I'm a recent military retiree, working as a PCT (cna) hourly rate $9.25 with $1.15 night diff + 20% for no benefits, I'm making close to $12 an hour. According to the LPN's on my Cardiac care floor, they only make around $11 an hour, with nurse externs making close to $12 an hour.
My question, is it even worth the hassle of going to school for a long year, to have a very stressful job and only make $11 to $14 an hour? I mean the county starts the street sweepers for that kind of money here in TN. There are easier ways to make low wages, no??
I have 3 years of college money left to spend and I'm slated to start LPN school in the fall, RN school would be for next year anyway due to pre-req, etc. Plus if I graduate LPN and don't like nursing or the low pay, I've only wasted a year of life.
Any thoughts on the issue of pay versus stress and/or bang for the buck of working in health care??
Tony
(retired military)
p.s. If you had 3 years of college money to spend, what would you do with it??
Specializes in Medical Surgical/Addiction/Mental Health.
Here is something to consider:
1)The money you will receive to pay for your education will be in the form of grants provided by the federal government, right? Therefore, you will have no personal investment in continuing your education other than time.
2)Regardless if you choose to go the LPN route or RN, you will without a doubt be required to work hard in order to maintain the necessary grades to graduate and pass NCLEX.
3)If you are already a CNA, you should know if you will like nursing. The difference is you will have more patient care responsibilities (pass meds, dressing changes, Evals, ect...)
4)There are graduates in the US who have their undergraduate degrees (4-5 year investment, some with student loan debt) whose starting salaries are in the mid 30's/ year. If you are making $14.00/ hour at 40hrs/week, your yearly gross income is $29120. A one year commitment versus a person who made a 5 year commitment and only making about 6K more a year AND who is probably a salary employee working more than 40 hours per week. Something to consider.
5)Also, you mentioned that you get a 20% bump for not having any benefits. Here is something else to consider. Some employers in Indiana offer 3K per semester for tuition reimbursement. For a person going for their LPN, they can receive up to 9K per year of reimbursement (Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). This typically includes tuition, fees, and books. Now, if your rate is $9.25/hour, 20% is $1.85/hour = $74.00/week = $3848.00/year (keep in mind, you don't take this amount home because it is taxed). SO, if you elected benefits, you would net an extra $5152 per year on top of what you currently make because the reimbursement is not taxed. You would have to check your facilities tuition reimbursement policy to see if this will work in your favor.
I think the real question is if you want to pursue nursing as a career. I know some people on the site always say go for the RN, but it depends on what you want. You can do an LPN in one year and get a pay increase. Invest another year for RN for another bump or you can go straight into an RN program and wait two years for a bump in salary. As for a BSN, are you interested in pursing a management position or do you simply want a BSN. If the answer is yes, then do the RN to BSN track.
I hope some of this information is helpful. Good luck in whatever you decide.
1)The money you will receive to pay for your education will be in the form of grants provided by the federal government, right? Therefore, you will have no personal investment in continuing your education other than time.
2)Regardless if you choose to go the LPN route or RN, you will without a doubt be required to work hard in order to maintain the necessary grades to graduate and pass NCLEX.
3)If you are already a CNA, you should know if you will like nursing. The difference is you will have more patient care responsibilities (pass meds, dressing changes, Evals, ect...)
4)There are graduates in the US who have their undergraduate degrees (4-5 year investment, some with student loan debt) whose starting salaries are in the mid 30's/ year. If you are making $14.00/ hour at 40hrs/week, your yearly gross income is $29120. A one year commitment versus a person who made a 5 year commitment and only making about 6K more a year AND who is probably a salary employee working more than 40 hours per week. Something to consider.
5)Also, you mentioned that you get a 20% bump for not having any benefits. Here is something else to consider. Some employers in Indiana offer 3K per semester for tuition reimbursement. For a person going for their LPN, they can receive up to 9K per year of reimbursement (Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). This typically includes tuition, fees, and books. Now, if your rate is $9.25/hour, 20% is $1.85/hour = $74.00/week = $3848.00/year (keep in mind, you don't take this amount home because it is taxed). SO, if you elected benefits, you would net an extra $5152 per year on top of what you currently make because the reimbursement is not taxed. You would have to check your facilities tuition reimbursement policy to see if this will work in your favor.
