BSN salary?

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Hello! What is the typically salary range for nurses who hold a BSN? I've been told nursing has a bad salary, but I'm not sure how true that is. I live in Flordia, USA if that helps at all. What is the typical entry level salary and how does that increase? I'm really interested in nursing, but if the salary is as bad as I've been told I'll have to reconsider :/ thank you!

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

The answer to your question depends on the type of nurse a person is.

For instance, someone who works the night shift in a critical care unit will be paid more than a nurse who works at a family practice doctors' office.

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You'd probably get a decent outlook using google with your city, shift, setting, etc.

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At my hospital a brand new floor nurse with BSN makes about 70 k working full time. I make about 35 dollars an hour but I have a few years experience. I don't live in Florida though...

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One time many years ago I saw an employment ad that said the employer offered a 50 or 75 cent differential for nurses who held a BSN. Not much of an incentive. Now the incentive is that many employers will not even consider an applicant that does not hold a BSN.

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My hospital (Michigan) does not offer additional pay for obtaining a BSN, though they do require a BSN within a few years of hire. All RNs at this hospital start at $25 base pay. The pay you take home will depend on what shift you work (shift differentials for nights and weekends), how much overtime you work, and how many holidays you work.

Edit: Agree with Pickles. Figure out how much you need. RN pay is more than enough to meet my needs and then some. After I pay all of my bills each month, I can put $600-700 into long term savings while putting $600 into short term savings/fun money. Factor in rent/mortgage, utilities, phone bills, credit card bills, school bills, car payments, car insurance, car upkeep, health insurance (you get the idea), then add a couple hundred to that (always factor in a "just in case" fund into your monthly expenses...like oops....my cat ate a lightbulb and now I have a vet bill. Yes that has happened to me). The point is, I truly believe you'll be able to live very comfortably (depending on how many dependents you have) off of an RN's pay. And if you want more money, there's plenty of opportunity for advancement with certifications and advanced degrees.

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If you're willing to compare apples and oranges, I can tell you that you should expect to make anywhere from $40K a year to $100K a year as an RN. Pretty big swing, right? That's because of all the variables. Specialty certifications, weekend/nights/holiday shifts, overtime. Makes a big difference.

For most places the difference between BSN and ADN isn't a big bump in pay, it's the ability to get hired at all. Some places have so many nurses to choose from, the hiring market is so tight that the BSN edge is needed to become employed. In other places it doesn't matter at all, ADNs have their choice of jobs. Location matters! Same with pay in nursing in general. If I remember right here on this site people have discussed Florida pay and it's among the lowest in the country. A nurse doing the same job in California can expect a much higher salary but she should also expect a much higher cost of living. What do you NEED to make, when you consider your mortgage or rent, taxes, education bills, medical bills, homeowner expenses, entertainment? Compare that to what you can expect to make as an RN in YOUR area and you'll know if it's a good financial move.

I don't know of any nurses who struggle to make ends meet unless they have unusual expenses, so the salary must be decent for most.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
If you're willing to compare apples and oranges, I can tell you that you should expect to make anywhere from $40K a year to $100K a year as an RN.
To be fair, the OP will probably never approach earnings of $100k as a nurse in Florida. After all, it is the state where people are "paid with sunshine."
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To be fair, the OP will probably never approach earnings of $100k as a nurse in Florida. After all, it is the state where people are "paid with sunshine."

At this point, i would be willing to trade some pay for sunshine.

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To be fair, the OP will probably never approach earnings of $100k as a nurse in Florida. After all, it is the state where people are "paid with sunshine."

Agreed, but she did ask about nursing salaries for a BSN and it sounded like she was hearing a lot of personal stories about how bad nursing pay is "in general". I thought it better to give the wider view, as she may NOT wish to be a nurse who stays in Florida, once realizing that a better pay to COL ratio can be had elsewhere :)

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At this point, i would be willing to trade some pay for sunshine.

LOL me too!

A friend of mine left Florida about ten years ago, and at that time she WAS pulling in over $100K per year. RN, with psych specialty certification. Did legal nurse consulting as well. Worked a lot, true, but never killed herself as far as I could tell. She never believed anyone who told her that the pay in Florida was pretty bad because she made excellent money, but I guess it's always what you know and who you know as much as where you know it!

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New nurses currently start at $25 in South Dakota. It was recently raised from $22. But it seems like nurses get paid more in every other state.

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