In the middle of a nurses career, are they paid roughly the same as they began?

alphabetsoup · May 10, 2011

First and foremost, averages are the dumbest way to calculate anything. Seriously- you want a median wage, not an average. Second, you have to factor in annual raises in those industries. And were bonuses or incentives also factored into those "average" salaries? Why is that so important? Because your typical bedside nurse is not earning a bonus and raises tend to be in cents vs dollars. My dear sweet spouse, who holds an advanced degree and has many years in his chosen profession, outearns me. If I were to get his typical raise, I would be doing my happiest dance.

tokmom, BSN, RN · May 10, 2011

Hmm, I don't agree with that. I have been an RN for 18 yrs now and I make roughly 82 k and I still have many more steps before I'm maxed out.

Altra, BSN, RN · May 10, 2011

1. Is the yahoo.com data for registered nurses? Does it include LPNs? "Nursing degree" is pretty vague. Also, nursing is a vast field encompassing a multitude of types of employment, at different wage rates. NPs and CRNAs are different fields with different educational requirements, duties and wage rates.

2. "National averages" in any field are pretty much meaningless, except to demonstrate that, for example, physicians out-earn dishwashers across the board. As in real estate, location is everything. Starting salaries for brand new registered nurses range from as low as $18/hr. in parts of the midwest and south to $35/hr. + in certain areas of the west coast.

3. Statistics on lifetime earnings are tricky, particularly for female-dominated professions. Historically, a majority of women spend some period of their adult lives out of the work force or with reduced employment in order to care for children.

Just some food for thought.

As an interesting aside ... every CRNP I know works at least 2 different jobs.

alphabetsoup · May 10, 2011

Good example that some nurses do have more earning potential than others with that $82K. Is that with shift diff, weekends, holidays? Also, some travel and agency can earn more. And someone pointed out location is also a factor. Other factors are employers (for profit vs not for profit) and what they are willing to pay. My own personal experience has been that I earned the most in compensation and benefits working for a large not for profit organization.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · May 10, 2011

If I compare the minimum wage when I started, and my wage then, with the minimum wage now...I'm making less hourly than on my first job.

rn438 · May 10, 2011

nurses dont really increase their earning potential over their span of career as compared to other occupations. Im sure this varies by region of course and what hospital you work at. Many nurses I work with find that they are taking a pay cut when they become nurse practitioners , as compared to what they had earned as a staff RN. Its so ridiculous.

llg, PhD, RN · May 10, 2011

Salary structures do tend to be a little flatter in nursng than in some other fields. I think part of the reason is that employers reward nurses with seniority in other ways and not just in pay. That keeps the wages down as experienced nurses stay in their jobs because they want those other rewards -- such as more vacation time per year, priority for having holidays off, and preferential treatment in scheduling. The nurses won't leave even if they are unhappy with their pay because they don't want to start over at the bottom of the seniority ladder somewhere else.

So the short answer to the question, "Why do employers keep the salary structures flat?" is : "Because they can."

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · May 10, 2011

As statistics go....women are paid less than men and nursing is a predominantly female profession and yes we are paid less amd max out at less (at the bedside) especially in no-union facilities. With the plethora of nurses out there now it lowers the demand and saleries respectively.....