How much do nurses make?

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This is something me and my classmates have been debating about so I thought I'd ask here. I know it varies with where you live and setting, but I'm just trying to get an idea. I'm going for a 4yr degree and planning on applying to hospitals. As a new grad, was your salary what you expected? If you're willing to tell me, could you provide your current salary, state you live in, and years of experience?

Funny thing about Unions, although it currently is a (buyer's) employer's market; high tide floats all boats. Academic facilities, state facilities (prisons and jails), and Kaiser are strongly represented by unions. There are others but I am simplifying my argument. These three highly unionized entities raise the wage rate for the surrounding nonunion region.

What happens is there are rural and medically underserved pockets in California that are subject to higher wage pressure by unionized facilities such as prisons or university affiliated hospitals but are in sufficiently rural and agricultural areas that tend to place a downward pressure on the overall cost of living.

Do a little research and they are easy to find. Granted they will not have the glamour of living with palm trees and the beach, nor will they have the cultural attractions of the Bay Area but you can receive a comfortable wage, and live a reasonable life with the advantage of loan help and grants for laboring in a medically underserved area.

Research is your friend, and laugh at the out of staters that have absolutely no clue when they bash a small part of a large diverse state based on misperceptions of a couple of small regions.

Learn to love nurse ratios while you are are it, you're welcome.

My experience as well, look at Sac and the Sierra Foothills. 2 hrs between SF and Tahoe.

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PA suburb, BSN, certification, 5 years at same hospital....$23/hr. Yeah...not right.

And to think our teachers complain about their $65,000+ for a job with all holidays and weekends off, vacation and summers off....

LOL I'd complain too... They don't actually have summers off, they're usually doing inservice or training or moving their classroom, the days are long (if you work less than 10 hrs/day you're either lucky or not doing your job), you get complaints from parents, complaints from kids, complaints from everyone really.

Teachers have a lot in common with nurses- you go into it hoping to save the world, and at the end of the day sometimes you're lucky to save a single person.

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Oh our district is poor...cutting aids, sports, talking about kindergarten and busing but teachers get their raises. And like I said...don't dare speak out against their raises because they think they are underpaid and demand these raises. I can't wait for a day when the union is gone and they have to deal with real life.
You sound bitter... like you don't have a union of your own. Quit dragging those teachers down, and start demanding more for yourself. Aren't you worth it? You've got all of those acronyms after your name, if you're not making at least double what a teacher makes you've been screwed- and not by a teacher.
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I live in central California. Housing is cheap, cost of living is cheap, and pay is absolutely great. My 6 bedroom 3300 Sq ft home cost me only 320k, and that's brand new with solar Included. Cost of living may be more expensive in the bay area or Los Angeles area, but where I am currently at is perfect. I am an hour and a half from Los Angeles and the beaches and 3 hrs from San Francisco.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I live in central California. Housing is cheap, cost of living is cheap, and pay is absolutely great. My 6 bedroom 3300 Sq ft home cost me only 320k, and that's brand new with solar Included. Cost of living may be more expensive in the bay area or Los Angeles area, but where I am currently at is perfect. I am an hour and a half from Los Angeles and the beaches and 3 hrs from San Francisco.
Are you in one of the armpits better known as Bakersfield, Delano, Visalia, Porterville or Tulare?
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Are you in one of the armpits better known as Bakersfield, Delano, Visalia, Porterville or Tulare?

I'm not in an "armpit" and I couldn't get that same house for quite as low as 320K but also not remotely close to Bay Area prices yet still make >100K/year, in a non acute Mon-Fri position.

I grew up in Central California however, my parents had a nice horse set up for me, and a good income makes it a different experience. I grew up with friends with semi affluent parents and they had beautiful homes with pools etc.

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I sure am. Armpit of Bakersfield :roflmao:

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I sure am. Armpit of Bakersfield :roflmao:
I lived in Baketown for two years. At least you are being compensated well for having to live there.
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Specializes in Neurosurgical ICU, Emergency, Psych, Art Therapy.

@djaemac please be my life coach! lol

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