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

As many have said, working travel it's doable, especially if you really learn how to make the most of being a travel nurse. When I did my first assignment I was a fool and barely made ends meet. But I got smart real quick on how to pocket most of that money.

Also working PRN at a hospital that pays good PRN wages it's doable. I was working at one hospital that doesn't pay well even though it's a higher cost area. They say it's on the beach and a big tourist spot so the perks of where you live should be enough. Yea that's a negative. They did have amazing health care premiums though and still did pensions. Anyway was talking to a few nurses there that were going to PRN positions so they had the schedule flexibility and I mentioned at least it will be higher pay as well. They both stated they weren't getting a pay increase. I was like WHAT??? The hospital told them the perk to PRN was they got to pick when they worked. But it didn't pay any different. Crazy!!!

As far as the poster that was asking about working two FT jobs as a new grad. Not gonna happen. Well I would say 99% not going to happen as a new grad. As the newbie you're not going to be able to go in making schedule demands at not just one but two places and neither one will go for you being in dual new grad residency programs.

That said when you are done as a new grad it is possible if you have self scheduling. I did in fact do this for 2 months because I was leaving one full time job and starting another and the way it worked out I was going to be committed to both for 2 months. I also had a PRN job. I was crazy. My plan was to have one Full Time and one PRN.

Anyway although it's doable you need to consider a few things such as there is no leeway for missing days because between the 2 jobs you're committed to 6 days already. There will end up being conflicts and it's not lucrative money wise because you have to do you 40 before getting your OT. If you're wanting the most lucrative way to work 2 jobs (not considering traveling but just as a staff nurse and baring you need the healthcare and stuff) do 1 full time and a good paying PRN staff job or PRN local travel job. We have a few local places that are PRN travel that pay 46 p/h

Just my thoughts.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Forensics, Addictions.

I make anywhere from $100 to $150K a year, live in the Northeast, and am a forensic psychiatric nurse. I have been an RN for 5 years. I do a lot of OT and MOT.

Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

I'm close to six figures and work in informatics with no call, weekends or holidays. I have a BSN and three certifications and am in NP school (close to finishing). I'm in the Northeast though...high COL. I could make more going back to the ICU and working shifts/OT/nights. RNOTODAY I think I know where you're referring to....I'm pretty close if I'm right. I might be interested in that if I went back to clinical practice. Haven't worked in the OR for quite a few years though, but I loved it!

Industry. I work for one of the oldest med tech companies in the country. I travel the US and consult/educate surgeons, clinicians and hospital administrations regarding infection prevention and how our products help to decrease HAIs. I effect change and encourage best practice on a large scale, many patients at a time.

I make over 100k a year, plus a pension, car, and I keep all my travel points. It is an amazing job!

You have twenty-five years of experience and only make 65k/base? Where on Earth do you live?

That is the average annual pay for nursing. I don't think it's unusually low. Nursing often don't reflect years if experience (or we reach the ceiling pretty quickly).

My friend just graduated bsn last year and her starting salary was 85-90k. Some hospitals here pay higher. She works here in nyc.

Made 125K last year with an associate's degree. But starting to get tired of nursing after 5 years. Switching specialties helped. Want to find a work from home job, but they could never mirror my pay. Stuck in the hospital for now

Similar to ICUMan, I got tired of nursing in an acute setting and became a nurse for a state prison system. For the state I work, the starting salary is right at 100k/year and it is easy to make a lot more than that with all the call offs of other nurses and vacancies! It is relatively easy work with SO MUCH LESS stress than the hospital setting!!! I love it. They even hire RNs with little to no hospital experience! They start the salary so high because it’s hard to get people to apply to work in such an environment and the institutions tend to be in the middle of nowhere far from populated areas obviously because you don’t want escapees catching a bus So to speak so commuting can be an issue for some, but I love it because again, so much less stress overall! No families, no stat orders; as long as the guys behave themselves, there’s nothing to do overall... great benefits, pension, ‘unlimited’ sick days (not really, but it is lot more liberal than acute care!)

On 1/12/2020 at 12:12 PM, Gmilitar said:

My friend just graduated bsn last year and her starting salary was 85-90k. Some hospitals here pay higher. She works here in nyc.

To be fair, NYC is one of the highest COL areas in the country. That money doesn't go near as far there as it would in a lower COL area.

