Salary to expect as a new grad nurse

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Hello all. just reading different threads and wondering what does the starting salary look like for a grad nurse? i live the in Atlanta area so any ball park figure will do. thanks!

Specializes in Geriatric.

Can't use sign on with a traveling agency who can pay for an apartment there in NY?

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i am currently an extern in a burn unit with 2 years of experience and make $15/hr. when i pass my boards i will be making $17.20/hr and then after 6 months will receive a 5% increase ($25.80). does this seem like a low amount:uhoh21: ?? i live in indiana, but i'm seeing that different areas are paying new grads alot more. also, the sign on bonus for 2 years is $4000 and loan repayment is $8000. does anyone know of loan forgiveness for indiana? i went to a private university and have quite a bit to pay back in student loans. i'm not a greedy person and anything is better than nothing, just looking for some input.

courtney:p

[color=#ea7000]"i never think of the future - it comes soon enough." - albert einstein

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Specializes in NICU, School Nursing, & Community Health.
north fla the average is 17-19$ central fl is a little better but not much. if you want tomake money then you need to move to tampa, miami, or palm beach. the thing about north fl though is the cost of living. I know adn's with experience who are making $100,000 a year as DON's and Risk managers. you can get a really nice house for about 200,000$ or a decent one for 100,000$. lots of good hospitals too, especially in Gainesville, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando. If you tell me a general area I could give you more info.

Where in Florida do you live? I'm in Pensacola and due to the hurricanes that have battered the panhandle, real estate has skyrocketed with no cost of living increase. I would strongly advise anyone about moving here for nursing. The money just isn't here. Heck half the hospitals still have rooms and floors missing from Ivan damage.

I'm moving to Charlottte, NC after graduation. Much better job prospects, better pay, and if you live in one of the smaller towns on the outskirts the cost of living equals that of Pensacola.

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Specializes in OB, lactation.
Where in Florida do you live? I'm in Pensacola and due to the hurricanes that have battered the panhandle, real estate has skyrocketed with no cost of living increase. I would strongly advise anyone about moving here for nursing. The money just isn't here.

I am in a small town further south in FL (south of Orlando) and real estate has skyrocketed here too. I think it has everywhere in my region. My house is worth triple what is was 2 years ago. Depending on what a person defines as a decent house, I would not say that you can get a decent house for $100,000 here anymore. And I live in the sticks. In my opinion, I'd say a decent starter house would be about $200k at a minimum in my area. RN's start at $17/hr in my town.

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Specializes in NICU, School Nursing, & Community Health.
I am in a small town further south in FL (south of Orlando) and real estate has skyrocketed here too. I think it has everywhere in my region. My house is worth triple what is was 2 years ago. Depending on what a person defines as a decent house, I would not say that you can get a decent house for $100,000 here anymore. And I live in the sticks. In my opinion, I'd say a decent starter house would be about $200k at a minimum in my area. RN's start at $17/hr in my town.

Exactly. Maybe before all this hurricane madness you could get something for $100K but you'd be hard pressed to find anything like that now. In fact, my husband and I live in a 2 bedroom townhouse, very small, relatively no yard (we're both nursing students with a 3 year old:smackingf ). Anyways, our neighbor just sold for over 80K. It's unbelievable. They told us around here expect 16 hr, less than 30K a year with taxes. It's horrible.

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Specializes in Policy, Emergency OR, Peds OR, CVOR.
I'm moving to Charlottte, NC after graduation. Much better job prospects, better pay, and if you live in one of the smaller towns on the outskirts the cost of living equals that of Pensacola.

Well, that all depends too. If you move to the outlying counties, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, it is cheaper. Living in upstate SC is even better. But, if you want to live in Matthews, Pineville, or God forbid, Lake Norman area, be prepared to pay too much.

