Confused why salaries for new grads are not higher?

U.S.A. California

Published

hello all,

so i was in anaheim last week at the nsna convention. a lot of the ca hospitals were represented, and i was able to get my questions answered about new grad. programs. it was an exciting time!

one of the main questions was about salary. the hourly pay avg. for new grads was $28. ucsf was the highest at $40.

this is where the confusion comes in... the starting rate for new grads is $27 (with $3 evening diff.) at a hospital in houston. since the cost of living in ca is so much higher than houston, why isn't there a bigger difference in new grad starting rate?

i looked at the diff. today and i'm really starting to panic. can i make it there? should i wait and do travel nursing? the hospitals i am looking at are methodist, loma linda, ucsd, and ucsf. how are people making it living in these areas? i am getting discouraged because i feel like i need to wait, but i really don't want to. i want to get out there and explore, but i don't want to live in a dump and eat roman noodles to do it. i just don't understand how the math doesn't equal to really poor in ca!

please help:confused:

Actually Tim, I've been offered a new graduate position on a Med-Surg floor at a hospital in the Medical Center that pays $27.03 an hour for the 3p-11p shift. The day shift pays $24.03. My desired shift is evenings and my desired area is Med-Surg so that works perfect for me. So I guess everyone learns something new everyday, huh? I'm not misinformed, these are personal facts.

Well ... it's a little confusing because you originally said the Houston hospital was offering $27 days with a $3 night differential.

Keep in mind that night shift differentials at a lot of SoCal hospitals will also add $3 to $4 an hour. Obviously it varies by facility but one hospital in my area pays an extra $5 an hour for weekends.

So you might want to make sure you're comparing the same wages. Average new grad pay in my area is about $27-28 for days but, with weekend/night differentials you're probably looking at $30-33.

:typing

Specializes in Womens health, labor and delivery.

I am new to this forum, (today!!) and graduating on May 25th. I have been reading this thread with much interest. I would like to add some thoughts, but no judgments. I live in San Francisco, and out of the 47 individuals in my ABSN program, approx 50% have been told that all new grad programs are full, and there are few, if any jobs left at local hospitals for new grads. Although I agree that nurses with experience are not valued as they should be, ( how many have trained us in the skills we have learned?) and they should be compensated more, I am not equipped to figure out how to solve that problem. However, as far as compensation for new grads, my rent is 3175.00 a month(one bedroom apt), and I am leaving my year long program with a 60,000.00 bill.( tuition only) Again, I am not complaining, I made those choices, but my point is that as a 45 year old who has a financial reality to face, in my area, 40.00 and hour is not a lot, if you look at the cost of living in northern california. I, as many in my class, feel we were sold out, being told there was a nursing shortage, only to graduate to a jobless economy, with thousands of dollars in debt. (my program is an accelerated second degree program) I hope things turn around, and I am excited to eventually work in the nursing field.

Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
I, as many in my class, feel we were sold out, being told there was a nursing shortage, only to graduate to a jobless economy, with thousands of dollars in debt.

Just an FYI, there are still many areas of the country hurting for nurses....they are recruiting like crazy on the campuses in this area.

The hospitals apparently don't pay as high as the coasts, but our cost-of-living is lower and often the standard of living is much higher IMO (I'm originally a southern CA girl).

Good luck to you!!

I am new to this forum, (today!!) and graduating on May 25th. I have been reading this thread with much interest. I would like to add some thoughts, but no judgments. I live in San Francisco, and out of the 47 individuals in my ABSN program, approx 50% have been told that all new grad programs are full, and there are few, if any jobs left at local hospitals for new grads. Although I agree that nurses with experience are not valued as they should be, ( how many have trained us in the skills we have learned?) and they should be compensated more, I am not equipped to figure out how to solve that problem. However, as far as compensation for new grads, my rent is 3175.00 a month(one bedroom apt), and I am leaving my year long program with a 60,000.00 bill.( tuition only) Again, I am not complaining, I made those choices, but my point is that as a 45 year old who has a financial reality to face, in my area, 40.00 and hour is not a lot, if you look at the cost of living in northern california. I, as many in my class, feel we were sold out, being told there was a nursing shortage, only to graduate to a jobless economy, with thousands of dollars in debt. (my program is an accelerated second degree program) I hope things turn around, and I am excited to eventually work in the nursing field.

