Is My Pay Really That Bad???

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Specializes in Med-Surg, LTACH, FNP.

Ok, so as I'm scrolling these forums, I keep seeing posters post things like "$30/hr is normal for a staff nurse", etc.

In Indiana as a RN(BSN) with 3.5 years experience (2 years M/S, 1.5 years Periop), I only make $23/hour... and I was excited about that until I saw these posts! I started at $17.78/hour!

Obviously I'm disillusioned and need to know what a good pay rate to ask for is, because I thought $30/hour would be good...

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I think $30-$40 is standard for med surg. The big money comes with specialized fields like ICU and ER.

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Specializes in ED RN, PEDS RN, IV NURSE.

I think I'm doing good at 22$ base pay with 2-3years experience. *shrugs* What do I know. I don't listen to what others say Bc it can make me feel bad but truthfully I'm doing better than my last job so I'm going in the right direction! And that's what matters!

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Specializes in Home Health (PDN), Camp Nursing.

What part of the U.S. are you in? Rate of pay is super dependent on cost of living and location. I make 22-25 an hour as an LPN, in central PA. but LPNs in more rural areas are at about 15-19.

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

Pay is very regional. I was always surprised to see people coming up to a high cost of living area asking for $25, usually nurses from the rural areas, the south or mid west. I will actually tell people on my initial phone interview that they need to tell HR that they made a typo. When an areas starting base is $35/hr and an experienced nurse in my area is asking for $25 I would feel bad not telling them. That is just me though and my hospital would have probably not been happy that I did it but I do have a moral obligation to myself to not screw people over. I work in surgery though.

Please note that if you are going to go as a traveler somewhere your base hourly that is TAXABLE is probably going to be in the $20/hr range for medsurg but you will be getting paid a tax free stipend of around $1000 a month for M&I plus a housing stipend(dependent on what part of the country your in it can be $1500-4000/month) if you don't take provided housing.

So to sum it up, yes $22-25/hour for a staff job sounds really low for an experienced RN to most of us. I got a PRN job at a surgery center where I actually live for extra time filling.... I was pretty disappointed with $40/hr but I just did it because I was bored, not for the money.

When it has a spot for desired income just put like $45/hr and negotiate from that starting point.

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Specializes in ICU.

work in ICU @ hospital in KY, in the city. $26.86 base + $3.70 nightshift diff + a wkend diff for my wkend position... I was an LPN 2yrs in nsg home, 2yrs RN in nursing home, 3 years on the floor before coming to ICU. NO increase in pay from floor to ICU

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Specializes in Dialysis.

It depends on your location. Generally higher pay = higher cost of living so not a lot gained. Keep that in mind when you hear someone say making x $/hr. They are probably paying much more for everything else as well

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It really is difficult to say, because there are so many variables. Many places use a table to determine at least a pay range they will offer. I would use sites like glassdoor and salary.com to evaluate my desired salary and the offers I would get. Also remember to take into consideration the whole compensation package. A few dollars more per hour may seem like a lot, until it comes back out for insurance premiums.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I'm in a low cost-of-living area in Texas. With four years of experience, my highest pay rate as an LVN/LPN was $27.04 per hour in 2010.

I have been an RN for five years and currently earn $37/hr. I have never been a traveler.

There are regions in the US that offer a great combination of reasonable cost of living and competitive pay. No employer will pay more than they need to in order to attract nurses.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, LTACH, FNP.
I think $30-$40 is standard for med surg. The big money comes with specialized fields like ICU and ER.

Are you saying standard for a permanent position staff nurse? Or for a traveling m/s nurse?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, LTACH, FNP.
What part of the U.S. are you in? Rate of pay is super dependent on cost of living and location. I make 22-25 an hour as an LPN, in central PA. but LPNs in more rural areas are at about 15-19.

I'm in Northeast Indiana. The cost of living here is relatively low (my PITI mortgage payment is $215/Month on a 2 bed/2 bath house with a finished basement. Utilities (Water, Sewer, trash, gas, and electric) are about $150.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, LTACH, FNP.
When an areas starting base is $35/hr and an experienced nurse in my area is asking for $25 I would feel bad not telling them. That is just me though and my hospital would have probably not been happy that I did it but I do have a moral obligation to myself to not screw people over. I work in surgery though.

I work in peri-operative services right now (1.5 years). Its in prep/recovery. But I feel like there's no need for that anywhere else because all I see is openings for 'PACU' travel nurses or 'OR-Circulator/Scrub' travel nurses.

I work in what we call 'Recovery II'. Basically- after the patient's surgery, they recover in PACU for about an hour, and then they come to me for an addition 1 - 4 hours (depending on their surgery - lung biopsy, arteriogram, laminectomy, ORIFs, etc.).

What areas do you think I would qualify for in the travel world?

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