Chicago (+suburbs) pay?

[vhfhflzzz]

Hey there fellow nurses :)

I am an RN (BSN) looking to relocate to Chicago and had a question about the salary.

first off, I am in my 4th year of practice and all have been in psych.

According to salary.com, if I work in a large hospital, I can expect $36-38/hour.

Is this a good reflection of reality? if not, what is the going rate currently?

I'm applying hospitals like Rush, Advocate health, Northwestern etc..

I need to do some budgeting but cannot do it without having a good idea of how much I'll actually make.

any help/ input is appreciated :)

Cheers!

[Bumex, DNP, NP]

I've lived in Chicago for years and salary vastly depends on multiple factors. Supply and demand of nurses is an issue here as well as the hospital system. I have seen as low as 24 an hour and as high as 40 an hour. I would identify the system you would like to ultimately work in, regardless if that is where you get hired first. Also look in the neighborhood (for the city limits itself) you want to live in.

[heythatsmybike]

What the above poster said is correct. Neighborhood you live in is everything. Although you are always 5 miles away from Northwestern at any given time, it may take 30-60 minutes of commuting each way depending on where you live and sometimes in the winter, is no way to live. The cost of metra, shuttle from metro to hospital and parking, all of which the university hospitals offer is upwards of $200-300 a month. I worked at Northwestern and although paid very well, could not justify the commuting costs. If you are looking to stay in psych, you would likely get paid very well at Northwestern, U of Chicago or any of the advocate/north shore hospitals. Given you have experience, you may be able to pull off a good salary now that Northwestern has bought out several of the western suburb hospitals.