Just my opinion but ... before people move out here, they need to realize that the real opportunities in California don't lie in the coastal areas anymore. The demographics are changing.

The real opportunities lie in the inland areas ... that's where the growth is. The projected population growth for inland areas is more than triple the amount of coastal area growth in the next 20 years ... mostly because the coastal areas are oversaturated, there's hardly any land left to build and it's just too expensive.

The coastal areas are gorgeous and, of course, just about every nurse who moves out here wants to live near the coast so ... they probably will hire experienced nurses over new grads because they can. Add to that the high cost of living and ... I can see how it would be a very tough market.

I too lived in San Fran but moved to the desert where I bought a cheap house, got into a cheap CC that only cost $5K and now I'm making great money. Just about every hospital in my area is expanding.

There are a lot of hospitals that only do new grad programs twice a year, and I missed some of those because I had to have surgery after graduation but, so many hospitals are expanding in my area I still had no trouble finding a job.

So I wouldn't say that California has a jobless nursing economy ... far from it ... but, IMO, you do have to look beyond the coastal areas for better opportunities that won't cost you a fortune.

:typing

Specializes in Critical Care.
Actually Tim, I've been offered a new graduate position on a Med-Surg floor at a hospital in the Medical Center that pays $27.03 an hour for the 3p-11p shift. The day shift pays $24.03. My desired shift is evenings and my desired area is Med-Surg so that works perfect for me. So I guess everyone learns something new everyday, huh? I'm not misinformed, these are personal facts.

So basically a starting salary of 24/hr with a differential for the evening shift. In the range of what I said.

However, that is ALSO, as you said, in the Medical Ctr. As in, no place to live that doesn't cost a fortune within 30 miles. You won't find the same salary in any of the hospitals that ring the beltway. They are likely closer to 22.00.

Personally, having to commute through Houston to work in the Med Ctr or having to pay the extra to live near the Med Ctr: not worth an extra 2 bucks in salary.

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in Womens health, labor and delivery.

Thanks for your reply's- However- I have lived in San Francisco for 27 years, and its hard to think I may have to pick up my life and move!! Just today I was told by two separate hospitals that the new grad programs had filled up early, ( jan-mar) and from many out of state students! My school just did not let us know of the urgency of getting that resume out there after Christmas break. Oh WELL- live and learn

Specializes in ICU.
So basically a starting salary of 24/hr with a differential for the evening shift. In the range of what I said.

However, that is ALSO, as you said, in the Medical Ctr. As in, no place to live that doesn't cost a fortune within 30 miles. You won't find the same salary in any of the hospitals that ring the beltway. They are likely closer to 22.00.

Personally, having to commute through Houston to work in the Med Ctr or having to pay the extra to live near the Med Ctr: not worth an extra 2 bucks in salary.

~faith,

Timothy.

Wrong again Tim. I live 8 minutes away from the Medical Center and have a nice 1bdrm apartment for $540. I have been living here for 2 1/2 years and my apartment has been perfect for my commute to school and work. It is in a nice well-to-do neighborhood that is close to everything.

An apartment in the Medical Center can range from $600-1100, depends on how new it is. To me, that price does not sound like a fortune. I have been living in the Medical Center/Galleria area for almost 11 years, so I am an expert on the area. I am interested in the teaching environment in the Medical Center, so hospitals outside that area were never on my radar. However, there is a hospital off of 610 and 59 (outside the Med Center) that offers the same pay that I mentioned before.

Maybe there's more to learn about Houston....seems like your info. is out of date.

