Are there any Oklahoma students on board?!

I cant belive that is all it is paying! I mean really ya know?! It almost makes me want to go into another career...how frusterating. Good grief my husband makes $11.50 an hour working for OU and that is hardly enought to live on, $15 an hour isnt that much different.

I wonder how we can figure out weekend/night differential? $15 is very dissapointing to say the *least*...makes me wonder if I really want to put all the time into it. But that is what a Masters degree is for, that is where the money is.

Marilyn

Originally posted by Cynthiann

I have an off topic question. I'm doing my income tax right now online. They are asking for the amount of my state income tax return which I have no idea what it was. I also never recieved a 1099-G that is supposed to state all this information. What should I do? Should I contact someone downtown who might can give me the information or does it matter if I list it on my return?

I did mine online as well....are you using Turbo Tax on the Web? Through the IRS website? Maybe if you did not receive a 1099-G (I know I did not) that quetion doesnt apply to you?

Marilyn

Just Wondering I know I wouldn't take more than 6 hours for the summer....6 hours is a LOT during the summer especially if you are working full time! I have never been during the summer but I can only imagine since its all packed into 8 weeks.

Marilyn

Hello again fellow Okies:

First thing is that $15.90 rate for new RNs on the Mercy web....stinks, doesn't it? The fact is Oklahoma is about fifth or sixth from the bottom for average state nursing salaries; the average would be even lower if Tulsa's higher wages weren't averaged in. Equally lame is the wage for the 4-6 year RN job they are advertising at $17.20/hr. Even at 8-9 or so years experience you can expect about $19.

The rotten salaries are why hospitals have trouble filling their regular staff positions. After a year or so experience the same nurse who would be making $16 or so in the hospital can work float pool for $25/hr or about $30/hr working agency.

Those are base rates, by the way. But all the hospitals pay shift and weekend differentials, not just Mercy. They are about $3/hr most places.

So my first advice is be careful of your education debt. There are some very expensive private nursing schools around and it would take quite a while to pay it back with the low salaries in Oklahoma. Nobody cares which school you attended once you have RN after your name. Everyone has their own opinion as to which school is the "best". My feeling is that you get out of nursing school exactly what you put into it.

Someone asked me about Saints which is where I work. Our critical care unit is 32 beds and is not divided into separate cardiac, surgical, neuro etc intensive care units so you get a lot of variety. We also have an open heart recovery program on our unit. So for those who want to go on to CRNA school I can tell you without reservation that you would certainly have exposure to the types of experiences that they are looking for. It's just too bad you all are just starting out in school------I'd get a $2000 referral bonus for each CCU RN; and you would get a $6000 sign-on bonus.

Originally posted by marilynmom

I did mine online as well....are you using Turbo Tax on the Web? Through the IRS website? Maybe if you did not receive a 1099-G (I know I did not) that quetion doesnt apply to you?

Marilyn

I found the 1099-G we got last year but I never got one this year. I'm thinking that maybe the mailman put in someone else box. My street is Cedar Ridge and the next two are Cedar Ln and Cedar Ct. I'm just going to call the Tax Commission office since that is what is listed on the old one. I tried earlier and it's always busy. I am using the TurboTax, what did you put for the part asking about last year's state refund or did you just skipped it?

Since you are all talking about income I just remembered something mentioned in my Am. government class yesterday. The teacher was talking about baby boomers and mentioned that if someone wasn't sure what they want to major in, do something in healthcare because of the demand. Then he says that new graduate nurses get paid $40K-$60/year. That's $20-$30 per hour. Then I said "not starting out." The girl in front of me said at Deaconess they do. I didn't get into it anymore since the teacher was in the middle of a lecture. I'm going to ask them more about it tomorrow in class.

Marilyn- I dont' think differential is that much here in Oklahoma. My husband said at Midwest Regional it's $1-1.50 night diff.

We could definitely meet up sometime, whenever, I'm available evenings and weekends except for Tues and Thur I'm in class.

Someone asked me about Saints which is where I work. Our critical care unit is 32 beds and is not divided into separate cardiac, surgical, neuro etc intensive care units so you get a lot of variety. We also have an open heart recovery program on our unit. So for those who want to go on to CRNA school I can tell you without reservation that you would certainly have exposure to the types of experiences that they are looking for. It's just too bad you all are just starting out in school------I'd get a $2000 referral bonus for each CCU RN; and you would get a $6000 sign-on bonus.

I'm the one that asked you about St Anthony's. Sounds like an ideal place for me to work at considering my goals. How hard is it to get in ICU as a new grad? Stick around here a couple of more years (until I graduate) and I'll take you up on that offer for the referral.

All this talk about low incomes in OK makes me think that I should just move to Texas after graduating. Anyone else feel like that?

$40-60K for new grad nurses at Deaconess? Well, yea if they work nights low 40s maybe. But no way are they paying anywhere close to 60K.

I just remembered that my husband was telling me about a RN (graduated not to long ago) that applied at Midwest Regional while she currently worked at Presbyterian. Well, they didn't end up hiring her since her current job offered her $30/hour to stay. Another nurse had told him this. Why would they pay here that much when veteran nurses make just over $20?

How hard is it to get into ICU, etc as a new nurse?

I know a lot of nurses work for agencies cause that is where you make a decent salary and you can pick and choose your hours, days, etc.

Marilyn

Ya my husband is from Texas and we talk a lot about moving near Dallas after I graduate just for better jobs. Not that I dont love Oklahoma in a lot of ways but its hard to make a decent living here.

All this talk about pay and all really motivates me to make sure I get a masters. My husband was saying down at the OUHSC where he works almost all the nurses work for agencies and drive really nice SUVs and cars like that so there *is* good money out there. I was talking to a freind about this who knows some RNs, she said they all work for agencies and make about $30 an hour and can pick and choose your schedual...one RN she knew made about $60K last year.

I did look online some and somewhere here in OK they were looking to hire a NP and the starting salary was only $42K a year....total crap for all they do and all that education. Im sure in TX it pays plently more than that. Also if you dont already you should start buying the Dallas Morning News Sundays edition...they always have a health section in there with an articles about nurses down there and all the different fields, its really interesting and shows how much diversity is in nursing.

We will probably end up moving to Texas soon after I graduate.

Did anyone find out if it was hard to get a job in ICU after graduation?

Marilyn