Is swz.salary.com/ accurate?

I did some research on how much RN's make in DC/MD area. I researched how much an ER RN with a BSN makes the first year and then again after 5 years of experience. i got the same answer. how is that possible? I did a couple other searches to see if i got the same amount with 0 yrs of experience and 5 yrs of experience. ei., ICU, NP's etc... all made the same amount with in that 5 year window. is this accurate? has anyone else looked up information on swz.salary.com/salarywizard/ and saw some conflicting information?

[CASTLEGATES]

It's called pay compression. This is why nursing is a great job but a not so great career (at least in our area of the country).

Then again, these salary lists are usually too high from my personal experience and job offers compared to these sites.

[chul_soo]

What's a pay compression?

[mamamerlee, LPN]

The information can only be as good as the info that is received from the reporting agencies.

Pay compression is when salary does not keep with up things like cost of living indexes, or salaries for comparable jobs in the same market.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

My personal experience has been that Salary.com is inaccurate due to the people who engage in self-reporting overly bloated salaries that they really do not earn.

If I had a choice between Salary.com and playing the lottery, I'd much rather take my chances with a lottery ticket.

[JStyles1]

all of those salary sites are bloating pay rates. i've never seen one that was accurate

[chul_soo]

all of those salary sites are bloating pay rates. i've never seen one that was accurate

if that's the case, what is the starting pay for a new grad RN that works in the ER around DC area? Some sites say $35 per hr, I don't want to laugh at my first employer face b/c they offer me something closer to $25. When can I expect a raise and how often?

[caliotter3]

The only employer in nursing that has provided me with a raise due to time in service was the one that had a union. None of my other employers have ever provided regular or merit-based raises, nor have they even hired at the top of their advertised "range". I believe the "range" is just a fabrication to make the job advertisements look more appealing.