Nursing Salary Survey 2014

Compensation is an extremely important aspect for the overwhelming majority of people who must work for a living, including the nurses who claim to do their jobs for purely altruistic reasons. Salary surveys can empower nurses because they unearth valuable information.

Nursing Salary Survey 2014

As we welcome the dawn of a propitious new year that is brimming with plenty of promise and new beginnings, I wanted to bring up a topic that is influential to most people. Of course, the topic at hand is compensation.

While job satisfaction, personal gratification, altruism, achievement of individual goals, a love of science or a fondness for helping patients heal are all deeper reasons why many people might enter and/or stay in the nursing profession in the face of an increasingly challenging era in healthcare provision, it would be disingenuous to deny the significance of pay.

Salary is an important component for the vast majority of people who must work for a living, including those who claim to do their jobs for purely altruistic reasons. As much as we may love the work that we do, most of us would not continue to show up to work each day if our employers suddenly declared, "You will no longer receive a pay check every two weeks. Instead, we will repay you with compassion, compliments, gratitude and appreciation for a job well done."

To be perfectly frank, compassion does not pay the rent, gratitude will not fill the fridge with food, and caring will not prevent the utilities from being disconnected for lack of timely payment. The truth is that we all need appropriate compensation for the vital services that we render, so I wonder about the occasional person who states, "I love nursing so much that I'd do it for free!" I challenge these people to resign from their paying jobs and volunteer their nursing services for free for the remainder of their working years. Only the well-off can pull it off for an extended time.

With that having been said, informal salary surveys can be worth their weight in gold. The salary survey is a tool that benefits nurses because it gleans valuable information:

  • It makes us more aware of the average rates of pay for others in our profession.
  • It enables us to be reasonable when pursuing a fair pay rate from a potential employer.
  • It takes other factors into account, such as geographic variances and differences in specialties.
  • It regards the fact that salaries can be a tricky topic - some employees would never even dream of disclosing their pay to colleagues, and many organizations have policies in place that prohibit open discussion of wages. In other words, salary can be a very touchy subject.

If you wish to participate in the informal salary survey for 2014, please list the information in the following order:

  1. Geographic location
  2. Pay rate
  3. In which area / specialty do you work?
  4. What type of license do you have (RN or LPN)?
  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have?
  6. How many years of experience do you have?
  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status?
  8. What shift do you work?
  9. Do you receive any shift differential?
  10. Are you a manager or supervisor?

And if you do not want to provide any salary information, that's perfectly fine, too. Thanks!

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TheCommuter

About TheCommuter, BSN, RN

TheCommuter, BSN, RN, CRRN is a longtime physical rehabilitation nurse who has varied experiences upon which to draw for her articles. She was an LPN/LVN for more than four years prior to becoming a Registered Nurse.

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I work at a large nonprofit hospital system in St Louis MO. My present base salary is $40/hr, which is top of scale. I work on Mother Baby Unit. I am an RN with a Diploma degree. I work full time and believe it or not, have worked 35 years for the same employer since I was in nursing school. I work 12 day shift. We are paid a differential for evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and time and a half for Christmas and Thanksgiving only. I work on a closed unit-meaning we staff ourselves and only get pulled within our floor-to NICU or LD. If we are in need of staff, management makes the decision based on need (staff needed and census based) to pay on call ( which is time and a half), call and bonus ($10/hr, or call double bonus.

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I work in a low-income clinic in a large midwestern city. I make 48,809 yearly salary (before taxes) with no holiday or OT pay, no shift differential and pay for my own benefits out of my salary. I work about 10.25 hours daily M-F and that averages out to about 18.50 an hour (before taxes). I am an RN ADN working towards BSN, have 3 years experience, work WAY more than full-time (7:30 AM to about 5:45 PM) and am basically responsible for everything a manager supervisor would do but without disciplinary ability. I cannot make ends meet alone in this area with this pay unless I want to move to a dangerous neighborhood and give up my vehicle. It's tough.

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Specializes in Allergy and Immunology.

  1. Geographic location.....MN
  2. Pay rate....20/hour. I know this is low pay for RN. But I can only go up from here.
  3. In which area / specialty do you work?.....Allergy/Asthma/Immunology Clinic
  4. What type of license do you have (RN or LPN)?....RN.
  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have? .....ADN, no certification yet.
  6. How many years of experience do you have? ....Almost a year for RN, and was an LPN for about 3.5 years.
  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status?.....Full-time, with medical benefits, and 401k.
  8. What shift do you work?.....M-F 8-5pm, no nights, weekends, or holidays. Holidays paid.
  9. Do you receive any shift differential?......No.
  10. Are you a manager or supervisor?.....A supervisor.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Since I started the survey, I might as well answer my own questions...

