Cookeville TN Pay Scale

southernbeegirl, BSN, RN · Nov 24, 2008

i dont anything about cookeville, but i'm in knoxville and ive worked with tons of nurses that commute from there to knoxville.

powers2004 · Nov 24, 2008

Where are you going to school at? I am from West Tennessee, starting NS in Jan. ,going to JSCC

Biggles25 · Nov 24, 2008

Powers2004

I am a nursing student at JSCC as well. I will be starting in January and have found out alot of information from students who are alreading in the program. After you complete maternal nursing, Jackson General will hire you as a nurse extern. Students tell me that the pay is around 15.00hr. I have been attending JSCC since last fall and have completed all but three of my pre-req for my AA and BSN degree. However, I have researched the medical field in this area and I am not impressed. The pay scale is much higher in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville. I do not know how true this is but students in the program say that the teachers advise them not to work at the hospitals in Jackson because the pay is lower than the TN average. Hopefully, we will meet each other in the program. Good Luck.

dixiechickn71 · Nov 24, 2008

I was an intern at Jackson General and pay was $12 an hour and $13 for nights. They have changed the hours you can work and once you have maxed out, you are then a cna for less pay. If you intern a year base rate for a new grad is $20 and some odd cents, new grads base rate without lpn or cna experience is $19 and some odd cents. You get $1 bedside $2 weekend and holidays and $3.50 night shift diffs. Even though Memphis pays a small amount more( a year ago is was like $22) the nurse patient ratio is higher. You have to decide if you are willing to take more patients for more money. We have 3-5 pts per nurse on our floor and for a new grad that is enough for me. Nashville area doesn't pay that much more than Jackson and it costs more to live there. Same as in Knoxville. Trust me I have researched this to death. You also have to weigh in the benefits. The outskirts of Jackson are great like Gibson County where we moved. Whatever you decide, remember money IS NOT the most important aspect of nursing. If money is your main priority you will just be miserable. Nurses are so underpaid. I hope this helps some. Good luck with nursing school and congrats JSCC is a hard program and very competitive.

Biggles25 · Nov 24, 2008

Thank you for the information dixiechickn71. It is good to hear from someone who is in the Jackson nursing scene. The money is definately not my main priority but it does make a difference. I spent six years working in the healthcare industry and I know that nursing is a difficult job. The main reason I decided to be a nurse is because of the patients I worked with in Florida. I managed a medical equipment store and specialized in orthotics and prothetics. I can't tell you how many times I seen patients that had been rushed out of doctors offices with little information. My patients were relying on me to give them the information that the nurses and doctors should have taken the time to tell them. They are my inspiration and one of the reasons I am in nursing school now.

My husband and I have a house near the gibson county line, but neither one of us like this area. We only moved here because my husbands job transfered him here. However, the job he was on lost there contract and he has spent the last year traveling for work. If we had to pick we would have moved to east TN. I grew up in western NC and I think I am just stuck on living near the mountains. It's absolutely beautiful!!! Thank you again for the info and I will consider my options.