First Nursing Pay

Nurses General Nursing

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What did you buy with your first nursing pay from your first nursing job?

Specializes in LTC and School Health.

Groceries, clothes, shoes, expensive make up, bills, Tithes..... but wait, I do that every paycheck!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

My first check was at the hourly rate of $4.25/hr......I bought a "good" leather purse.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

What a great topic! I wasn't hard up for money in a bad way so I celebrated with my husband, but I can't remember exactly what... Dinner out somewhere.

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Am I young minded or did people get paid 4.25 an hour. Thats unbelievable..

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I remember when I was a kid I asked my mom how much she made (she wasn't a nurse) but she told me $4.25 and that was minimum wage in 1990.

What year was it when nurses were paid $4.25?

I remember a nurse telling me she made that much (but I don't remember what year or if we talked about it) but I remember her saying something like, "I still lived pretty good. I mean, I was able to take trips and stuff like that."

It seems crazy to us now, but I guess that was "good money" at one point in time.

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Specializes in Trauma.
Am I young minded or did people get paid 4.25 an hour. Thats unbelievable..

When I started working in 1979, minimum wage was $2.89 an hour. I busted my butt for it too. I remember thinking if I only made $10 an hour I'd have it made. Ha!

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A 3d DS for my daughter's Christmas gift and the rest went into saving for tution for Rn school. fun fun

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I haven't gotten my first check yet, but I plan on buying myself some new jeans and underwear! The ones I have now all have holes.

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I don't remember paying for anything fun...just bills.

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Specializes in None - yet ;).

I was an LPN when I got my first nursing check in June 2011 (yes, I'm new :p ). I used it to buy school clothes for my little girl, pay for daycare, and put it savings for when I started the RN program later in the summer.

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I should have mine in 2 or 3 weeks depending on how pay periods fall. (Start and find out tomorrow) First pay check will be to fill my gas tank and start paying my credit cards down. (and have them completely paid off in 2-3 pay checks. Once direct deposit gets set up I will have at least 20% going straight into savings....and then once I get caught up on debt, likly incease that.

After 3 or 4 pay checks I am taking my family out to dinner and get some game cards for Dave and Busters. Spluge a little bit as a thank you to them for all their support through school (especially my son....he loves D&Bs). That will be my main spluge. Second will be replacing my POS phone that badly needs replaced.

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Specializes in ICU.

Don't remember, but probably work clothes. Back then my RN pay was $12 per hour. We wore white dresses with white hose and shoes, so I probably bought some whites. I do remember buying little gold RN pins to wear on the black velvet stripe on my hat~one pin on each side. I was so proud of that.

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