How much do entry-level RN's make in Pittsburgh?

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I am really sorry if this topic has been discussed before but all of a sudden with life circumstances, I am thinking about moving to Pittsburgh when I am done with school in a few months. Currently, I am in Northern Virginia (where the starting salary is $26, but with way high living cost and I just need to get outta here) and pursuing an Associate's degree in nursing. When I am done with the school and pass NCLEX-RN, I am thinking about moving to Pittsburgh. I have a few questions

1) What is the hiring status like in Pittsburgh? Do you think I could get a job at one of the hospitals as a new grad with only an associate degree from some other state?

2) What is the starting salary for entry level RN's in Pittsburgh?

I am not trying to make big money or anything at all but I just want to know what it's like there since I don't know much about the city.

I thought I'd come here to ask the questions since everyone on allnurses seem to be very helpful. Thanks for reading my questions and I apologize again if this has been discussed.

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Good question. I work in LTC and asked a few new grads what it was like. I think they were saying that UPMC was offering 19.50 or so.

A hospital outside of Pittsburgh was around 21?

These new grads were having a hard time getting a job in the acute care settings and found one at my LTC. I think they both had a AD. There are a good bit of jobs in LTC in this area.

This is just ball park.

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Specializes in CVICU/SICU.

The job market is a little weak at present, and starting salaries seem to range from around 20.00 @ UPMC's larger hospitals to 24.00+ at some of the surrounding community hospitals (Butler Health System, etc.). Cost of living is much less than northern Virginia/DC.

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I am a new grad bachelor's RN beginning a job at UPMC November 8th at $21/hour. I am from Illinois and have a bachelor's from a Illinois state school.

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Everyone, thank you so much for your reply.

I appreciate your help.

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Search the stories here on this board of Pittsburgh closing hospitals. I think that was UMPC. Also, I'm in Shenango Valley and have heard rumors for a year or so that UMPC is forcing out the more experienced higher pay nurses and replacing them with new hires. Just check out what reputation that hospital has. There were also gripes here about magnet hospitals only hiring BSRN not ADRN. I'd search it, but I have to get some sleep. None of western PA is really thriving. If patients don't have jobs and don't have insurance and don't have money, that puts a squeeze on all the hospitals. Government doesn't pay much to providers compared to how private insurance used to.

Sharon Regional uses a CNA / LPN / RN team. If others swing that direction that's less RN jobs, not more. Penn State Shenango has a RB-to-BSRN completer here, too. I've been told that about $20 is the starting pay here.

LPNs down near Beaver to Pittsburgh can make up to $19 or $20. RNs are getting squeezed is my opinion. I think I'd compare salary to cost of living and then decide where to go. Pittsburgh has some young college grad population moving in, but for years it's been those people that moved away. So there's lots of geriatric and lower socioeconomic patients.

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I graduated from an ADN program and finally found a job in LTC at 20.50 an hour. Also I just started taking classes at Penn state beaver for my BSN. It currently is not a great job market for new grads! But what I do understand is that nursing jobs go through these waves of having lots of jobs to barley any. Hopefully by the time you graduate the economy will be better!

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So depressing. I was making $19 in 1997 and now I am only at $21 all these years later. We are not alone, all the pay in the area is down comparitively. I guess we are lucky to even have a job right now...

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