Average salary i can expect...

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Hi there, after earning a 4 year degree in accounting (dont ask me why i decided to enter the most boring profession known to mankind) i realized the medical profession is my calling. Im seriously contemplating becoming a Nurse but as for many people with families money is a big issue/concern for me, although its not the prime reason why id like to pursue this. I was wondering what the average base pay is for most Nurses who are just starting out? and what i can look forward to as i gain more experience... Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :idea:

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

It depends on your geographical location in the U.S. and the type of nursing work you do. I am going to assume you will be a staff nurse for reasons related to simplicity.

Registered staff nurses in rural Mississippi hospitals frequently start out at $16 per hour, whereas registered nurses in San Francisco hospitals start at $40 hourly. I could give you a more specific answer if I knew where you lived and worked.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

I believe that Salary.com has listings.

This topic has been covered rather thoroughly on this BB. It varies greatly depending on where you work, the shift that you work and your specialty. Please review the the info for your state and area, using the "search" option.

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Varies by location, cost of living, ect. A nurse in California makes more than one in Ohio, but cost of living is higher in California. In the Ohio/Michigan market an new RN is looking at a base of 21-23$ an hour. Not including shift prems, weekend prems. Those vary by facility.

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Specializes in SRNA.

I don't think that salary.com is very accurate. In my area you'll do okay in your first year. If you work nights and one extra shift a week (so 48 hours a week) you'll make around $75-$85K plus your sign-on bonus in your first year.

-S

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Sorry about that, i should have mentioned my location. Im in California, Kern County to be exact. I know that its usually a rule of thumb that any job done in cali pays more than in other states but its also true that the cost of living here is thru the roof, particularly the housing market. This is another reason why money is increasingly becoming a more important issue here and in my experience Salary.com isnt the most reliable source of info either! I must not be very well versed with the search button because i tried looking up the info and i came up with noting... I hope that's not a requirement to becoming a Nurse. lol

;)

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Im really not sure what i want my specialty to be yet but i was visiting a friend the other day who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and i was thinking how awesome it would be to work in the maternity ward.

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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.

I live in Wyoming and the cost of living is relatively low still. A new RN can earn anywhere from $16 to $21+ depending on the part of the state.

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Specializes in PEDS ~ PP ~ NNB & LII Nursery.

Oh! and size of the hospital. We have several small and very rural hospitals that have minimal staffing but also minimal patients =ing minimal pay... hence the $16/hr

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
Sorry about that, i should have mentioned my location. Im in California, Kern County to be exact. I know that its usually a rule of thumb that any job done in cali pays more than in other states but its also true that the cost of living here is thru the roof, particularly the housing market. This is another reason why money is increasingly becoming a more important issue here and in my experience Salary.com isnt the most reliable source of info either! I must not be very well versed with the search button because i tried looking up the info and i came up with noting... I hope that's not a requirement to becoming a Nurse. lol

;)

Here is a thread that shows the cost of living vs. salaries. Notice that one poster inserted a link to a table that shows the state average and it is not broken down by county or specialties. Advanced practices can make more money then non-specialties. Experienced nurses can make more money then new grads. Different facilities can pay more then others... etc. Basically, nursing salaries vary.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f195/high-salary-176802.html

By the way, the above does not take nursing school debts into account. If you incur too much debt getting a nursing degree, you may end up a broke nurse. :trout: There are plenty of those!

Plus, do as the other posters suggested and browse the newsgroup more. Read up on your interest to get a better sense of reality when it comes to the nursing profession and other things that might be of interest. Good luck.

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hi! good day! is it possible for a foreign nurse to be petitioned for the US if one have passed the board exam of their country and the ielts exam? then, take the nclex exam in the US? :) providing that the person must pass the nclex exam in the US within the year of his arrival.. if not, the person will be forced to go back from the US. :) hope there is really such.. just heard that rumor. :) one in a million possibility. God bless!

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how many months average will one wait if petitioned for the US? i min im so eager to be with my mom. providing one has passed the ielts and nclex exam. :) hopefully soon.

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