  1. Geographic location = Fort Worth, TX
  2. Pay rate = $72,000 yearly (I'm salaried, not hourly)
  3. In which area / specialty do you work? = Acute rehabilitation
  4. What type of license do you have (RN or LPN)? RN since 2010; LVN since 2006
  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have? ASN degree
  6. How many years of experience do you have? 8 years
  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status? Full-time
  8. What shift do you work? 12-hour night shifts
  9. Do you receive any shift differential? Not anymore, now that I'm salaried
  10. Are you a manager or supervisor? Yes, I'm a house supervisor

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Pennsylvania

21.00/hour

skilled geriatric nursing

LPN

3 years

full time

3-11 shift

no shift differential

charge nurse (non management position)

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  1. Geographic location - SD
  2. Pay rate -
  3. In which area / specialty do you work? - Family Medicine
  4. What type of license do you have (RN or LPN)? - LPN II
  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have? - Associates Practical Nursing
  6. How many years of experience do you have? - 3
  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status? - Full Time
  8. What shift do you work? - M-F 8-5
  9. Do you receive any shift differential? - no
  10. Are you a manager or supervisor? - No, although I do carry other duties outside of nursing for the clinic

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South Louisiana

$23.97/hr base pay

ER

RN

BSN with ACLS, PALS, ENPC, TNCC, BLS

4 years

Full Time

36 hours per week

No shift diff for me (7a-7p), weekends gets me $3 an hour

Charge nurse (this gets me $1 per hour)

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  1. Geographic location =
    Madison, Wi

  2. Pay rate =
    34 dollars and hour base pay

  3. In which area / specialty do you work? =
    medical/surgical

  4. What type of license do you have (
    RN
    or LPN)?
    RN
    BSN since 2010

  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have?
    BSN

  6. How many years of experience do you have?
    3

  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status?
    Part-time

  8. What shift do you work?
    12-hour shifts

  9. Do you receive any shift differential?
    yes when i am on nights or weekends its about 3 dollars an hour for each...i mostly work days

  10. Are you a manager or supervisor?
    Nope

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Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.

Dallas-

Pay rate = 43/hr

Medical/surgical

RN, ASN

What type of degree and/or certification do you have? ASN. OCN. In school for BSN

How many years of experience do you have? 30

Are you ----full time, 12 hours, days

any shift differential? weekends 9/hr.

Are you a manager or supervisor? Nope

Clinical ladder. $1.50 /hr

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Specializes in Psych.
As we welcome the dawn of a propitious new year that is brimming with plenty of promise and new beginnings, I wanted to bring up a topic that is influential to most people. Of course, the topic at hand is compensation. While job satisfaction, personal gratification, altruism, achievement of individual goals, a love of science or a fondness for helping patients heal are all deeper reasons why many people might enter and/or stay in the nursing profession in the face of an increasingly challenging era in healthcare provision, it would be disingenuous to deny the significance of pay. Salary is an important component for the vast majority of people who must work for a living, including those who claim to do their jobs for purely altruistic reasons. As much as we may love the work that we do, most of us would not continue to show up to work each day if our employers suddenly declared, "You will no longer receive a pay check every two weeks. Instead, we will repay you with compassion, compliments, gratitude and appreciation for a job well done." To be perfectly frank, compassion does not pay the rent, gratitude will not fill the fridge with food, and caring will not prevent the utilities from being disconnected for lack of timely payment. The truth is that we all need appropriate compensation for the vital services that we render, so I wonder about the occasional person who states, "I love nursing so much that I'd do it for free!" I challenge these people to resign from their paying jobs and volunteer their nursing services for free for the remainder of their working years. Only the well-off can pull it off for an extended time. With that having been said, informal salary surveys can be worth their weight in gold. The salary survey is a tool that benefits nurses because it gleans valuable information:

  • It makes us more aware of the average rates of pay for others in our profession.
  • It enables us to be reasonable when pursuing a fair pay rate from a potential employer.
  • It takes other factors into account, such as geographic variances and differences in specialties.
  • It regards the fact that salaries can be a tricky topic - some employees would never even dream of disclosing their pay to colleagues, and many organizations have policies in place that prohibit open discussion of wages. In other words, salary can be a very touchy subject.

If you wish to participate in the informal salary survey for 2014, please list the information in the following order:

  1. Geographic location- north western pa
  2. Pay rate-21.47
  3. In which area / specialty do you work? Psych
  4. What type of license do you have (RN or LPN)? Rn
  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have? Asn, working on my bsn which will be a dollar an hour more.
  6. How many years of experience do you have? 2 yrs
  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status? Full time
  8. What shift do you work? 3-11 or 7pm-7am, or 11-7.
  9. Do you receive any shift differential? Yes minimal though
  10. Are you a manager or supervisor? Charge nurse most of time so get 1.00 more an hour.But that doesn't take into account the fact that my employer provides very affordable health care insurance (300 per month for my entire family for health, dental and vision) or the fact that my kids can go to any tech school, community college or campus associated with the health system I work and they will pay 1/2 of their tuition.

And if you do not want to provide any salary information, that's perfectly fine, too. Thanks!

Answered above
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Specializes in Cardiovascular.

  1. Geographic location: Nassau County, Long Island New York
  2. Pay rate: $43.67/hr
  3. In which area / specialty do you work: Critical Care (CCU)
  4. What type of license do you have (RN or LPN): RN
  5. What type of degree and/or certification do you have: BSN, ACLS and BLS
  6. How many years of experience do you have: 9 years
  7. Are you full-time, part-time, or casual / per diem / PRN status: Full-time
  8. What shift do you work: 7AM - 7:30PM / 3 days a week
  9. Do you receive any shift differential: No
  10. Are you a manager or supervisor? No, but I cover charge when the manager is off.

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