I am one of about 3 native Charlotteans that are left here. Anything you wanna know about it, just ask! :thankya:

mo

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There is no way possible I could afford a house in Fairfield County, CT with only one salary, I need to become an RN quickly if I have aspirations of owning my own home within a few years, the average cost of a 2 or 3 bedroom home is about 350,000$, and that i toward the low end

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Specializes in NICU, School Nursing, & Community Health.
Well, that all depends too. If you move to the outlying counties, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, it is cheaper. Living in upstate SC is even better. But, if you want to live in Matthews, Pineville, or God forbid, Lake Norman area, be prepared to pay too much.

I am one of about 3 native Charlotteans that are left here. Anything you wanna know about it, just ask! :thankya:

mo bello

Thanks! I'm actually from Charlotte, born at Presbyterian Hospital :) My grandparents live in Matthews. They own Matthews Pottery if you've ever heard of it. And yeah, I would never live there due to the costs. I've actually been thinking about Concord. According to salary.com, the cost of living there is lower than Pensacola and the drive to Charlotte is only about 30 miles. What hospital are you working for? I've been looking into all of them in the area. I was really looking at Carolinas Health Care Systems because of the new grad program. They said you can get into areas usually prohibited to new grads through that program. I really want to start in L&D or PP/baby. I'm planning on going home this summer and checking out all the hospitals.

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The only way I would live and work in california is if I were a traveling nurse. No offense to anyone but the cost of living is too high!

:) Lori

Just FYI ... there are affordable areas if you're willing to move further inland, where there's a big push for development into the cheaper areas because they are much more affordable. But, if you insist on living in the coastal areas like San Francisco or LA then, yeah, it's cost prohibitive.

:smokin:

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Specializes in Policy, Emergency OR, Peds OR, CVOR.
I've actually been thinking about Concord. According to salary.com, the cost of living there is lower than Pensacola and the drive to Charlotte is only about 30 miles.

I don't know how long you've been gone but the University and southern Concord areas have boomed in the last few years. The traffic from there to Charlotte is absolutely ridiculous. It is one of the worst areas right now with no real solution in sight.

What hospital are you working for? I've been looking into all of them in the area. I was really looking at Carolinas Health Care Systems because of the new grad program. They said you can get into areas usually prohibited to new grads through that program. I really want to start in L&D or PP/baby. I'm planning on going home this summer and checking out all the hospitals.

Both of the local monster systems, Novant (Presbyterian) and Carolinas (CMC), are great places to work. Overall CMC has the best positions for new grads and is great because it is targeted as more of a learning environment. Of course all the nurses I spoken with that work for Novant do nothing but rave about it. They love the opportunity to change departments after a year.

And, most importantly, NC is coming out of the dark ages. We are getting a lottery!!

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In southern Mississippi, a new grad's starting salary is $17/hr plus $2-3 shift diff for evenings or nights. An LPN working in LTC makes about that much. I work with one that makes over $20/hr. Where in Mississippi do you live? Maybe I need to move :chuckle

I'm in Hattiesburg. I took the NCLEX-RN Tuesday, got results Thursday, and start Monday at the biggest hospital in town. I'm working days in the OR. New grads at this hospital are starting at $18.35/hr, the smaller medical center in town is paying $17.50. I have a friend working on the floor at an outlying community hospital in Columbia starting at $16.75 (which is pitiful). At the hospital where I will work, some of my fellow graduates will be getting a night shift diff. of around $4 (after a lengthy orientation), and you get 29 cents/hr for each certification you acquire. Those last numbers are not exact but very close to what I remember hearing. The problem is that there are 95,000 nursing schools right here in our area and there is a nursing shortage everywhere in the world except South Mississippi. The flip of the coin is that I live in a VERY nice home (worth around $250,000 before Hurricane Katrina, since then values have gone up 25-35% with the flight of people from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, I'm about an hour from each) with a courtyard and pool on a top-notch golf course. That same home in California or Florida would cost me about 2.5 million dollars. Hattiesburg is the best city to live in Mississippi and one of the top-50 small cities in the United States. I plan to finish paying it off, keep it, and travel nurse after getting some experience. I want to build a nice nest egg and come back here and get a MSN or Nurse Prac. degree, and work locally until retirement.

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Anyone live in Alberta, Canada, who can tell me how much a starting new grad would make? or live in Canada?

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