How much $ do RNs start out at?

Mistorri · Dec 24, 2004

I'm thinking about being an RN due to the shortage of them. Was wondering how much money they start at. Thanks

Actually we are not paid what we are worth my friend! LOL. Nurses wear many hats and we earn what we make and then some. Nurses are also very under appreciated. Not to discourage you. Who knows, maybe that will change! But then, maybe not. Anyway, like all jobs it has its good and its bad days or nights whichever you work. Sometimes the patients you meet will make it worthwhile. We won't mention the other side of that coin. Anyway, if you want to go nursing, go for it! All I can say is i'd rather be nursing than waiting tables or flipping hamburgers or worse, cleaning toilets! God bless you in whatever you decide.:)

curly4683 · Jan 5, 2005

I live in houston (Medical Center area) and start up RN's start out of BSN nursing school - $45,000.00 (raise after 3 months) not including night differential or weekends.

Not too bad - but I do agree with alot of you - the money isnt everything. As a student nurse now, my clincials "kick my _ _ _" so I could only imagine the "real deal." But even thought all that hard work I truly want to be a nurse. Clincials are "pre-tests" to the real thing!!!

NPs Save Lives · Jan 5, 2005

Here in Lake City, Florida the starting wage is up to 17.00 and hour base pay. When I started almost four years ago, it was only 14.52... It's taken me this long and getting my BSN to finally reach 20.12... I start the Master's program this month and I hope that I will finally get paid some real money.. My youngest is almost 7 and the older ones are almost out of highschool.. Maybe travel nursing sometime??

DaSuperRN · Jan 5, 2005

I was happy being an LPN and making $13-15 hour depending on where I worked. I actually worked more days back then. a 5 day work schedule.

I graduated LPN in 1995. By 1996 all I heard was LPN's would be phased out, so I went to college got my RN, but was very disappointed not only did I take on more responsibility but my pay only increased a few dollars. I was working longer hours and doing more work. I worked at the Veterans Hospital It was me and one other RN we had to start all the IV's, do all the blood transfusions, all the admissions, and discharges, plus we had 10 patients primary care. There were 4 LPN's but they were restricted or limited. It seem like I was working a lot. I burned out quick develop all kinds of health issues myself and from 2001 to now my work is almost non existing I am lucky if I can cope with working 3 days a week.

RN's do not make as much money around here 13-30 depending on what you choose do. Problem is now I have to take easlier workloads and my pay scale has drop to 18hr, it was 28hr. I am working Home Health a slower pace workload oppose to a high acuity fast moving medical surgical unit w/40 beds and 10 telemetry as I did before i got sick. Trouble is in a lot of SNF they are importing Asians and paying them low wages, so don't figure on those companies recruiting and paying higher to you.

I do love nursing I want better for me, because I have given 100% of myself to my patients. Is it to much to ask for better wages for RN's? So my advice is go into it because you want to do it, not for money!

Dee

It's great that you want to be an RN due to the shortage, but being a nurse is not just a job. Don't do it for the money. It is who you are...I don't know about everyone else, but my life revolves around being a nurse. You have to want dedicate your life to helping people. That means working 14 hour days/nights, working holidays, getting hit/screamed at by patients. It is a very demanding career not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Good luck. Hope you make the right decision. :)

nyforlove · Jan 5, 2005

Very well stated!

I will make about $76,000 after my first year as an RN. My basic wage here in Arizona is $20.56, plus $4 to $5 differential when working nights and/or weekends, plus $12 an hour working an extra shift (essentially overtime), plus $35/hr. (1.7 times my basic pay) working overtime. I generally work 4 days a week.
Overtime is considered time after 36 hours per week. I have been to Hawaii, Asia, and Mexico my first year as a nurse. My brother, who has been working as an accountant for the past 7 years and has a BS in Business Administration and makes less money than I do, is totally jealous about my ability to punch out after work and not have to worry about the project sitting on my desk while I am off somewhere. He is considering going to get his ADN at a nursing school in Hawaii, where there is keen competition for students wanting to become nurses.
His other complaint is that he is paid on a salary basis. After figuring the amount of time he works and the amount of salary he makes, he figured that he is making only about $15 an hour!
So essentially, as an RN, I am only required to basically work 4 days a week for $76,000, plus have PTO that pays for my time off, no responsibility after working hours, travel the world, and invest my money in the stock market and/or real estate. Thus there is a build in time off in my schedule where I can get 6 days off for vacation.

babynurse28 · Jan 5, 2005

New grads for the first year are notoriously shafted in the pay dept. I would take an educated guess that the average new grade pay is from 14-30 $/hr depending on where you live (30 being in the high cost of living areas, NYC/SF etc.)

I am confused by your response that new grads are "notoriously shafted in the pay depatment". Generally new grads enter the workfield with minimal skills and require months of orientation. They do not graduate from college equipped to walk onto a unit and take a full assignment of patients and provide excellent care. While I do not think that they should make less than your quoted $14.00 p.h., their first year is a learning experience and for most a huge learning curve. "Shafting them" would be for them to earn minumum wage.

bobnurse · Jan 5, 2005

I'm thinking about being an RN due to the shortage of them. Was wondering how much money they start at. Thanks

Its hard to ask how much an RN makes, so many variables....