On 1/22/2020 at 3:09 PM, hollyvk said:

Oh please NO! (Quit nursing and do law school). That is NOT the road to riches (and I would know, having done that). There are too many attorneys in the US competing for too few jobs, compared to the ever expanding need for more nurses.

This, too, may depend on geographical area and specialty. My D is a new grad lawyer, finishing up her MBA as part of a duel program. She has been hired as a new associate (and doesn't know anyone in her graduating class who has not found a job) at a firm at just under 200K (including perks and benefits). She received this job offer before she even finished law school or passed the Bar exam and is set to start soon after she graduates from the Business school. I have heard this "lawyers can't get jobs" refrain for several years now and it just isn't the case in my area. YMMV.

Nurses aren't making near this salary here, even if they do pick up the worst shifts and work constantly. Of course, there is that little thing called law school, which is extremely rigorous (D called it "total hell"). It can cost a pretty penny and could result in a lot of student debt if you are not so fortunate as to get some good merit aid or have help from parents.

17 minutes ago, Horseshoe said:

To be fair, NYC is one of the highest COL areas in the country. That money doesn't go near as far there as it would in a lower COL area.

this is true but, nevertheless, you can live pretty comfortably with that base salary, especially if you’re single. you can still get a studio or 1 bedroom for 1k-1.5k/month. my friend makes between 4.5-5k, after taxes and union dues, every month. and this is based on her base pay. a little overtime and she’s good.

On 1/24/2020 at 3:33 PM, Gmilitar said:

this is true but, nevertheless, you can live pretty comfortably with that base salary, especially if you’re single. you can still get a studio or 1 bedroom for 1k-1.5k/month. my friend makes between 4.5-5k, after taxes and union dues, every month. and this is based on her base pay. a little overtime and she’s good.

Well, again we have to consider what people consider "living comfortably." If the median price of a 1 bedroom apartment in NYC is $2900, living in a studio or 1K apartment might not be considered "comfortable" for everyone. Then again, someone enamored of the NYC lifestyle who views an apartment as just a place to sleep would possibly be perfectly content with that (see articles about people paying $1200/month in very desirable parts of San Fran to have basically only a bunk bed) . It's all in what you are used to, what needs (and/or desires) you have, what compromises you are willing to make, if you have children or plan to have children someday, etc. Also, does your salary enable you to pay taxes, pay down student debt, save for retirement, save for an emergency fund, ;ay for all the extras in life that add up really fast, etc.? Everyone should consider these things when accepting a job, especially if you are going to have to move there in order to work that job.

Quote

Real estate listing site Zumper released its June national rent report, which once again placed New York second place in a top 10 of the highest one-bedroom median rent prices in the country, after San Francisco.

Median rent for one-bedrooms in New York City, according to the report, grew 4.6 percent last month, reaching $2,980—the highest it has been in at least three years, the report says. In terms of two-bedroom apartments, they grew at an even higher rate of 5.1 percent, reaching $3,300.

This one below takes it by neighborhood, which is quite interesting in terms of big differences in pricing. However, it is 2018 data.

https://www.renthop.com/average-rent-in/new-york-city-ny

Bottom line, when nursing students read these threads about salaries, they need to consider important things like COL (and what any given individual considers "comfortable"-I would not be happy in a studio apartment no matter how vibrant the city), competitive nature of the job market with regard to the grad's preferred specialty (listed salaries may not address things like new grads not being able to get hired in hospitals, which is the case in many places), how much overtime or rotating shifts are required for these salaries, etc. Some of the people posting on these threads-from all over the country- have admitted that making six figures might well require more effort and time that one would imagine. Some of them have spent years and years getting the experience it takes to draw those kinds of salaries/good positions. It's not always just about a number on a page. "Six figures-wow!" May not be so "wow" when one finds out that you have to work rotating shifts, ungodly amounts of overtime, work all holidays, and give up other things that might be important to you in order to bring in those numbers. Another city may seem to have a very low average salary for a new grad, but when you give it a chance and explore cost of living numbers, you might find you can live there "quite comfortably" as well.

There are calculators out there that compare salaries in various regions and translate what those actual numbers mean (for example I found one that states that a 90K salary in NYC is the equivalent of $66K in another city). All important things to consider.

Nursing can provide a solid salary. But it's not "big money" no matter where you are, so feeling a certain fulfillment at your chosen job would be necessary to make it all seem worth it. If money is of primary importance to you and you don't mind working yourself to death, get into investment banking instead. At least there you can actually pull in the true big bucks. JMO.

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