100k salary?

Kadambari · May 6, 2012

Good Idea! I think it is a SHAME that they are paying an RN less than $20.00 an hour. That is disgusting!!. If you have some experience try CA the starting pay for new grads was $44.00 I don't know if they have reduced that amount because of the economy. But you will surely make more than $18.00 hour. Try travel nursing that way you can do a 3 month assignment and see how you like traveling. Your air fare, housing and a car is given, (depending on what agency you work for, ACES in Alabama). The agency I worked for was the only one I know of that gave you a rental car. They use to pay for it up front now you rent the car and you get about $200.00 a week for rental. I think they did this because of liability issues. Best wishes to you:).

Is the housing pretty nice and in a safe area?

Jenni811, RN · May 6, 2012

120k??? First off...one really shouldn't be sharing their salary, i sure don't. and 2nd...my guess is if he does make that much, its because its all over time or some crap because that just doesn't happen. So don't expect it to happen.

I interviewed for a job in San francisco where i would be getting like 100,000 something/year which sounds AMAZING where im from (Bo-dunk little town in Wisconsin) but it is the cost of living you need to look at. Cost of living in San Francisco is much much higher than it is here. So even if i make, lets say...40,000 or 50,000/year...doesn't sound like a lot, but it is around here!

So i guess i could MAYBE believe 120,000 depending where he is from.

RNKPCE · May 6, 2012

Depends on the state. California no problem. Also by law after 8 hours you are paid time and 1/2, double after 12 hours.

This is only true at least in California if you work 8 hour shifts. You can work alternate shifts like 12 hrs or 10 hrs and the hours above 8 aren't overtime.

This topic has been discussed many times on this forum. If you are just asking can you make over $100K as a new grad. YES!!! And the answer will be YES when it is asked again in 6 months.

Some people will have to work Overtime to do so or do travel nursing. However A new grad starting in the SF Bay Area starts around $50/hr not including shift differential etc. Which is $100k a year without OT. I know this for a fact.

However money isn't everything. Cost of living is a huge factor.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 6, 2012

I actually make out better with my salary of about $57,000 than I would in someplace with an exorbitant cost of living like New York City or LA making $100,000. I own a home (okay, a tiny part of a home, the mortgage company owns the majority), drive a decent car (8 years old but with very few miles on it and looks much newer), and take at least one major vacation a year (usually Hawaii with a five star hotel, but also recently included London and Paris). It's not all about the amount of money you make, it's also how much you have to spend to be able to survive.

PMFB-RN, RN · May 7, 2012

120k??? First off...one really shouldn't be sharing their salary, i sure don't. and 2nd...my guess is if he does make that much, its because its all over time or some crap because that just doesn't happen. So don't expect it to happen.

I interviewed for a job in San francisco where i would be getting like 100,000 something/year which sounds AMAZING where im from (Bo-dunk little town in Wisconsin) but it is the cost of living you need to look at. Cost of living in San Francisco is much much higher than it is here. So even if i make, lets say...40,000 or 50,000/year...doesn't sound like a lot, but it is around here!

So i guess i could MAYBE believe 120,000 depending where he is from.

*** $120K is very doable, even here in the upper midwest. I live in a little bo-dunk town in Wisconsin, population 850 or so. I commute to a near by larger city for work. I don't make $120K but I make well over $100K NOT COUNTING OT and will likely make better than $120K in the next 3-5 years as a staff RN. I live in a very low cost of living area. My house is 12 years old, has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom on 43 acers and cost me $120K 3 years ago. Pretty typical for home prices in my area.

It's not an accident. I deliberatly chose this area for the relitivly high RN pay and low cost of living after doing a lot of homework and checking into different areas that would afford to kind of life style I was looking for.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · May 7, 2012

I have a good friend who is a new ADN grad (no experience as an RN and none in any aspect of health care) who was hired at $30/hr. 40 hrs a week x 30/hr is $1200/month ($62,400/yr).In order for her to get close to $100,000 she'd have to work 56 hrs a week every week and be getting time and a half for those additional 16 hours. We live in an area of the Country that pays more than most areas for RNs (actually for pretty much any profession) BUT our cost of living is out of control.
Is it possible? Yes. In certain areas of the country, with overtime. Do you HAVE to have a BSN or higher..no but it would be much easier to get to that $100K mark with it. Do you HAVE to have experience, nope but its tough out there for new grads with no experience to even find a job.

