Are $50,000.00 Sign - On Bonuses For Real???

RNKitty · Feb 8, 2002

I haven't seen sign-on bonuses that high. However, I have noticed that you have to look carefully at the whole benefits package when you are hired. Some hospitals give a better per hour rate, but the retirement, medical, and other benefits are less. Other hospitals may pay less per hour, but offer education reimbursement and better benefits. It is a "buyer beware" market. Look at the whole package. The hospitals really don't want to pay us more, they just shuffle the numbers and hope we won't notice.

Teshiee · Feb 10, 2002

I find the bigger the sign on bonus the lower your base rate. What kills me is when they tell you your rate will be $24.00 an hour but instead that is when it comes out to be included with shift differential. I tell them it is not the same! When I go to an interview and discuss the money I want the the meat not the side dishes ahahahah! ;-)

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2002

The hospital I was working for at the time gave nurses a $1,000 bonus to sign an agreement to work there through the end of the summer (3 months). Sounded like a pretty good deal, since I wasn't planning on going anywhere, anyway.

When the check came, ALL of the insurance and other things that could be deducted from the pay were deducted again, even though they'd been taken out of the regular pay. So of the $1,000 we actually GOT more like $500.

Some of the nurses' situation changed, and if they didn't fulfill the entire three months, they were required to pay back -- you guessed it! The entire $1,000.

Left a bad taste in my mouth!

Love

Dennie

PhantomRN · Feb 11, 2002

I think it is a buyer beware market. In my area there are sign on bonuses just about at every hospital, but what they forget to tell you is that amount is pre-tax [frankly, we all should know this anyway]. So you are not really getting 1,000 or 2,000 dollars.

Just watch what you are doing. They are not giving the money off handed. They have to recoup their loss somewhere and it is prolly in your base pay.

azgirl · Feb 11, 2002

I recently was offered a $1,000 sign on bonus but there were so many catches I doubt if anyone ever saw it. It was taxed at 50% because of its being a bonus. You had to have not been late or called off for the entire time the bonus was in effect. You had to work so many weekends but could not set your own schedule. That was done for you so if the scheduler did not schedule you for enough weekends you lost the bonus. You also had to have an excellent performance review and there were a couple of other things I don't remember. It really was not worth it. I asked if there were any other options other than the bonus and guess what? Yes, I could have $1 an hour more if I waived the bonus. A much better deal.

The $50,000 sure sounds nice though.

pebbles, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2002

Originally posted by prn nurse
The salary had been so chopped - - that is, $1 extra on weekends, $0.50 extra on evenings, $0.75 extra on nights, etc. , so that it took some doin' to figure out what the true base pay

Um.

That is what I get paid now, according to the collective agreement signed by our union. (I live in winnipeg, canada). I get 1$ an hour more on weekends, .70$ an hour for evenings and nights, and and extra .70$ if doiing charge duty. And that is in canadian dollars, so if you are in the US, I'm getting a lot less than you. I have a comfortable living.

Chopped indeed. Lead me to the bonuses!

PS I'm intrugued by the "buyer beware" type comments about bonuses. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! I heard that they will pay me moving expenses if I go to the US, and I care more about that than a bonus...