Job market 2008

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Hey everyone, I'm hoping to get some feedback on what the job market is like for RNs before I commit to a sizable expense for an accelerated program. I am hearing anecdotal things as to what the job market is like for new grads, some of which sounds bad, and I would appreciate any insight anyone has on this.

Many of the accelerated programs I see are very expensive and I am out-of-state, which just exasperates the tuition. Given that, what salary is reasonable to expect for an entry level nurse coming from a well-regarded program? I see different things here and there that suggest it can be very high so I am curious how much of that is reality. For the record, I'm not going into this for the money, rather, I'm trying to get comfortable with the major loans that it's going to take to do this.

Thanks to everyone for taking a look at this!

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Specializes in ICU.

I live just outside of DC in MD. I am a new grad and make 25.90 an hour, before differentials and overtime. I am a single mom so I may just work 7-3:30 five times a week. My base works out to be around $50,000. If I could do over time (like do a total of 4, 12's) or work the night shifts I could make about $65,000. But this is in a higher cost of living area, in lower cost of living areas you would make way less. Hope this helps.

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Thanks for your reply. I am curious if it took you a long time to find a job or if it happened quickly for you? Your base and potential sound good, but can I ask approximately how much you spent to get your degree and also where pay tops out for your hospital? If that's none of my business that's fine, I'm just wondering if going to a place like Hopkins or Penn is truly worth it. What do you think?

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Specializes in Pediatric Psychiatry, Home Health VNA.

I'm an RN in Massachusetts and our job market is terrible state-wide. Base pay is anywhere from 24-30/hour. I've been looking for a job for 7 months (licensed for one month) and only had one interview. I'm currently looking into other state opportunities. I don't recommend coming here!

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Specializes in ICU.

Not sure where pay tops out as far as experienced RN's. New grads get paid the same across the board. If you move up steps in the clinical ladder (basically a rung each year, each rung has a specific amount of hours you had to work per year...you have to participate in stuff like taking class hours through the hosp. to enrich you as a nurse, precept, join nursing council for so many hours to go up a rung at my hospital) each rung is $3,000 a year plus your merit raise which they said was 3% each year as long as you have a good review. I know differential for the evenings (3-11) is an extra $3.50 an hours. Not sure about nights...though I have heard $4-$5 an hour extra. Weekend differential is $4.00 plus any evening or night differential. I was able to get a job in April here in MD and I graduated in May. I was on the late end of getting a job lined up because I wanted to work at my specific hospital and they didn't interview until later. Many people had lined up jobs over winter break.

I would try to go to a state school. Hopkins is extremely expensive. They rank 3rd according to US News and World Report. I went to University of Maryland which ranks #7. My tuition was around $7,000. I had good grades, got finanicial aid, scholarships and grants so essentially my tuition, mandatory health insurance ($2,000 per year through school b/c I didn't have my own), and books were all paid for. Because I am single and have kids, I worked only very p/t and I took out loans to live...$28,000 over three years. I think it was worth it.

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So I'm assuming that you qualified for in-state tuition for your school in Maryland? From what I hear, it seems like there is less focus on where you did your BSN in terms of getting regular jobs at a hospital. Down the road, I am considering graduate school, either as a nurse practitioner or possibly a physician assistant. Both programs are very competitive to get in to (many PA programs have acceptance rates around 5%) so I wondered if having a BSN from a well-known school would affect my chances favorably.

I have heard that the market in Mass is terrible right now. I felt like I had to ask that question though because I am starting to see entries pop up on here that seem to indicate sporadic places of where people cannot find a job. I have spoken to a few admissions counselors out west and they have indicated that some of my concerns are valid. Just wondered what people are seeing with the economy the way it is now.

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I just passed my nclex about 2 weeks ago, been actively searching for a job (mostly online) but never get any interview yet. I am hoping to get one soon? i hope so. i live in the bay area and there's a lot of competition out here.

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

I'm an LVN/LPN in a large city in North Central Texas. I earn $21 hourly at my full-time job, and $25 hourly at the part-time gig with 2 years of experience.

On average, newly graduated RNs start at $23 per hour without differentials in the Dallas area hospitals. It could easily bump up to $30 hourly with night and weekend differential pay. Keep in mind that the cost of living is generally lower here than in the Northeast. The nursing jobs here are so plentiful that they are basically a dime a dozen.

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Honestly, I would never rack up the kind of debt it takes to go to a JHU or Penn for BSN. You will not receive any Fed grants because of your second degree status. Do you have the grades to be considered for merit scholarships? (3.75+) If so, you might get away with 40-60k in loans.