Thanks for your reply's- However- I have lived in San Francisco for 27 years, and its hard to think I may have to pick up my life and move!! Just today I was told by two separate hospitals that the new grad programs had filled up early, ( jan-mar) and from many out of state students! My school just did not let us know of the urgency of getting that resume out there after Christmas break. Oh WELL- live and learn

I realize as a San Fran native that you probably wouldn't want to move. I was also commenting on the fact that we always get these threads that say the same thing: people want to move to California, they want to live in premium areas on or near the coast, they want to make a ton of money and still live cheap.

Well ... so does everybody else in the country who moves here, which is why it's never going to happen by virtue of the fact that too many people are doing the same thing. As you said ... in San Fran you're even competing with new grads from out of state.

There's still plenty of money to be made in California but it's typically NOT going to be in the coastal areas. Those days are gone ... the demographics and better money making opportunities are moving to cheaper inland areas.

That's why a new grad two hours drive away from LA or Orange County is making the same and, in some cases, even more money than new grads in LA and Orange County ... even though the cost of living is cheaper in those areas.

Usually, the farther out you go from metro areas, the pay gets lower but that's not what's happening in high growth inland areas of California where hospitals are expanding.

If people still want to live in the coastal areas regardless then fine but ... it's useless to complain about the financial situation when too many people are chasing the same limited jobs, housing, etc. in those particular areas.

:typing

Oops, double post.

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

Well, I had to throw my two cents in here......

I had been going back and forth about accepting a position at two-different Orange county facilities (both offered salaries of around $27.50-$28.00/hr full-time for their new grad program).

I finally decided to accept a position at Harbor-UCLA, where I did my last semester of clinicals.

I am in the ED, in the new grad program. I was hired, however, as part-time (benefitted) and will begin that schedule after my new grad program/orientation is over and I am making...........$40/hour!!!

I think thats a great start for this new grad!

So, yes the salaries are out there, it just depends on where you go. (btw this hospital is 10 minutes from redondo beach!!!!) and the program is great so far!

Specializes in Womens health, labor and delivery.

Hi Sheri257-Thanks for your feedback.

However, as a long term resident of SF, any illusion of living cheap dissapears each month as I write my 3500.00 rent check. I also did not mean to give the impression of complaining, As someone who is coming into a field that I have not been exposed to internally, any information I have heard is that there is a huge nursing shortage. My post was simply to share my disappointment in my experience as I leave school. It was certainly not to give the impression that I packed my bags, ran to SF, and thought I was going to "make a ton of money and live cheaply." Anyone who knows anything about this area would know that 40.00 an hour is really not a lot to live in this city. I hope this clarify's what my intention was, to get feedback on the experience of what others were going through in this area. Not to feel as if I were wrong to live in SF and want to support myself.:o

Hi Sheri257-Thanks for your feedback.

However, as a long term resident of SF, any illusion of living cheap dissapears each month as I write my 3500.00 rent check. I also did not mean to give the impression of complaining, As someone who is coming into a field that I have not been exposed to internally, any information I have heard is that there is a huge nursing shortage. My post was simply to share my disappointment in my experience as I leave school. It was certainly not to give the impression that I packed my bags, ran to SF, and thought I was going to "make a ton of money and live cheaply." Anyone who knows anything about this area would know that 40.00 an hour is really not a lot to live in this city. I hope this clarify's what my intention was, to get feedback on the experience of what others were going through in this area. Not to feel as if I were wrong to live in SF and want to support myself.:o

I'm sorry ... I should have been more sensitive to your particular situation. I don't think it's wrong to live SF ... it's a great town. If I won the lottery tomorrow I'd move back in a heart beat. But, since I probably won't win the lottery, I also know how tough San Fran is cost of living wise and obviously you do too.

I really was referring to people who want to move here from out of state who seem to expect great money and a reasonable cost of living. We get a lot of threads in this forum from out-of-state people who complain about it ... and I included your comments because I thought your situation demonstrated the realities of what it's like to live in the coastal areas of California.

Anyway ... sorry if it somehow looked like I was criticizing you personally because that certainly wasn't my intent. I was just trying to warn out-of-state people about the economics of what's happening in this state, and how the coastal areas may be a lot tougher financially than they think it is.

:typing

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