DFW area: Am I being low balled?

Hi, I'm a nurse with 3 years experience in telemetry/PCU. I got a job offer yesterday in Ft. Worth TX. I moved here recently and don't know what to expect as far as pay for this area or for a nurse with 3 years experience since we all know salary talk is forbidden lol. I was offered a base pay of $24.48/ hour ; that's for a 3 year experience nurse rate according to them. This seems quite low to me since that was my starting rate 3 years ago else where, in a small city actually. This would mean going way down in pay from what I had. However, this is for a weekend only position and so weekend differential will make up for the difference but I feel that I should be making more from the base pay point of this. What do you all think? Preferably people in the DFW area? Is this fair or not. One of my friends said she has 1.5 years experience in dallas and was offered base pay of 26/hr. I have double her experience. Should I try to negotiate for more? This position is for medsurg oncology... Thanks in advance! !

Edited Sep 13, 2014 by luvinRN
typos

While I can't answer your question, I CAN tell you that posting on this board for that question will not get you very far.

Try posting on both the Texas State forum and the General Nursing forum.

good luck :)

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Moved to Texas Nursing forum for best chance area nurses responding

Do you have any Oncology certificates or specialty training? Those add at least $1/hr to your pay easily.

I know the rates are similar between Dallas and Houston (I think Dallas is a touch lower that Houston?) but here in Houston that is in the mid range for a new grad.

I believe 3 years experience (especially if in Oncology) would be in the $30 range here.

Is this rate a PRN rate (no benifits) or a part time position (with benefits)? The above are what FT/PT rates with benefits would be. PRN can be $5-7 more an hour.

If it is $24/hr PRN, that is way low by at least $10 from what I have seen.

Also, where are you coming from? A small town hospital in California may pay more that a Teaching hospital in Texas due to cost of living differences.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Yes that is low, especially for a weekends only job. Those usually pay more, not less. Keep looking.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

With three years of acute care experience, your pay rate at most Fort Worth area hospitals should be in the high $20s per hour ($27 to $29 hourly range).

However, due to the glut of nurses in the DFW area job market, I have noticed that pay rates have been softening at some hospitals. HR knows that if you refuse the lowball offer, there's another 100+ employment applications in their computer database from nurses who applied to the same position.

My buddy wife just passed her NCLEX and got green card last month, She has 3 years experience in Philippines, She got a Hospital Job in Irving for 29.50.

Sounds like they lowballed you pretty good....

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

The only ones I have seen low balling are HCA facilities. Others have just tightened up their requirements to get hired and have maintained a decent pay rate growth.