I think the reality is that without some extreme options, nursing simply does NOT pay enough anywhere to comfortably cover the kind of loans those schools would require. I don't know what your situation is, but if you're single then swinging it might work for a while. When (if) you choose to get married, buy a house/car, have kids, travel to Grandma's house, grad school, et cet....being saddled with a $500 stuent loan payment is a hardship.

I know the arguments are compelling. It's your education, an investment, future...all true. However, if it can be done for 15-20k, instead of 60k?

I think you might be on the right path with looking into more prestigous grad programs. For example, you could move to Baltimore, get a new grad position with Hopkins, and allow them to pay a big chunk of your grad school.

Obviously, this is just my position. I was stuck with 17k debt for my undergrad and it seems like it took forever and a lot of compromise to pay that off. I can't imagine what 50-60k would be like.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
So I'm assuming that you qualified for in-state tuition for your school in Maryland? From what I hear, it seems like there is less focus on where you did your BSN in terms of getting regular jobs at a hospital. Down the road, I am considering graduate school, either as a nurse practitioner or possibly a physician assistant. Both programs are very competitive to get in to (many PA programs have acceptance rates around 5%) so I wondered if having a BSN from a well-known school would affect my chances favorably.

I have heard that the market in Mass is terrible right now. I felt like I had to ask that question though because I am starting to see entries pop up on here that seem to indicate sporadic places of where people cannot find a job. I have spoken to a few admissions counselors out west and they have indicated that some of my concerns are valid. Just wondered what people are seeing with the economy the way it is now.

you'll also notice that when the economy gets as bad as it has been that people go back to nursing. nurses that were at home are going back because their husbands are laid off or because the rise in everyday expenses are becoming too much. chicago seems to always have jobs. and the new grad pay is comparable with other big cities ...25-32/hr. no matter what you still will be able to get a job. you have to market yourself like you would for any other career and you may not get what you want initially but getting in the door is key. when i was a new grad 5 years ago there were bonuses galore trying to attract new grads but now i don't see that anymore because everyone is going into nursing and the hospitals are not as desperate as they were before. your degree will not be usesless.. trust me. if this is something you really want i say go for it.

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Thanks for this great information. My gut feeling was that I would never be voluntarily out of work but before I commit to doing any program, Hopkins or otherwise, I thought it would be wise to delve into the job market. It seems like the reports of the market being saturated are isolated, so I find that encouraging.

I am curious about specialties though. It is harder to get into certain specialties than others? I am really interested in oncology, perhaps pediatric oncology and maybe cardiology. What should I do to get in to those fields? I was just trying to avoid the same old tried and true thing of spending a year or two in med-surg or ER.

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Specializes in ICU.

Your question about PA school. I was accepted at a bachelor's program (D'Youville College in Buffalo, NY) back in 2004. I was doing my prereqs for nursing (at a local community college)and saw I would have many of the classes I would need to become a PA. PA's make more money so I applied there. I had a 3.75 at the time, was married and a mother of two young sons. I got in, unfortunately my then husband didn't want to move, and didn't like the idea of me doing better financially than he did, so he decided he wanted a divorce. Because we had kids I couldn't just relocate to Buffalo that year due to custody not being worked out and how would I move somewhere with no family and get through such a grueling program with a 5 and 7 year old. So I couldn't go. My mom lived in NY (Long Island) that year and we planned if I was allowed to move out of state I would live with her and finish school I applied to NY Technical College and Hofstra's PA program and got into both without an interview but her job relocated her to MD. I got custody of the children and was allowed to move to MD with my mom so I could finish school. To go to Howard's program in DC I needed a year and a half of prereqs, so I on a whim applied to MD's nursing program and said if I got in to nursing I would do that, if not I would go for the PA program here. I got into nursing and because I need to make a full living now I decided nursing school was fine for me. I am happy with that outcome and I think I was supposed to go into nursing because of all the road blocks to actually getting to go to PA school LOL! All three PA programs picked me with just a community college education so I don't think going to Hopkins is worth the expense and University of MD has a great rep. I think what really makes a good candidate is having really great grades, a great essay, and interview well, health care experience helps too, I had a CNA and worked as one for a couple of years. I think those things all in combo helped get me into all three programs. Also a very great book I bought helped immensely." Getting into the Physician Assistant School of Your Choice" by Andrew J. Rodican. You probably have to order it through amazon (when I got it they didn't sell it in local bookstores). The man who wrote it sat on the entrance committee for Yale's program. He tells you what they look for in essays with examples and what questions they will ask if you make it to the interview stage. Most of what he said they would ask me they did, and he had good tips of how to answer the questions. When you are interviewed sometimes they do it with other applicants and you each answer the same question. Things he said not to say I watched the other two applicants say, and noticed how the interviewers reacted. Good luck!!!

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