Making 100k salary/ income as a nurse?

I am interested in what specialties are making 100k. I have 3 daughters in nursing school and can advise them on a lot, but not necessarily give them a big pic of the financial opportunities from across the nation. I am a 25 year RN and have a 65k salary, but double it most years with ot. not much fun working 68-72 hour weeks though. please tell me your specialty, experience , salary, and salary with diff and ot. oh, and where you r in the USA thank you all and hope your practice is professionally and financially rewarding

Why does it have to be a calling? Are mailman called? Are garbage men called? No. Is only nurses that have to wear the martyr hat and be "called " to get yelled athe, disrespected, violated and trashed by families and management. And then..we are not allowed to demand that we get paid what we're worth. I was no more called to nursing than I was to my previous career, but boy I am sure am respected much less for it.

I dont believe we need to be called like a vocation, but I've never seen a strictly money driven nurse succeed in the field. The crap we tolerate is tolerated because we really want to be nurses. I believe we should all make great money for what we do. But if you're driven by dollars? You won't be able to tolerate what we tolerate.

I dont believe we need to be called like a vocation, but I've never seen a strictly money driven nurse succeed in the field. The crap we tolerate is tolerated because we really want to be nurses. I believe we should all make great money for what we do. But if you're driven by dollars? You won't be able to tolerate what we tolerate.

Oh you'll be able to tolerate it...but just for a short period of time before you move to a side of nursing that doesn't have to deal with the crap (IT, Research, etc). That's the difference in a called RN and an RN that also has the money motivation-they don't take the disrespect for long.

Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.
Oh you'll be able to tolerate it...but just for a short period of time before you move to a side of nursing that doesn't have to deal with the crap (IT, Research, etc). That's the difference in a called RN and an RN that also has the money motivation-they don't take the disrespect for long.

IT has it's own set of "crap."

-- Former systems engineer / project manager / operations manager / service manager.

Specializes in ICU.

I had coworkers crack the 100k mark last year.

I probably would have cracked it myself if I wasn't going to school full time. I worked 5-6 12s a week all summer long, and picked up overtime in the spring when my class load was a little lighter. My base pay is 47k, but my W2 tells me I made 82k, and that was with no overtime during the fall semester because I could barely even work FT.

Making $100k is not about experience or specialty - all nurses in my hospital without advanced practice degrees are on the same pay scale. There is no different pay for different departments, and max base pay caps out well below 100k at my employer - I believe it's somewhere around $75k.

Cracking $100k as a bedside RN, in a low to moderate cost of living area, is about how much you're willing to kill yourself for your employer. Bonus points if you work somewhere especially short staffed - the more short staffed the employer, the better the bonuses are for coming in for overtime. We have several tiers of bonuses and have been on the highest one for more than two years now. Time and a half + $190 flat per shift +$5/hr + $1200 bonus if we get 128 hours of OT in 12 weeks. Of course, as you would expect, it's a crappy, high stress work environment where having more patients than we're supposed to is common.

Do you want $100k, or do you want a good job? In most parts of the country, as a bedside RN, you can't have both.

IT has it's own set of "crap."

-- Former systems engineer / project manager / operations manager / service manager.

I'm certain that crap doesn't require a sedative and a spit hood.

Specializes in ICU.
PACUpleeze said:
I'm certain that crap doesn't require a sedative and a spit hood.

? since you put it that way..

Anyone who adds value to create their own platform always executes. I am teaching myself how to code which is outside of nursing but I've witnessed some remarkable experiences with technology.

Specializes in PICU.

10 years exp; night shift, ICU; Washington State; union. Pulled $90,000 this year with no OT.

Crna, nurses in california, icu nurses or nurse entrepreneurs like myself.

Here is an article on jobs which frequently pay six figures. Contrary to some posts here, there are plenty of "business" types listed.

America’s Six-Figure Jobs - 24/7 Wall St.

Specializes in Case Manager, Solid Organ Transplant Coordinator.

I am on the late freight with answering this question. I haven't read the other comments but I've worked in solid organ transplant for 11 years and it's a 6 figure job in most states with the certification/BSN included. Now if they are young and just starting out they probably will not get 6 figures. I was a RN for 12 years prior to becoming a transplant coordinator. I started as a transplant coordinator in California making $80k and after a year was making 6 figures thanks to union contract negotiations...but I also love what I do. The key is loving the job. The money will come once they find their passion.

I've been a nurse for going on 9 months and like many people said it's all about where you work. I was able to get into a management position at about 85k/yr with extremely good benefits and retirement. So it all depends on where you live and what you want to do.

On a side note, with the way current tax brackets are if you're shooting for 100k I would go for more like 150k. If you're breaking the 95k mark the new tax bracket basically makes it redundant until you're up over 110-115 unless you have a really good tax man.

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