I think you mean 1200/week, not per month.

To the OP, yes, it is very possible for a nurse to make that kind of money, but it is difficult if you don't live in a high cost state like California that pays nurses upwards to forty dollars/hr for the norm.

PrincessRN101 · May 7, 2012

I have a good friend who is a new ADN grad (no experience as an RN and none in any aspect of health care) who was hired at $30/hr. 40 hrs a week x 30/hr is $1200/month ($62,400/yr).In order for her to get close to $100,000 she'd have to work 56 hrs a week every week and be getting time and a half for those additional 16 hours. We live in an area of the Country that pays more than most areas for RNs (actually for pretty much any profession) BUT our cost of living is out of control.
Is it possible? Yes. In certain areas of the country, with overtime. Do you HAVE to have a BSN or higher..no but it would be much easier to get to that $100K mark with it. Do you HAVE to have experience, nope but its tough out there for new grads with no experience to even find a job.

the math sounds wrong on 1200$ a month, i think its more to the tune of 2400 $a month, with the potential of more if u have a next part time job or casual position

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · May 7, 2012

the math sounds wrong on 1200$ a month, i think its more to the tune of 2400 $a month, with the potential of more if u have a next part time job or casual position

$30*40hrs=$1200 per week

$1200*52 wks in a year= $62,400 per year

working overtime at time and a half would be $45 per hour overtime

16hrs overtime per week * $45=$720/week on top of the $1200/week=$1920/wk

$1920*52=$99,840

OOPS, my math was correct, my WORDS were wrong. I meant to say 40hs/wk * $30/hr=$1200 per week..not month.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · May 7, 2012

I think you mean 1200/week, not per month.
To the OP, yes, it is very possible for a nurse to make that kind of money, but it is difficult if you don't live in a high cost state like California that pays nurses upwards to forty dollars/hr for the norm.

I did, I meant per week, not month. Sorry.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · May 7, 2012

if you work in a facility that pays per diems for certain areas (like critical care), for advanced degrees, for specific certifications and if you are flexible enough to work various units without complaining and work nights/weekends for another per diem - yep. You can make the money. If your facility offers these things and you learn how to pay the system you can do it, but you will be WORKING

Good Morning, Gil · May 7, 2012

It requires a lot of overtime in a high cost of living area. You won't make that unless you worked 70 hour work weeks in most areas of the country, and most hospitals won't allow you to work that much anyway (not that they won't allow it, but there won't be that much OT available in most places, and they won't give you all of the OT anyway b/c they don't want to pay you $100,000 a year when they can spread the OT around). If you lived in NYC, and still worked lots of OT, you could make over $100,000 possibly, but then again, all of your money goes toward living expenses.

Quick answer, no: you can't make that much as a staff nurse. And, if you do, you would never be home to use the money you earned. NP's don't generally even make that much (in some areas of the country, yes, but in general, no).

RNKPCE · May 7, 2012

It requires a lot of overtime in a high cost of living area. You won't make that unless you worked 70 hour work weeks in most areas of the country, and most hospitals won't allow you to work that much anyway (not that they won't allow it, but there won't be that much OT available in most places, and they won't give you all of the OT anyway b/c they don't want to pay you $100,000 a year when they can spread the OT around). If you lived in NYC, and still worked lots of OT, you could make over $100,000 possibly, but then again, all of your money goes toward living expenses.
Quick answer, no: you can't make that much as a staff nurse. And, if you do, you would never be home to use the money you earned. NP's don't generally even make that much (in some areas of the country, yes, but in general, no).

The real answer is :yes easily in SF Bay area with no overtime. I live and work there. I know what that starting pay for new grads is $50/hr. $50 times 40 hrs is $2000 a week times 52 weeks=$104,000 without shift differentials.

If the question is can you make $100k in Iowa without tons of overtime the answer would probably be no, but I don't live there so I can't answer that for sure.

100k salary?

How possible is it to make over 100k?