I think the real question is if you want to pursue nursing as a career. I know some people on the site always say go for the RN, but it depends on what you want. You can do an LPN in one year and get a pay increase. Invest another year for RN for another bump or you can go straight into an RN program and wait two years for a bump in salary. As for a BSN, are you interested in pursing a management position or do you simply want a BSN. If the answer is yes, then do the RN to BSN track.
I hope some of this information is helpful. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Great post,
I've got just over one month left, all of the jobs I've seen thus far are $10 an hour on the low end (Dr office) and $15 on the high end (LTC). I've paid for this entire year out of pocket by working as a CNA, I didn't get any tuition assistance of any kind
I interviewed for a PT posn on an Oncology floor yesterday, we'll see if I get on or not. I'm going to try and start prereq classes for RN next month and try and get my RN next year.
With the economy the way it is, any job is better than no job currently, good luck to all of the Nurses out there.
Specializes in Medical Surgical/Addiction/Mental Health.
Great post,
I've got just over one month left, all of the jobs I've seen thus far are $10 an hour on the low end (Dr office) and $15 on the high end (LTC). I've paid for this entire year out of pocket by working as a CNA, I didn't get any tuition assistance of any kind
I interviewed for a PT posn on an Oncology floor yesterday, we'll see if I get on or not. I'm going to try and start prereq classes for RN next month and try and get my RN next year.
With the economy the way it is, any job is better than no job currently, good luck to all of the Nurses out there.
Take care
Tony
Tony,
I thought that since you were retired military, you would receive aid from the government. That changes everything and is really unfortunate since the government is offering to pay off loans and grants to go to school to individuals who are enlisting.
Yeah I think there is a formula for trade school where the price teh tuition at 9 months of expected salary of some such thing as thats what the owner of our school ( owns 6 campuses) used as an arguement when we cornered him in the parking lot.
omg! LPN'S in Ct start off at $22 for LTC and $19 for MD office...mabe thats why tuition is $32,000 for LPN
OMG! Even with the higher pay there, I'd be more screwed there then here. $32,000 for one year LPN???? Wow, I paid out of pocket working part time, I think it cost me just over $3600.00 for the year, books, everything.
But at least your pay is higher, I thought about moving to another part of the country, but I'm going to see what I can get here first. I graduate next month and getting real near the end now. I'm thinking about searching around and getting the best pay I can, which seems to be LTC around $14-$15. I'm going to ask for $20.00 and hope to get $16.00, don't laugh, the job I am on now I'm making $12.44 and the starting pay for most people was $7.25, I asked for more and got it! Besides all they can say is no
I would say yes. I am in Alabama in starting LPNS make $16 an hr to $23 dollars an hour depending on where you are working and shift differential. I would say go for it and do it and when you bridge to the RN program it will be a piece of cake. A lot of times if you are working at a hosptital as an LPN they will offer to pay your tuition if you go back to pursue to be a RN. That is what my goal is.
I think obtaining an LPN puts you at an advantage for getting into RN programs which we all know are hard enough to get into. I was going to do the traditional BSN route until an LPN friend of mine offered her advice. She told me getting the LPN was better because you could work and you will have more experience with nursing. If you get an LPN then you can just get your RN online through Excelsior or Indiana State etc. Some colleges have LPN to RN programs or LPN to BSN programs that have a more open admission policy. I plan on getting my LPN then LPN to BSN online.
I have been a nurse for 17 years and nursing is something that you have to enjoy and have a certain dedication to. It is not a profession that you go into for the money, that is not what nursing is about; it comes from the heart. If this is not how you feel, then I suggest that you look for something that you want to do and like, as well as, provides the monetary that you seek. If you go into nursing and do not have your heart in it, you will not only waste your time and money, but be miserable. Look for something that you like.
I'm a recent military retiree, working as a PCT (cna) hourly rate $9.25 with $1.15 night diff + 20% for no benefits, I'm making close to $12 an hour. According to the LPN's on my Cardiac care floor, they only make around $11 an hour, with nurse externs making close to $12 an hour.
My question, is it even worth the hassle of going to school for a long year, to have a very stressful job and only make $11 to $14 an hour? I mean the county starts the street sweepers for that kind of money here in TN. There are easier ways to make low wages, no??
I have 3 years of college money left to spend and I'm slated to start LPN school in the fall, RN school would be for next year anyway due to pre-req, etc. Plus if I graduate LPN and don't like nursing or the low pay, I've only wasted a year of life.
