Pay your dues?? You should be content???

Sorry but this sounds very demeaning to me. I would encourage anyone to go for what they think they are worth. You would be surprised how often it pays off.

Even right out of school I didn't consider working for 70K/year. No one expects less of you just because you are willing to settle for less than you are worth.

As a matter of fact, settling for less than we are worth keeps salaries artificially low and limits earning potential of qualified, competent NPs.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 11, 2006

Ouch!!! Pay your dues?? You should be content???
Sorry but this sounds very demeaning to me. I would encourage anyone to go for what they think they are worth. You would be surprised how often it pays off.
Even right out of school I didn't consider working for 70K/year. No one expects less of you just because you are willing to settle for less than you are worth.
As a matter of fact, settling for less than we are worth keeps salaries artificially low and limits earning potential of qualified, competent NPs.

Hi ERNP. I was just wondering how much you were paid as a new NP right out of school. I'm a current NP student right now in Mass and I keep hearing different things about salary. I do realize every state is different, but I really just want an average figure so I know what to expect/or what is the norm I can't wait to become an NP because I really want to be more involved in patient care, decision making, etc..but of course salary is important too! :) Thanks.

MS, APRN, BC, FNP · Sep 11, 2006

Ouch!!! Pay your dues?? You should be content???
Sorry but this sounds very demeaning to me. I would encourage anyone to go for what they think they are worth. You would be surprised how often it pays off.
Even right out of school I didn't consider working for 70K/year. No one expects less of you just because you are willing to settle for less than you are worth.
As a matter of fact, settling for less than we are worth keeps salaries artificially low and limits earning potential of qualified, competent NPs.

Have you ever heard the phrase "salary DOE" (dependant on experience). A new grad I don't think can be expected to make top dollar, but hey go for it. I completely agree with your statement:

As a matter of fact, settling for less than we are worth keeps salaries artificially low and limits earning potential of qualified, competent NPs.

I think competent, independent and productive NPs should be getting easily 160,000 if they are good negotiators and know what they are worth. I'm just not sure if there is such a thing as a competent, productive and independent new grad. Someone should be supervising and reviewing their charts and giving them feedback. A new grad who can't see 30-35 patients a day probably doesn't warrant 150-160,000 in compensation. I however do.:wink2:

........and yes even MDs pay their dues working in their reisidency for 4 years for much lower pay.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 11, 2006

I will say that salaries for APRN's vary considerably: not only from state to state, but from region to region even in the same state! The only state I'm familiar with is IL and in central IL the starting wage for new APRN's (when you can find an opening) is $60-70,000. I was very fortunate that as a new-grad APRN I brought 15 years of nursing experience to the table. Yes, I did negotiate for higher pay. However, I had few interviews due to the low-use of APRN's in my area.

Now - Chicago is a different story: many APRN openings and much more $$$.

Good luck....another thing you might consider, since you seem to be doing a direct-entry MSN: are you sure what you want to do? It is very easy to start down a long course of study and then change your mind.

ERNP · Sep 12, 2006

Hi ERNP. I was just wondering how much you were paid as a new NP right out of school. I'm a current NP student right now in Mass and I keep hearing different things about salary. I do realize every state is different, but I really just want an average figure so I know what to expect/or what is the norm I can't wait to become an NP because I really want to be more involved in patient care, decision making, etc..but of course salary is important too! :) Thanks.

I am still fairly new. Passed certification 10/04. Started at 96K with a full and competitive package. Renegotiated after a year for a better deal and the time is coming round to negotiate again.

When I was in school the instructors told me my first job would pay about 65K/year. I told them then if I couldn't do better than that, I would just keep doing what I was doing. I didn't see the need to have more responsibility without an increase in compensation.

ERNP · Sep 12, 2006

Have you ever heard the phrase "salary DOE" (dependant on experience). A new grad I don't think can be expected to make top dollar, but hey go for it.
I have heard the phrase. I did set myself up to be competitive and in the end I got what I wanted. I would never consider suggesting that anyone else couldn't do the same.
I think competent, independent and productive NPs should be getting easily 160,000 if they are good negotiators and know what they are worth.
Competent, productive NPs (if you aren't mostly independent you can't be very productive) should be making 150-160 even if they aren't good negotiators or know what they are worth. Unfortunately, the many who are willing to settle for what they can get make things more difficult for the rest of us.
........and yes even MDs pay their dues working in their reisidency for 4 years for much lower pay.

I did pay my dues, on the night shift, in the ER working up patients to the point of discharge or admission then waking up the doctor to finish his paperwork. I did it for less money.

When MDs are in their residency they might be moonlighting on the side, but the residency for which they are being paid less is part of their required education. No one was lining up to pay me less for time I spent on my education. Again, I have paid dues. In that way we all pay dues.

I simply believe that no one should come out of a higher education program without the ability to make more than was possible at the previous educational level. Since it isn't that difficult to make 65K as a registered nurse these days, it is completely inappropriate to expect any NP to take on the additional responsibility, accountablility, and liability of the role without compensation that takes these factors into adequate consideration.

My absolute lowest acceptable base salary as a new grad was 90K. I walked away from a couple of positions that couldn't meet me there. Within 2 months of graduation (and before certification) I was offered more and took the position. I considered working for less to be a disservice to my profession.

Please understand this isn't personal. I have been accused of speaking strongly in the past. This is just one of my buttons.

(I think I messed up the quoting. I have bolded and italicized my comments that are mixed with the original post. Sorry)

MS, APRN, BC, FNP · Sep 12, 2006

I did pay my dues, on the night shift, in the ER working up patients to the point of discharge or admission then waking up the doctor to finish his paperwork. I did it for less money.
When MDs are in their residency they might be moonlighting on the side, but the residency for which they are being paid less is part of their required education. No one was lining up to pay me less for time I spent on my education. Again, I have paid dues. In that way we all pay dues.
I simply believe that no one should come out of a higher education program without the ability to make more than was possible at the previous educational level. Since it isn't that difficult to make 65K as a registered nurse these days, it is completely inappropriate to expect any NP to take on the additional responsibility, accountablility, and liability of the role without compensation that takes these factors into adequate consideration.
My absolute lowest acceptable base salary as a new grad was 90K. I walked away from a couple of positions that couldn't meet me there. Within 2 months of graduation (and before certification) I was offered more and took the position. I considered working for less to be a disservice to my profession.
Please understand this isn't personal. I have been accused of speaking strongly in the past. This is just one of my buttons.
(I think I messed up the quoting. I have bolded and italicized my comments that are mixed with the original post. Sorry)

I'm glad you were able to start near 100K and still are moving up. It's NPs like you that make it better for all of us. What state are you in? What kind of business?

elkpark · Sep 12, 2006

When MDs are in their residency they might be moonlighting on the side, but the residency for which they are being paid less is part of their required education.

(Actually, most states only require MDs to complete a single year of general residency (what used to be a separate "internship") to be eligible for licensure and practice. All the additional years of indentured servitude are voluntary on their part in order to make them eligible for boarding in a specialty, and to make them more "marketable" in general (since many/most hospitals require BE/BC as a condition for privileges) -- but, still, voluntary, and, yes, a means of "paying dues" while they gain experience and expertise.)

ERNP · Sep 16, 2006

I'm glad you were able to start near 100K and still are moving up. It's NPs like you that make it better for all of us. What state are you in? What kind of business?

I am in Tennessee. Working ED for staffing company.