hourly RN pay vs. salaried?

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I graduated in December and just passed NCLEX and am trying to make a decision between 2 jobs. One difference that I was hoping to get opinions on is the salaries. Position A is paid hourly. I would think this is good in case I stay late many nights. Position B is salaried so it seems to be a yearly salary + night diff.

Does anyone that is paid either way think one is much better than the other? It seems obvious to me that the hourly pay would be smarter, but I am leaning towards the job that is salaried. Apparently they both should end up paying about the same amount when all is said and done. Both are hospital positions on nights in NYC.

Thanks, I appreciate any feedback.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Does this salaried position include overtime pay if you work overtime?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Salary is a very slippery slope.

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Specializes in pedi, pedi psych,dd, school ,home health.

I think it depends on the type of position youre looking at. I work salary now, and just knowing that if i have to leave early or come in late its never a big deal, and truthfully, i usually work more than my 40 no matter where i work. If i were in LYC or a hospital setting, I might want to have the hourly because its not as flexible as what i do (school nursing)

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I am salary paid. Very rarely do I work less than 40 hours. I would never take another salaried position unless you factor in 10-15 hours of overtime. Sometimes you get out on time, other times you don't. Just weigh your options. Find out if the others at the salaried job work over some, or alot and go from there.

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I am salary paid. Very rarely do I work less than 40 hours. I would never take another salaried position unless you factor in 10-15 hours of overtime. Sometimes you get out on time, other times you don't. Just weigh your options. Find out if the others at the salaried job work over some, or alot and go from there.

Thanks. I didn't even realize hospital staff RN positions pay salary sometimes rather than hourly. This is a big deal to me but unfortunately it's the job I'm leaning towards. If there is not a lot of OT, I guess it wouldn't matter but as a new grad I am betting I'll be there late quite a bit!

Thx again

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I used to complain about being an hourly 'wage slave'........it was hard for me to feel like a professional under a system that treated me no differently than someone working at a McJob.

Then I went to a salaried management position, and suddenly I was working 60-hour weeks, taking work home with me, being on-call 24/7 and not getting any comp time, let alone extra pay! I did that for over a year.......once I worked out my salary versus number of hours worked in an average week, and it came to about $13 an hour!! :devil:

Now that I'm back to being just another little fish in a big bowl, I'm lovin' it.......I get paid for every single minute I'm on the job, overtime if I have to stay past 8 hours or come in on a day off, and best of all, when I leave, I'm done for the day. No calls in the middle of the night, no bringing work home, and no freebies "to help out". :wink2:

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I used to complain about being an hourly 'wage slave'........it was hard for me to feel like a professional under a system that treated me no differently than someone working at a McJob.

Then I went to a salaried management position, and suddenly I was working 60-hour weeks, taking work home with me, being on-call 24/7 and not getting any comp time, let alone extra pay! I did that for over a year.......once I worked out my salary versus number of hours worked in an average week, and it came to about $13 an hour!! :devil:

Now that I'm back to being just another little fish in a big bowl, I'm lovin' it.......I get paid for every single minute I'm on the job, overtime if I have to stay past 8 hours or come in on a day off, and best of all, when I leave, I'm done for the day. No calls in the middle of the night, no bringing work home, and no freebies "to help out". :wink2:

I've been on both sides of the fence...... I am now a travel nurse, and love it..... I work my 36 hours a week, and if I choose to do overtime, I do, but don't ever take work home, and now really enjoy going to work... Management isn't for everyone, and I did it for 15 years, so tried alot, and did my job, but like my job, and myself so much more now.... There are never 40 hours work during a management work week... Good luck with whatever you decide to do.....

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Hi All

I just had to weigh in on this question. I've been on both sides and I think I can offer a balanced answer.

To answer your question, you have to consider two issues:

1) Where do you want this position to go? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

2) How much flexability do you need in your schedule?

In general, hourly workers are considered more of a 'rank and file' employee. Most hourly employees don't need to work overtime (gets too expensive for the boss!) and (usually) rely on others contribution/skills to be able to complete their work. Think of assembly line jobs.

The benefit is: Your time is money! Once you leave work, you are done.

You can gain experience and change jobs easily. If you don't like one area, apply somewhere else! You know what the 'going rates' are for the positions.

In general, salaried positions are considered more of a 'management role'. They usually do work overtime +/or not during a standard workweek (weekend conferences etc.). Salaried employees have a freedom of schedule. Meaning, they can take days off or leave early if their schedule demands. Their work doesn't rely so much on the contribution/skills of others. Think of car salespeople.

Salaried employees usually have deadlines to worry about, that can be stressful, not to mention time consuming!

Salaries are negotiable and can include bonuses and incentives. This can make it hard to decide if you're getting a fair salary. Also, sometimes it's difficult to put a price tag on the value/worth of your education and experience.

Hope that helps :)

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I worked on a pedi floor and was cut a lot due to low census. When I got a salaried position I FINALLY had a regular paycheck. So it comes down to how many hours you will be expected to work for that salary.

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I worked on a pedi floor and was cut a lot due to low census. When I got a salaried position I FINALLY had a regular paycheck. So it comes down to how many hours you will be expected to work for that salary.

Sorry I didn't explain this but the salaried position is NOT for management. It's a Staff RN position on a regular floor! I'm also a new grad, so I am sure I would be working OT. However, I think at a certain point I have to stop driving myself crazy and take a leap of faith b/c I realize I'm not going to know which job is the best to take until I get some experience. :)

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Sorry I didn't explain this but the salaried position is NOT for management. It's a Staff RN position on a regular floor! I'm also a new grad, so I am sure I would be working OT. However, I think at a certain point I have to stop driving myself crazy and take a leap of faith b/c I realize I'm not going to know which job is the best to take until I get some experience. :)

Very true...... I've never seen a salaried staff nurse position on the floor... My understanding of salaried is that it is to be a "management" position with the ability to hire and fire, and discipline other employees...... Good luck.......

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