Confused why salaries for new grads are not higher?

caballoazul78 · May 15, 2007

It totally sucks! I'm also graduating in less than 2 weeks, and out of 50 people in our class probably less than 10 have jobs right now. I've applied in the city, south peninsula, east bay and nothing. I speak 2 languages, have a summer internship experience at UCSF, and I'm a veteran, and nothing...

It's true. There isn't essentially a nursing shortage in Northern California anymore, well at least for new grads. All positions have filled up! I can't believe that 3 years ago, when I started the program, they told us that we will have no problems finding jobs and that we will have whatever we wanted. It's depressing.. I don't know what to do at this point

Sheri257 · May 15, 2007

I can't believe that 3 years ago, when I started the program, they told us that we will have no problems finding jobs and that we will have whatever we wanted.

They probably weren't misleading you, it probably was true back then. But since then the ratio law was enacted and about 40,000 new RN's became licensed in this state in just the last couple of years, a lot of them coming from other states where there are no ratio laws. Since it is the highest paying area of the state and such a desirable location, maybe a lot of those newly licensed RN's flooded the Bay Area market.

:typing

jjjoy, LPN · May 15, 2007

And then there's the bottleneck of training new grads. Hospitals can't just hire on a bunch of new grads as they need experienced nurses there for the newbies. What this means for the new grad is that it may take longer to get a position (have to wait for another round of new grad hires, etc) but that job will probably have more long-term potential as opposed to a quick hire on to a place desperate for nurses where you'd be understaffed and overworked. My class graduated some years back to a similar situation and it took several months for most to get hired on somewhere. In the short-term, it's frustrating, but in the long term, as a nurse, you will still have many opportunities.

caballoazul78 · May 15, 2007

And then there's the bottleneck of training new grads. Hospitals can't just hire on a bunch of new grads as they need experienced nurses there for the newbies. What this means for the new grad is that it may take longer to get a position (have to wait for another round of new grad hires, etc) but that job will probably have more long-term potential as opposed to a quick hire on to a place desperate for nurses where you'd be understaffed and overworked. My class graduated some years back to a similar situation and it took several months for most to get hired on somewhere. In the short-term, it's frustrating, but in the long term, as a nurse, you will still have many opportunities.

thank you, it gives some hope to find a job... I'm actually right now off to a couple of hospitals to complete my application with extra stuff they want.. im crossing my fingers..

scholar · May 18, 2007

I personally think that too many people miss the point on starting salaries. Where in the world will you find a job right out of school that starts you at $35-40 per hour? Not too many. I think everyone should be thankful that they are in a field that pays so well. I know there are many out there that think these wages are not even close to being enough. They are living in a fantasy world. Even lawyers fresh out of school don't even come close to this salary and have to dwell in near poverty for years before making a decent living. If you base salaries on experience, which you should, I would be making $100/hr with my 30 years. Salaries for new grads are creeping too close to what top experinced nurses and this should be looked at closely. I think I make a very good living at what I do and do feel bad for nurses around the country that do make ridiculously low wages and would hope that others would look at their plight and not complain too loud about the low? wage they might make. Like in any profession you have to work around what you make to decide where you want to live.

Although you are a new grad, u are still working as a Registered Nurse. I believe when your job requires you to deal with body fluids and place yourself at risk for health problems (stressful environment, working around communicable disease,etc) and to be responsible over someone's life you should make more money than other professions. Making a mistake can cost a life. Can you place a value on someone's life?