1. Location: A RN in california will make more than a RN in Missouri.....But your

mortgage is 1-2 thousand dollars more as well.

2. Benefits: If you need them, you'll make less. If your spouse has benefits

and you can get on theirs, you'll make a lot more. Like a RN can

get 23 dollars an hour with benefits, but if you dont need health

and so forth, you can get 30 dollars an hour, not counting in

shift diff and so forth

3. OVertime: I know a nurse who pulled $106,000.00 last year as a dialysis

nurse. But he worked 60-70 hours a week.

4. Department: Usually the higher the acuity, the more you get paid.

Its so easy to "make it" in nursing. Where can you go to school for 2 years and make that much money? Very rare..........I think sometimes this is why the nursing field has gotten a bad rep. People used to go into nursing because they liked helping people.....Now many go just for the benefits and pay.....Its just a "job" to them.....and all you nurses out there can easily pick these people out.

piper_for_hire · Jan 5, 2005

You know, there is a lot of middle ground between "liked helping people" and "just a job". I know many nurses that do the job because it pays well and they do a damn good job simply because they feel that doing a good job is the right thing to do. When you think about it, working as a nurse because you like to help people will not in itself make you a good nurse.

-S

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Jan 5, 2005

I am in the Dallas area, where the cost of living is pretty steep (somebody mentioned the coasts were pricey). I got a temp job at a flat $25/hr, no benes, no diff. It was actually a pretty hideous situation, not surprised they cannot get permanent staff.

My real first job starts Monday. Very large hospital, lots of opportunity to develop my skills, improve my knowledge and experience base and become a reasonably valuable commodity, should I decide to go elsewhere in a couple of years.

Starting pay is $19, 19.75 at six months, and $20.87 at one year. (This is for telemetry/stepdown, and includes the internship period which is something like 3-4 months, and the preceptorship to follow.) Shift differentials are: 3-11 $3.25, 11-7 $4.00 for weekdays and $8.25 and $9 for weekends, respectively. The unit is on 12 hour shifts so everybody gets some differential, sometime.

I could do OK, especially if I can bring myself to work 7p-7a, although I was promised days. (We know how that goes, though, don't we? LOL)

begalli · Jan 5, 2005

New grads at my hospital in the Bay Area, California:

Currently: $33.48

Beginning 4/05: $35.87

Beginning 4/06: $38.38

This is base pay and doesn't include weekend (5%), evening (10%), or night (16%) differentials. After six successful months the base rate of pay is currently $34.86; 4/05 - $36.95; 4/06 - $39.54.

Benefits include full paid medical/dental/vision. Retirement (employer matched). Generous paid time off. Paid time off for when unit is overstaffed (this is accumulated over time like PTO). Educational pay and reimbursement. I know I'm missing something.

This is pretty good, but could possibly be better for new grads considering the expensive area in which we live.

ICUsleep · Jan 6, 2005

I will make about $76,000 after my first year as an RN. My basic wage here in Arizona is $20.56, plus $4 to $5 differential when working nights and/or weekends, plus $12 an hour working an extra shift (essentially overtime), plus $35/hr. (1.7 times my basic pay) working overtime. I generally work 4 days a week.
Overtime is considered time after 36 hours per week. I have been to Hawaii, Asia, and Mexico my first year as a nurse. My brother, who has been working as an accountant for the past 7 years and has a BS in Business Administration and makes less money than I do, is totally jealous about my ability to punch out after work and not have to worry about the project sitting on my desk while I am off somewhere. He is considering going to get his ADN at a nursing school in Hawaii, where there is keen competition for students wanting to become nurses.
His other complaint is that he is paid on a salary basis. After figuring the amount of time he works and the amount of salary he makes, he figured that he is making only about $15 an hour!
So essentially, as an RN, I am only required to basically work 4 days a week for $76,000, plus have PTO that pays for my time off, no responsibility after working hours, travel the world, and invest my money in the stock market and/or real estate. Thus there is a build in time off in my schedule where I can get 6 days off for vacation.

I am trying to do the math here. You say you get paid $20.56 an hour and work about 4 days a week (I am assuming 12 hr. days). How are you bringing home $76,000? Are you working a lot of nights and getting the differential pay?

I don't mean to be nosy....I'm still a student and I'm always curious about things like this....plus I see that you are a first year RN...I am wondering what to expect for my first year. If I can do as well as you are doing, I'll be happy. :)

busylynn · Jan 7, 2005

Please tell me that the only reason that you are becoming a nurse is not for the money and shortage. There are far to many nurses entering the profession just for that. Please tell me that you do care for the well-being of people and like to help people and have compassion. Please, Please tell me yes to these things!

I'm thinking about being an RN due to the shortage of them. Was wondering how much money they start at. Thanks