Does Psy nursing pay more

[caribbeanbeauty]

I am just wondering does anyone knows if psychiatric pays more than any other speciality. I have a friend who have been telling me this, but I disagree. There are so many other speciality, why would they pay more for psyc...

[SUSON2007]

I work at a state mental health hospital. My base pay is $22.11. (not including the extra $2 just for working there). The pay is based on experience. In the hospital the base pay is $20.00 for everyone. In the hospital i worked telemetry days for 10 months straight out of school. Never had a chance to sit down let along think. Now i work psych nights and have too much time to think. Not that i'm complaining . I make $30(including shift diffs) and on weekends i make $37. My income increased by $1200/month and my stress level went back to normal. Did i forget to say I love my job:loveya:? I live in Louisiana; cost of living is low.

[shelbee1084]

I too am interested in mental health nursing....to suson 2007....are you an LPN or an RN? also, is working for a state mental hospital considered a government job? one more question...do state mental hospitals pay better than for profit psychiatric hospitals??? just curious...the state mental hospital in my area is ALWAYS hiring LPN's/RN's....new grads too

[SUSON2007]

Hi shelbee. I am a RN but they also hire LPNs. It is a state government job. With great state benefits. I've never worked at a for profit psych facility but in my opinion (and it is just an opinion) LOUISIANA state hospitals pay more than for profit, especially for RNs. I don't know your state or the facility but make sure you shadow before taking an offer. I've heard some horror stories about psych facilities. At my facility they treat the nurses (LPN and RN) like GOLD. Safety! Safety! Safety!

[shelbee1084]

I live in louisville, kentucky so I think the cost of living is about average. The state hospital in my area is central state. My mental health teacher worked there for like 4 years and another instructor has been there for over 12 years and they both love it. I plan on going straight thru to get my rn. I was wondering if that was a government job, so thats good that it is. I hear they have great benefits. thanks for your feedback!

[kiwipsychnurse]

I live in Auckland New Zealand. Top rate Staff nurse (meaning top of salary scale), do shifts and work full time.

Take home pay last year was around $88000. That was with very little overtime.

At todays exchange rate that equates to : $63360 US dollars. However its unfair to convert it as $1 USD will buy the same as $1 New Zealand.

[aloevera]

I live in Auckland New Zealand. Top rate Staff nurse (meaning top of salary scale), do shifts and work full time.

Take home pay last year was around $88000. That was with very little overtime.

At todays exchange rate that equates to : $63360 US dollars. However its unfair to convert it as $1 USD will buy the same as $1 New Zealand.

WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!

How's the weather in New Zealand?????????????

[ok2bme]

As someone else mentioned, my base pay is higher than my friends working in Med/Surg. However, their shift differentials are better than mine, so my pay is only greater than theirs during day shift.

[aloevera]

after reading these salaries, it tempts me to move !!!

salaries down here in the south are surely not comparable to these other areas...

La. sounds like a good pay scale, for sure........

But I guess our cost of living is much lower also.........and we do have great weather !!!

Fl. gal

[delphiniumRN]

I find it pays less at least where I work. However at the graduate level cns/np the psych specialist makes more generally. Possibly d/t the specialist component.. any ideas

[foxyhill21]

rumor has it that psy np are at the top of the salary charts for n.p. There is a demand for psy n.p

[Yosemite, RN, ASN, EMT-I]

Private for profit acute psychiatric health care facility in Central California, I make $31 an hour. My wife, in home health care took a decrease in pay (from about $45 an hour in medical facility) to $38 an hour or so.

[NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN]

in GA the state hospital pay scale is 37,000 to about 56,000 or so, base for 40-hour workweek. Shift diff is a % of your salary. Depending on where the facility is, and your experience, is where you fall on the scale. I WISH I could find a $30+ hour job with benefits! And the COL is not particularly low here, although it's lower than California.