That mentality is one of the reasons why some predominately female occupations have lower salaries. You are worth more! If new grad salaries are creeping too close to what top experienced nurses are making, MAN-Up and demand more. Dont try to lower the starting salaries for individuals who may be struggling financially with Kids and no husband or etc. The world is full of jealous people. Can anyone just be proud for another person?

gypsyatheart · May 31, 2007

i just wanted to chime in my .02 here....bear in mind, especially b/c you are not in california, that ca wages are based on location.

ca is really like several "mini-states". really, the main 3 are: southern cali, northern cali and the inland empire or inland valley areas. then you can further break those areas down. for instance in n. ca there is coastal: sf/bay area and then the really northern areas like redding, etc.not even mentioning the sac area.

southern ca is basically la on down (there is also a 'central coast' area, also); la area pretty much encompasses the oc area, as for pay, cost of living. pay is decent, cost of living high. san diego is the most southern coastal area you have and it is extremely expensive to live here and the pay sucks.

new grads no way will make over $30/hr here, and that is generous. hospitals here are paying experienced rn's here in the 30's to low 40's depending on area and yrs of experience.

sf/bay area does pay great, but it is hugely expensive to live there, experienced nurses can do well, as can new grads, but competition is fierce for those jobs...why? highly desirable area with great pay.

as for the inland empire/valley areas, yeah, they do pay well, and as for those that choose to live there, enjoy the more rural and/or desert living...good for you, as for myself...no thanks! i've been offerred a ton of $$$ to go to certain areas, no thanks. but that's me.

as for new grads in general, your pay will be low to start,as you basically have to be trained to be a nurse....nursing school only readies you to now "learn to be a walking/talking/independently functioning nurse".

after at least one yr, you really won't be a new grad anymore.

good luck in your endeavors!

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:

WDWpixieRN, RN · Jun 1, 2007

As for the Inland empire/valley areas, yeah, they do pay well, and as for those that choose to live there, enjoy the more rural and/or desert living...good for you, as for myself...no thanks! I've been offerred a ton of $$$ to go to certain areas, no thanks. But that's me.

When you say "Inland Empire", perhaps that should also be broken down -- it begins in the Chino Hills area and includes such non-rural areas as Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, Fontana, etc. Those areas are quite a few years past being considered rural by any means!!

nursinguy · Jun 2, 2007

Pathetic??????? I graduated from UCLA (I live in Los Angeles, to make it crystal clear.....) in 1995 with 3 kids and the highest going rate was $18/hr to work in the ICU.......let's get in the real world!!!!! You guys are just plain lucky and spoiled to be thinking you're entitled to the big bucks. Count your lucky stars and get a grip. I just got offered $26/hr to be a traveler with 15 years experience...a lot of it in acute care and forensics.

Luck and spoiled have nothing to do with it, supply and demand baby!

nursinguy · Jun 2, 2007

Apologies because I've also been guilty of getting off track but ...
I think you need to keep some very important statistics in mind:
The average Texas nurse makes $55,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tx.htm#b29-0000
While the average California nurse makes $70,000 a year.
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ca.htm#b29-0000
So that's a $15,000 a year difference in salary, on average.
While two select hospitals might pay the same for certain jobs in two different states ... that doesn't mean that's the overall trend for either state.
Generally, California nurses still make more money.
:typing

You can get a nice house in Texas for 200,000, most places in Cali that will buy you a run down shack in the middle of methville.

nursinguy · Jun 2, 2007

I think you are correct. If you are going to try to get into the SF new grad programs you do need to really make yourself stand out from the other applicants. But I think you can do that if you take the time to research, contact people etc. to find out what they are looking for. For example, I am more than a year away from graduating and haven't started my core nursing classes yet but I've already started the info gathering process in order to make my application desirable when I do apply. I also have a back up plan. Work in my home state for one year and then move to SF if need be. I'm just really encouraged that the SF hospitals don't necessarily shun out of state grads and look at the total package of a person they are getting instead of just where that person lives. It gives me hope that I can make myself marketable enough to get in as a new grad and not have to wait.
Dee

Being MALE can make you stand out! :monkeydance:

nursinguy · Jun 2, 2007

Wow - that's a fantastic new grad starting rate! I work a couple hours north of Sac. and started just 2 years ago at $29 (which was higher than the "new grad" rate because I'd worked as an LVN for 8 years). It's gone up quickly though - now I'm at $38/hr.

CHICO?

ORSmurf · Jun 2, 2007

CHICO?

Yes, in Chico