It's all about cost of living. Your disposable income is going to be about the same anywhere for a given quality of life. 100K you probably need to be in LA, NYC, or Chicago.
May I ask why you say this? (seriously, I'm not trying to start an argument. I've just not heard anyone say that before.)
Several hospitals around here won't take ADNs period (University Hospital, VA Hospital, Children's Hospital, etc), most of the remainder won't take ADNs for certain positions or otherwise show preference in hiring to BSN but not all do.
Eventually, BSN will be the entry level, but not for a while.
I'm in the Chicago area. Around here new grads start at 23.00 and up. I was making around $42 per hour because I was on a weekend program and was working nights. I don't think it's realistic to expect 80-100K as a new grad, but it's not completely impossible either. You should probably expect more like 50-60K to start. Still a very survivable wage. It's not that expensive to live in the Chicago area.
Specializes in CT stepdown, hospice, psych, ortho.
East coast teaching hospital: new grad I got $23 an hour, if you worked straight weekends there was a $10 hour incentive so $33 plus $7 shift diff so $40 an hour. Work some overtime and you could end up making a nice check.
West coast working per diem $520 a 12 hour shift for tele. I got a call offering $43 an hour with full time benefits in a psych facility if I rotated shifts. But thats with a few more years of experience now.
Keep in mind the more you make the more they tax you
Wow, that sucks. Working extra hours just to get your checks cut alot anyway. But oh well. At this point. I'll take any job that pays ANY money right now. Right now I am going to school full time and I'm not working. So whatever position I can-hopefully find after I graduate will make me eternally grateful. Plus I can always look for a better job later. Right now. I just need to focus on school and when I'm finished with that I am going to focus on gaining experience. I have absolute NO nursing experience, so gaining experience in the years to come will be the most important thing to focus on. I'll worry about the money later.
The money will come. I've found that regular raises bring you up pretty quickly. I've always maxed out on raises so after starting at 22.55 hourly base, after 3 years I was up to 26.55. That's not too bad, really. I never worried about it too much though because I made so much with all my differentials. Plus, you can work all the overtime you want, usually. It's not too tough to pick up shifts except in certain summer/slow months.
In my first year as a new grad in the San Francisco Bay area I earned a little over $106,000. I think my base salary was $50.25, so about $12,000 of that was night shift differential.
Keep in mind though, the cost of living is much higher here than it is in many parts of the country where nurses make 2/3 or half as much.
In NYC new grads at the big hospitals make about 37-39 bucks an hour with an extra 2.00 in night diff. These hospitals are looking towards the BSN preferred routes however and with most BSN programs in NYC being private schools, you need that kind of salary just to pay off student loans, and lets not forget taxes. If you are single with no dependents (like I will be in 2 years) your 80,000 gross pay equals out to about 55,000 net pay. I won't be anywhere near rich, I'll be comfortable because I'll still be with my parents and that'll save me a bundle. You also have to include that the mode of transportation around here is public transportation so if you have a car, car insurance is through the roof, even for good drivers compared to other areas.
Now up in a town like Utica, NY, nurses make about 22-25 bucks an hour. However you can get a three bedroom apartment up there for like 600 bucks.
My cousin graduated from nursing school and she is making around $45/hr. I believe she got her BSN though. She lives in Chicago, IL.
When I graduate nursing school is it realistic for me to believe that I'll find a job that pays that much money with an associates degree. Or not.
How much do you make an hour and how old are you? I always thought it be nice to be in my early 20s and making around 60-100,000 a year.
INB4
I ONLY do my job for the benefit of helping others. I DON'T do it for the MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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After working in this profession for 30 years, I currently make 40+ dollars an hour. IN one the higher paying areas of the country, with one of the higher costs of living. Sorry to say, you ain't gonna get rich doing this job, and the stresses are something you have to weigh. Yeah, I thought it would be nice to be in my 20's and making around 60-100,000 a year too. But I don't have a degree in computer skills.
Pay is going to depend on the cost of living in the area where you plan on working. I can see new grads in Cali making 40 bucks an hour because the cost of living is high. In Michigan, New grads start at 24-25 bucks an hour.
Thank you.
bunny88
15 Posts
This is definitely realistic in san francisco, ca.
Currently I am an LVN and make considerably a lot less - $22/hour which is very much in the low end even for an LVN in sf.
Cost of living is very high so RN's wage doesn't necessarily lend itself to a more extravagant lifestyle - comfortable though..