$17.00 Hr. Starting Wage For RN?

[krazykev]

I read in the newspaper last week that NW Arkansas has a huge nursing shortage problem. Well I just called a hospital there and they informed me that the starting wage was $17.00 Hr. I wounder why there is a nursing shortage issue?

[DoveNoir]

NW Arkansas has grown exponentially, and has a high cardiac and diabetes population to boot. Transportation is just starting to get better there due to a new highway speeding travel to Little Rock by cutting off over an hour.

I used to be a Medicare Rep for the hospitals there... what would you like to know about the area?

[krazykev]

Do all hospitals pay this little? I am amazed at the wages?

[DoveNoir]

Do all hospitals pay this little? I am amazed at the wages?

Cost of living is also very low... I was living in a town where the median income was 27K, and there were 2 hospitals, a university and 15 multimillion dollar companies. NW AR is a lot more populated.

However, I also know that 17/hr is more than likely an ADN rate... keep sniffing- and I'll let you know what I know about the hospital based on my working with them. There were 148, and 6 of us in the state so we got to work with quite a few.

[spick33]

NW Arkansas has grown exponentially, and has a high cardiac and diabetes population to boot. Transportation is just starting to get better there due to a new highway speeding travel to Little Rock by cutting off over an hour.

I used to be a Medicare Rep for the hospitals there... what would you like to know about the area?

If you don't mind that I ask this....what are the duties of a Medicare Representative? Do you need a nursing background?

[krazykev]

Des this mean that gas, heath insurance, and taxes are cheaper. I think that no matter where a person lives $17.00 is shamefully low for a licensed medical professional.:angryfire

Cost of living is also very low... I was living in a town where the median income was 27K, and there were 2 hospitals, a university and 15 multimillion dollar companies. NW AR is a lot more populated.

However, I also know that 17/hr is more than likely an ADN rate... keep sniffing- and I'll let you know what I know about the hospital based on my working with them. There were 148, and 6 of us in the state so we got to work with quite a few.

[schroeders_piano, RN]

Actually $17/hr is a good starting wage for this area of the country(Northern AR, MO, So IL, So IN, West KY) I live in So IL were starting wages for new grads range from $15-18/hr. I am experienced critical care nurse and I just now broke above $20/hr base rate this past year. It's a great wage. Especially when I consider that 2/3 of the population around me are making

[sharlynn]

Real estate taxes are definitely lower!

[RN2Bn2006]

Thanks for saying that! I know somethings are cheaper, but alot are not! If I buy a new vehicle, I will pay as much as everyone else, also. I am a new grad, I started as a L/D nurse 1 year ago - my base pay is $15.60 an hr. A little disappointing considering I was making $12.00 as a loan secretary at a bank when I quit to go to nursing school. The bank provided employee insurance at no cost as a benefit, and I have to pay for my insurance at the hospital, therefore, I bring home about the same amt. Does that make me feel like me quitting my job - which was 5 DAYS a week, every w/e & holiday off, being $7,000 in debt for student loans - worth it? financially probably no at this point, but the fact that I LOVE my job and LOVE what I do makes it worth it to me! Just too bad we aren't rewarded a little more financially for our efforts. I do get like a 2 dollar shift diff for working nights (actually I don't get that the whole night, just after 11pm or something)

Des this mean that gas, heath insurance, and taxes are cheaper. I think that no matter where a person lives $17.00 is shamefully low for a licensed medical professional.:angryfire

[Scoobiedoo]

Wow, thats an 'insult' vs. New York's current $21.50+ per hour RN wages!

[edgwow]

I guesss it has to do with cost of living. Where I live in NJ,

I pay $7,000 taxes on a 1200 square foot home, that is assessed at $80,000. I pay almost $4.00 for a gallon of milk and $3.00 for a loaf of bread. I make $30+ an hour as a school nurse with a BSN. I know the east coast pays higher, but that much higher? Even when I worked in homecare I made 22 an hour, and that was caring for 1 patient for the whole shift.

[mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP]

See, I have to disagree that NW Arkansas has a low cost of living. I grew up on the west coast and moved to this area and I've seen no difference in the "prices" of things. My parents just recently bought a house in NW Arkansas and it was very comparable to what they live in on the west coast and they paid almost $50,000 more for this house here. The cost of milk, gas, bread and everything else is just as high here.

Their property taxes are lower, because Arkansas reduces taxes when you are over 65, otherwise they are the same as when they lived on the west coast.

The hospital where they used to live - starts new grads at $22/hr - here you'll be lucky to make $17/hr as a new grad.

It's never made sense to me......