Hey so young nurses, are we really making "that much"?

mccaffertyln · Sep 8, 2014

I think it's relative on where you live. I am in Northern NJ and make $37.19/hr with $4/hr extra for nights and $8/hr for weekend nights. I have 1 year experience and this is my first hospital job.

tarotale · Sep 8, 2014

I think it's relative on where you live. I am in Northern NJ and make $37.19/hr with $4/hr extra for nights and $8/hr for weekend nights. I have 1 year experience and this is my first hospital job.

holy smokes! i need to get the heck outta here! how much is living expenses there though? the rent at pretty decent place single bed in DFW is about 700-800, if you want luxurious, +900. grocery is not bad, gallon of Horizon milk being about $5 and change, $3.29 for gas right now. I hear Houston is money maker, so is Colorado. personally would not go to Cali because of living expenses can shock everyone into comatose.

RN403, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2014

Or maybe they are broke and living by paycheck to paycheck because they are not saving up any monies?

This right here comes into play, too. I know quite a few people who live nicely, but, it is not because they make more money than most...you cannot truly judge how much money one makes based on their spending habits.

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Sep 8, 2014

I make $30/hr +3/hr nights +$3/hr weekends, 14 months experience. This is equal to or greater than what my other non-nursing friends make. I don't really see them anymore considering I'm on full time nights with every third weekend, so what difference does it make anyway. I come from a working class family and was in the first generation to graduate college, then used my nursing wages to repay my student loans in 13 months. None of my other friends have done that and I'm actually pretty proud of it. Sad reality is that I don't like being a nurse and am now only using my good pay to fund a career change.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2014

Or maybe they are broke and living by paycheck to paycheck because they are not saving up any monies?

I am in the same general area as the OP. To be more precise, I am in Fort Worth, 30 miles west of Dallas.

Money for RNs in this area is decent outside the acute care hospital setting. You could be earning in the $30 to $40/hour range working in an LTAC hospital such as Kindred or a rehabilitative hospital such as Reliant. You could also earn decent cash doing home health, private duty, hospice, psychiatric nursing, correctional nursing in a jail or prison, or agency.

Be cognizant that rents are cheap in this area. Home prices are cheap, too. A 2,000 square foot home in a decent area can cost anywhere from $90,000 to $150,000 depending on the prestige of the city or suburb.

Personally, I am paid an annual salary of about $75k annually with four years of RN experience. I am able to sock away anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 per month due to the low cost of living here. Then again, I refuse to slave away at any of the major DFW area acute care hospitals for $25/hour. The hard work and low pay is not worth it to me.

Many people who earn less than me live higher on the hog than me. I know of schoolteachers who earn $40,000 per year but live in 6,000 square foot mini mansions and drive luxury vehicles. I know of CNAs who earn $12/hour but live in more expensive houses than me and drive luxury vehicles. So it all depends.

SubSippi · Sep 8, 2014

New grads are paid a decent wage, especially considering the fact that there are so many with an Associate's degree. You can't really expect to make much more right after graduating from a junior college. The real disparity comes with the fact that, after ten years, you probably won't be making that much more money than you did when you started. These days, nurses don't seem to be rewarded for being loyal to their employers.

summer23 · Sep 8, 2014

How about new mexico?any idea guys? How much do new grad RN and an experienced RN pay in New mexico?

klone, MSN, RN · Sep 8, 2014

Compared to most other straight-out-of-college entry level positions, nurses in almost all areas make as much or more than most.

As someone else said, do not base your assumptions on the way others live or what they buy. Most people live outside their means and make foolish financial choices.

tarotale · Sep 8, 2014

I am in the same general area as the OP. To be more precise, I am in Fort Worth, 30 miles west of Dallas.
Money for RNs in this area is decent outside the acute care hospital setting. You could be earning in the $30 to $40/hour range working in an LTAC hospital such as Kindred or a rehabilitative hospital such as Reliant. You could also earn decent cash doing home health, private duty, hospice, psychiatric nursing, correctional nursing in a jail or prison, or agency.
Be cognizant that rents are cheap in this area. Home prices are cheap, too. A 2,000 square foot home in a decent area can cost anywhere from $90,000 to $150,000 depending on the prestige of the city or suburb.
Personally, I am paid an annual salary of about $75k annually with four years of RN experience. I am able to sock away anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 per month due to the low cost of living here. Then again, I refuse to slave away at any of the major DFW area acute care hospitals for $25/hour. The hard work and low pay is not worth it to me.
Many people who earn less than me live higher on the hog than me. I know of schoolteachers who earn $40,000 per year but live in 6,000 square foot mini mansions and drive luxury vehicles. I know of CNAs who earn $12/hour but live in more expensive houses than me and drive luxury vehicles. So it all depends.

I didn't know that LTAC would pay that much for RNs, although I assume that most likely, RNs would be holding supervisory positions there (according to my coworker who held the position, it was very very cushy, M-F, +$75,000). I have a friend in this same area making $45/hr base pay as medsurg resource nurse, but honestly, I refuse to work medsurg no matter how much money they would give me, which is the reason I crossed bridge to ER; I applied to 2 NP schools already, hoping I get in next Spring.

Thanks for the info though, it's really fortunate that someone as resourceful as you're live within the same city :)! As SubSippi says, I think it hits tough that we get such as painfully slow raise. There's no merits on performance (maybe a $5 cafe gift card? HA), no bonus on performance, no shared bonus, etc and that's what kills also imo

anon456, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2014

The pay amount you mention as a new grad nurse is about accurate. I think that you are comparing yourself to other nurses who either have a spouse who is also making money, so they can afford the things you see, OR they are in a lot of debt and not saving anything, as others have said.

I think it's very good money for a young person just starting out in a new career! Compare yourself to other people your age and most of them are not making that much yet. Many of them may not even be able to find work.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Sep 8, 2014

If cost of living is relatively low, you are not in a whole lot of debt, then yes, it is conceivable to live on $3100 or so a month.

Some people lease the best cars for the least amount of money. Some choose to spend their money on lots of things. Some eat out as opposed to shop for groceries. When you figure that one is in scrubs for work, there is a huge amount saved on a career wardrobe.

Even still, some continue to live with family until they pay off their loans. Some pull some per diem for a little extra cash.

Yes, it does burn my butt that the lower income housing project across town has sattelite dishes and new cars that seemingly "come with it". And especially when one works in the ER setting, it gets old quickly that for the 952nd time someone is bringing in their kid with a fever, and hasn't bothered to medicate with Tylenol.....because they can get this all for free from the local ER. I do think that it is apparent in the setting of the ER more than any other unit.

I am all for a good old fashioned budget. If you know what you bring in, what you have to put out, the rest can be used for any number of things. Even if you put $50 a week in savings, do it. If you can get a credit card that you don't go hog wild with, do it--and pay it off timely as that can help give you credit for the future. If your goal is to purchase a home as opposed to renting--start thinking about that. If you can lease a vehicle--can it be a tax write off? Along with your scrubs, etc?

Start thinking in terms of financial independence. It doesn't happen overnight, but it can and does happen. It just takes planning and continued saving, socking away....

If you are planning on NP school, really look at how that can be funded. Tuition reimbursement? Scholarships? Look at your high school alma mater--sometimes there's alumnus scholarships that are also available. Also look at where you could work when you are done--sometimes, if you are working an "under-served" area, there's reimbursement there as well.

And there is no reason that on $3100 a month you can't go out with a group of friends once a week for dinner. Be good to yourself in the process.

Best wishes!