100k salary?

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. How possible is it to make over 100k?

    • 80
      Very possible
    • 71
      possible but requires some hard work/overtime
    • 117
      possible but requires LOTS of overtime/hardwork
    • 58
      Very hard

165 members have participated

18 year old male. I've wanted to be a nurse for a couple years and will be starting to work towards my BSN this fall. I've volunteered at the local hospital on med/surg floors and the ER room to make sure this is what I want. I will be taking classes to be an EMT-B or ER tech during college in order to gain medical knowledge, contacts in the hospital, and experience in an acute care setting.

Med/surg floors are........eh...but I am absolutely in love with the ICU and ER. When I was volunteering on a med/surg floor a male nurse said he had worked 20 years as a nurse an was making 120k

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My question is how possible is it for a nurse to make over 100k a year?

Does it pretty much require overtime to make that?

Whats the highest you have ever heard of a nurse making that wasn't a anesthetist or practitioner? And what did that require(overtime, certifications, years of experience, department,etc)?

I was thinking of becoming a charge nurse for the ER eventually. Good or bad idea?

I want to make it clear I am NOT getting into nursing for the money, but just like everyone I wouldn't mind making a decent amount doing what I love. I am just interested in how obtainable a "decent" salary is when it comes to nursing

I think the thing to take into consideration is yes, cost of living is high in California, but there are families who make $40k or even people who make 30k and are doing ok. You choose to live within your means or the glamorous life. My sister works and lives in the Bay Area and earns $46k (not nursing). She's single and shares a condo with 2 other roommates. Each pays $700-something for rent and they split utilities. She uses BART, saves, eats out and still manages to take several trips a year.

I wish nurses in every state gets paid more! For the work that's done, they all deserve it! I can't believe some states pay less than $20 per hour.

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Plenty of CA and NY grads can't find jobs. Yes some do start at $40+ an hour with shift/weekend diff. Some,however, relocated to Texas to make $24/hr WITHOUT shift or weekend diff and charge gets nothing more an hour, but more work. OP, it realllllllly depends on where you live. In some places no RN working in a hospital from the CNO to the ICU charge nurse on the weekend plan, makes anywhere close to that. Many hospials love to tote certifications but will not pay you more for it, also the hospitals I have been privy to salary info, icu/er nurses do NOT get paid more than med surg/or/ld etc. Like another poster said, 20 years is a long time, that nurse is probably at the very top of what that hospital will pay, keep in mind many people do not even make it 5 years, let alone 20.

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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.

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Sure one should be sharing his/her salary if he/she wants. There are even laws that prevent employers from forbiding this, as many, even in low level min wage jobs like to do.

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In Alberta, Canada, after 20 years one earns almost $46 per hour. Overtime is double time. I work with ER nurses who are near the beginning of the pay scale who earn over $100 K. OT may depend on the location though; our hospital is inner city and may not be the most popular location to work.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I'm about to complete my first fiscal year working as a RN. I pulled some OT here an there and I've already made 90k. Ill probably make about 103-106k. I'm in southern California, but an area where the cost of living is lower than most other areas. I work nights though which is pretty much the main reason I made so much.

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I read so many posts from people who have never lived (or may have never visited) the areas with a high cost of living, who will tell you how it is. When someone says how expensive it is to live in SF or NYC they need to know that if you live/work in NYC (meaning Manhattan), the cost of living is different than living in NYC (the other 4 boroughs). Sure, anywhere here has a higher cost of living than a small rural town, but we aren't all living in a penthouse overlooking Central Park, and we don't all shop at Saks :) It all evens out for the most part. Quality of living all depends on your lifestyle preferences and what you consider good living, if you want acreage and trees, or an elevator and a houseplant...it's all up to perception.

As for the original question...I'm still a student, I just hope to find a job.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
It all evens out for the most part. Quality of living all depends on your lifestyle preferences and what you consider good living, if you want acreage and trees, or an elevator and a houseplant...it's all up to perception.

As for the original question...I'm still a student, I just hope to find a job.

*** It does sort of even out. However there are a few places where the pay for nurses is high and the cost of living relatively low.

The highest paying city in the USA for nurses is San Jose. However the high cost of living there eats it up.

After months of research, web searches, phone calls, emails and visits, I decided to work in Minneapolis MN. A short drive out of town will provide a very low cost of living and pay is high relative to COL.

The two areas of the country with the highest nurse pay relative to COL I found where Madison Wisconsin and the Twin cities of Minnesota. Both towns offer anything anyone could want in terms on entertainment and cultural activities. Both are big university towns (I like University towns for the vibrant life they fill a town with) Both cities are a short drive from nice, safe, family friendly small towns. Both have great outdoor activities available within a short drive, though Minneapolis has the edge over Madison in that department.

I live near a great little town of 900 people with fantastic schools. Our biggest crime spree here was cattle rustling, yes really. We have 43 acres in the country with woods, fields, a creek and a 4 Br, 2 ba house that we paid slightly over 100K for. Plenty of reasonably prices apartments and houses in the city for those who prefer city life.

I make well over $100K a year not counting OT. Jobs don't appear very plentiful, however all the ADN and BSN students I have precepted in the last 3-4 years have managed to find acute care jobs within a few months of graduating. Only the DE MSN grads have struggled and had to take jobs in LTC or home care if they could find a job at all.

We do have long and brutal winters. They do a great job of keeping rif-raf away.

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At my facility with 2 years of experience and if you work 40h a week, no overtime you will make 116k as your base rate, if you only work nights you can expect to make about 15% more. So it's possible to make 100k without overtime.

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I'm a new grad and make $33K/year at my full time job (and I work per diem for $25/hr). Most fulltime RNs start at $17-23.50/hr here. I live in a really underpaid area - western NY. Cost of living is high here too, so I struggle!

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

It's possible but probably not the way you think. Think 20+ yrs experience in a specialty area working the most undesirable shifts (weekends, nights). A little overtime, like 7-9 shifts/year. Not one of those super high paying areas of the country. No advanced degree either, just ADN now working on BSN.

Consider for a moment what that does to your social life. Not too bad for married folks with no kids or decent childcare. No good to a young single guy with average social desires.

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All the nurses who were at my previous hospital for 20 plus years were making well over 100k with no overtime. It's possible.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, Neurology, Rehab.
Depending where you are mind you... before the financial crunch and changes to medicaid/medicare, we were paid double time for any extra shift we picked up. I was bringing home 10K a month after tax, mind you that was with good pay and OT.

I'm traveling now, with 17 yrs exp. without OT, I'll make 90k bring home, only because so much is untaxed and I'm choosing high pay places which equals less than desirable working conditions, at times.

Strike breaking when you travel, and I personally don't do it, is very lucrative, but you need the flexability to know that you can be canceled at a moments notice once the contracts are settled and be happy with the extra $$ you have made, guaranteed hours are tough in this type of contract, but while there extra shifts equates out to good $$ as my peers have done.

All this requires about a year or two of exp, and all mine is in the higher paying ICU, ER, and EP lab, so take that into consideration.

I strongly encourage anyone with two years exp. to travel, get exposure to low and high acuity places as well as the politics, policies and how thing are done right and wrong. After that, you know where your $$ is best spent planting your roots. Good luck to you.

I'm glad to know that you don't cross the strike line, because we are all fighting for the same thing!! Some nurses say "well someone has to take care of the patients",but if the hosptials treat us nurses right there will be no need to strike.!!!!

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