Do FNP's really make 80k to 90k a year?

[mariposabella]

Hi everyone,

I was talking to my aunt who is an FNP, but she mostly teaches and does research. She was telling me that FNP's make 80k-90k a year and that FNP's are going to be really in demand when health care reform kicks in. I told her I wanted to be a PNP, NNP, or a midwife. She told me that PNP's don't make as much money, that is hard to break into the neonatal specialty, and that midwifes are only really needed in Kentucky. I really want to work with babies and/or children because I just LOVE them. So I was just curious about how hard it is to break into these specialties and I'm curious about general salary ranges. I'm not expecting to make a ton of money as a nurse I just want to love the work I do. Thanks in advance!

[gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN]

Yes, men tend to make 10k to 20k more per year in a private practice. BUT, it depends on the personality of the man. They guy I work with is so obnoxious to patients but for whatever reason they love him. He sells them vitamins, books, ect. That is how he makes the difference. It is difficult for me to sell a 100.00 bottle of vitamins.

[Momfnp2pmhnp]

This is not true!! We make a lot more then that. Whoever posted this must not be an np.

[shibaowner, MSN, RN, NP]

Unfortunately, many women are not good at negotiating their salary. Men are often better than this and that is why they might get paid more. It is up to women to learn how to negotiate - no one is going to pay you more than they have to. I am a woman and have always made as much, or more, than my male colleagues. Also, anyone who is a new grad NP is starting a new career. So, they might have to take a small pay cut initially. That said, in major cities like Baltimore, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, starting salary for an FNP is $90K to $120K. Smaller cities might pay less, but they also have a lower cost of living.

[DizzyJ DHSc PA-C]

This is not true!! We make a lot more then that. Whoever posted this must not be an np.

I think in 2011 it wasn't far off. There is still a good chunk of NPs/PAs making under 100K/year.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Where I live -- the average salary of an NP is still under $100,000. It's somewhere in the $80K.

Of course, in big cities where the cost of living is high, they make more. But in smaller communities with lower costs of living, it's significantly lower.

[Jules A, MSN]

Where I live -- the average salary of an NP is still under $100,000. It's somewhere in the $80K.

Of course, in big cities where the cost of living is high, they make more. But in smaller communities with lower costs of living, it's significantly lower.

I have seen that posted here many times and it puzzles me. I've had 2 rural jobs that paid significantly more than the closest city's wages at the time due to a shortage of providers, possible due to my specialty? Worth noting the RN wages were on the low end and I suspect more due to having a captive audience than the minimal lower cost of living.

Physicians rates in popular urban areas, particularly east coast city locations , tend to pay less due to both more supply and more desirable location so I'm not sure why this doesn't translate into NPs also. I wish NPs were more proactive in their negotiations.

[TicTok411]

Where I live -- the average salary of an NP is still under $100,000. It's somewhere in the $80K.

Of course, in big cities where the cost of living is high, they make more. But in smaller communities with lower costs of living, it's significantly lower.

I am also in a smaller city that has a hard time finding midlevels and make make a good bit more than 120k plus RVU....

[jmnurse09]

I think living in North Mississippi 80k to 90k is not bad at all. The market in this area is saturated with NPs so NPs will take 80k to 90k just to get a NP job.

[gmorrisFNP]

I've been an NP for 4 years and make $135,000/year without working crazy hours or getting differentials. Would've taken me another 20 years as a floor nurse to make that. A colleague of mine accepted a position for $145,000/year and he has been an NP for 3.5 years (we both work urgent care)....And, my body is not broken...Can't compare new grad NP pay to experience RN pay, it is an apples to orange comparison....

[blixkanaan, MSN, APRN]

gmorrisFNP, exactly.

[blixkanaan, MSN, APRN]

I'm a new graduate FNP (started less than a year ago) and earn 90K working 30 hours per week on average. As an RN working full time in an ICU, and with about 6 years of experience, I was earning maybe 66K annually...The earning potential for a floor nurse is there. I know mobile pool nurses that work nights and make about 100K per year or 50$-55$ per hour. Many of the higher payed nurses do lack benefits though, and so to me, I never pursued those jobs because I like having good health insurance, PTO, and the benefits of working on a dedicated unit where you're treated better by your superiors. Regardless, you can't compare the earning potential of an RN to an FNP, or make sweeping statements that RNs as whole earn as much as FNPs as a whole. When I was in school, I followed an NP working nights at the local jail, and he also would pick up shifts at an urgent care (through locum tenem agency) and he disclosed to me that he earns nearly 200K per year. I precepted with 2 other FNPs working in internal medicine and both were earning over 120K. Case and point, earning potential is way higher for FNPs, no question about it. Makes sense though, as FNPs should earn more commensurate of their experience and education.

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

NPs clear about $80k starting out in my area of NC. Most RNs start out at about $45k per year.

I do know of a few RNs who clear nearly as much as that working 2 jobs (one full-time and another PRN job). With overtime, I made around $65K at my last job (I was paid $35/hour for every hour of overtime and was pulling about 35-40 hours of overtime per week). However, I was constantly exhausted and did not have the time to spend or enjoy any of that money. The most exciting thing that I did was buy a car.

Most NPs in my area can easily make $90k to $100k after a few years of experience and in the right specialization. Hospitals tend to pay more here while primary care offices usually pay less.