LPN to RN pay.

toxic.waste · Jan 30, 2012

ive been an lpn for five years and i just got my rn. i've worked med/surg/peds for four years and pediatric home health for the last year. i plan on staying at this job for a while because i know that hospital jobs are hard to come by for new grads. i live in charlotte, nc and i was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on what to ask for as a raise now that i'm an rn. i don't want i ask for too much but i don't want to lowball either and not make enough. i've been working tons of ot to make ends meet and it would be really nice to have a 40 hour week again!

presbyterian has some rn positions open. there is a position in the peds icu.

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location will be in charlotte nc

the nurses number one job responsibility is to deliver the most remarkable patient experience, in every dimension, every time, and understand how he or she contributes to the health systems vision of achieving that commitment to patients and families. provides leadership in achieving standards of care, collaborating with physicians and other team members to assess, plan, implement and evaluate individualized patient care in accordance with the current policies and procedures.

graduate of an accredited nursing program. rn currently licensed in the state of nc. internal posting date 1/24/2012-1/29/2012

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[td]full time; 36 hours week 7p -7a

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balatro · Feb 13, 2012

Generally speaking from what I've seen in the Charlotte area, LPNs make about $10/hour less than a RN.

Keep in mind that you also have experience which should drive that up some. I'd probably try for a $15/hour raise and go from there, most of the new grad RN positions I've seen in Charlotte are somewhere around high 20's to mid 30's (29-34$ hour).

heathert_kc · Feb 14, 2012

Ive been an LPN for five years and I just got my RN. I've worked med/surg/peds for four years and pediatric home health for the last year. I plan on staying at this job for a while because I know that Hospital jobs are hard to come by for new grads. I live in Charlotte, NC and I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice on what to ask for as a raise now that I'm an RN. I don't want I ask for too much but I don't want to lowball either and not make enough. I've been working tons of OT to make ends meet and it would be really nice to have a 40 hour week again!

Firstly, if a hospital is where you want to be eventually, start applying ASAP, as you won't be a new grad forever and some hospital, at least where i live, rarely if ever want to take a chance on a nurse who has spent those vital first couple years out of acute care. So new graduate positions are likely your best bet and you generally only qualify for those if you have been licensed less than one year. As far as a pay raise that depends on the company you work for all though you may have years of LPN experience many will still consider you a new grad RN, and often you are started off as such. I know it sounds weird, I am in the same boat. I have been an LPN for 3 year and just got my RN license last month, it is like starting at the bottom all over again.

According to the bureau of labor statistic the mean hourly RN wage in The Charlotte metro area is just over $29/ hour where as that of an LPN is just over $20/hour. You have to keep in mind that you are not yet an 'average' RN, as you are a new graduate rather than mid-career with only about 5 years of experience working at a lower level. Once you pass your boards I would present your new license to your present employer and then negotiate. You can't walk in and demand a certain amount, especially given the current job market. i mean in reality they may not have an RN position open and your current job obviously does not require an RN license, so they likely do not have it budgeted for an RN. In my area, in which pay in very similar home healh in general pays less and the difference between LPN and RN in that setting is not so great. Be open minded, research career sites on how to negotiate your wage, and know your worth, mentally prepare some speaking points on what you do well/benefits: reliability, initiative, loyalty to company, you don't require extensive training, etc. Good luck!

caliotter3 · Feb 14, 2012

If you are planning to stay in home health, suggest you ask other RNs who are doing the same job what they are making and base your request on that. Depending upon your employer, you should expect to meet some level of resistance. Some will try to lowball you, of course, using the "this is not an RN level case" argument. Some agencies go so far as to pay the RN on a case the same as the LPN, because the case is "LPN level". In the situation where there are only "LPN level" positions open, accept nothing less than a raise of X amount of dollars per hour for being an RN. Have seen RNs paid a minimum of $2 an hour more than LPNs, but usually $5/hr or more than the LPN rate. You need to discuss rates of pay with your coworkers in order to find out what they are making. You can not rely on the staffing coordinators/hr personnel at the agency office to be up front and honest with you about wages.