Any thoughts on the issue of pay versus stress and/or bang for the buck of working in health care??
Tony
(retired military)
p.s. If you had 3 years of college money to spend, what would you do with it??
OMG! $12/hour. Where the heck do you work that the pay is so low. Here in Ontario, Canada fast-food employees make that much almost! wow, that's horrible pay.
We call LPN's, RPN's, and in Ontario the average starting pay is $25/hour, and maxes out at around $30/hour. So yes, for me it's very worth it! I've worked in 3 hospitals, and 2 LTC homes, and all our RPN's started at around $25/hour.
OMG! $12/hour. Where the heck do you work that the pay is so low. Here in Ontario, Canada fast-food employees make that much almost! wow, that's horrible pay.
We call LPN's, RPN's, and in Ontario the average starting pay is $25/hour, and maxes out at around $30/hour. So yes, for me it's very worth it! I've worked in 3 hospitals, and 2 LTC homes, and all our RPN's started at around $25/hour.
You need to move! LOL
That's interesting because I know RN from Toronto who said that they started out at $23.00 3 years ago, and was told that the pay hasn't gone up much. What they ended up doing was jumping ship and starting out at $45.00/hr here in the Bay Area a few years back. I didn't ask how much RPN's made. Thanks for the info.
That's interesting because I know RN from Toronto who said that they started out at $23.00 3 years ago, and was told that the pay hasn't gone up much. What they ended up doing was jumping ship and starting out at $45.00/hr here in the Bay Area a few years back. I didn't ask how much RPN's made. Thanks for the info.
Hmm. I know for a fact that all of the hospitals in Toronto who hire RPN's start at $25/hour. This includes Humber River, Sherway, North York, etc. RN's start at $27/hour. It's only a $2 pay difference, which the RN's don't like, but RN's max out at alot higher than RPN's. They can max out up to $50/hour. While RPN's can make a maximum of $30/hour.
Trillium hospitals in Brampton, Mississauga, and Etobicoke start their RPN's at $25/hour as well, along with Scarburough General, and Markham General.
In nursing homes it varies, one LTC home I worked at paid RPN's $28/hour, and RN's $31/hour. Other started RPN's at $22, RN's at $24.
I also did a clinical rotation in St. Catherines/Niagara Falls, & their hospital paid RPN's $25/hour as well.
Alot has changed over the years. RPN's are being appreciated alot more, and their rate of pay certainly reflects that.
ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN
886 Posts
Here is something to consider:
1) The money you will receive to pay for your education will be in the form of grants provided by the federal government, right? Therefore, you will have no personal investment in continuing your education other than time.
2) Regardless if you choose to go the LPN route or RN, you will without a doubt be required to work hard in order to maintain the necessary grades to graduate and pass NCLEX.
3) If you are already a CNA, you should know if you will like nursing. The difference is you will have more patient care responsibilities (pass meds, dressing changes, Evals, ect...)
4) There are graduates in the US who have their undergraduate degrees (4-5 year investment, some with student loan debt) whose starting salaries are in the mid 30's/ year. If you are making $14.00/ hour at 40hrs/week, your yearly gross income is $29120. A one year commitment versus a person who made a 5 year commitment and only making about 6K more a year AND who is probably a salary employee working more than 40 hours per week. Something to consider.
5) Also, you mentioned that you get a 20% bump for not having any benefits. Here is something else to consider. Some employers in Indiana offer 3K per semester for tuition reimbursement. For a person going for their LPN, they can receive up to 9K per year of reimbursement (Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). This typically includes tuition, fees, and books. Now, if your rate is $9.25/hour, 20% is $1.85/hour = $74.00/week = $3848.00/year (keep in mind, you don't take this amount home because it is taxed). SO, if you elected benefits, you would net an extra $5152 per year on top of what you currently make because the reimbursement is not taxed. You would have to check your facilities tuition reimbursement policy to see if this will work in your favor.
I think the real question is if you want to pursue nursing as a career. I know some people on the site always say go for the RN, but it depends on what you want. You can do an LPN in one year and get a pay increase. Invest another year for RN for another bump or you can go straight into an RN program and wait two years for a bump in salary. As for a BSN, are you interested in pursing a management position or do you simply want a BSN. If the answer is yes, then do the RN to BSN track.
I hope some of this information is helpful. Good luck in whatever you decide.