Nurse salaries are stagnant or decreasing, we already knew NPs were taking a decrease

[guest416560]

Nursing Salaries Are Stagnant, New Survey Shows

Troy Brown, RN

October 11, 2018

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Nurse income may be falling, according to Medscape's 2018 RN/LPN Compensation Survey of 5011 registered nurses (RNs) and 2002 licensed practical nurses (LPNs). In 2017, for the first time, average annual nurse wages and hourly rates of pay failed to increase significantly. After adjusting for inflation, income may even be falling, according to the report's authors.

The percentage of RNs (56%) and LPNs (46%) who believed they were compensated fairly for their work fell slightly from the previous year.

During previous years, there have been small but steady increases in compensation. Average annual gross income for RNs was $81,000 in 2017 compared with $80,000 in 2016. For LPNs, annual income was $46,000 in 2017 and 2016. Hourly wages in 2017 were $37 for full-time RNs compared with $22 for full-time LPNs.

Nurses in salaried positions - a much smaller group when compared with those in hourly positions - were the only group whose average salaries increased.

The reasons for this lack of wage growth are unclear.

Registered nurses living in the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington) of the United States had the highest average annual income, at $102,000 per year, whereas those in the East South Central region (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee) reported the lowest ($69,000 per year) - a difference of 33%. Licensed practical nurses in the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) reported the highest annual pay, at $56,000 per year, compared with $42,000 in the South Central region.

Among RNs, income was highest for those working in hospital inpatient and occupational/employee health settings ($84,000) and lowest for those working in school/college health services ($66,000). Licensed practical nurses working in skilled nursing facilities or other long-term care reported the highest annual income, at $48,000, compared with $37,000 per year for LPNs working in school/college health services.

Although more than half of nurses (RNs, 61%; LPNs, 58%) said their income had risen from the previous year, the survey did not show the amount of this increase or the source of the increase - whether it resulted from a raise or from working overtime or extra shifts. Approximately one third of nurses (30% of RNs and 34% of LPNs) reported working extra hours or shifts. To supplement their income, 13% of RNs worked on-call shifts, 12% assumed charge nurse responsibilities, and 11% worked a second job or had a non-nursing income-producing activity.

Most RNs worked for employers that provided paid time off (96%), health insurance (95%), contributions to retirement savings (84%), and education allowance or reimbursement (65%). Almost one third of nurses (RNs, 29%; LPNs, 39%) still had student loan debt.

Where Are the Nurses?

Nurses were most likely to work in hospitals (RNs, 52%; LPNs, 20%), which paid the highest wages. Nurses in the insurance industry and occupational health reported annual income that was comparable to that of nurses in hospitals; however, relatively few nurses work in those sectors.

[Spadeforce]

goes in line with the HHS predictions of too many NPs/RNs by 2025. everybody caught the wave to go to nursing school. the economy is doing relatively well right now and there are STILL too many nurses, so if we do have another down turn in the next ten years there will just be more saturation since the health field has always sort of been the "mattress to fall on" in downturns.

There aren't many other decent paying middle class jobs out there that do not require hard science knowledge/math such as nursing so its a good field for many and people caught on.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

RN pay does not equal NP pay. Your post is only about LVN and RN pay. I have previously provided numerous sources indicating that NP pay is rising on average, nationally.

[Spadeforce]

I think part of the reason why NP is going up is since more specialists are hiring them and they usually pay more.

Also, one can't use the data from aanc or aanp, they would never state that their salaries are decreasing... it would decrease enrollment.

But this is about LPN RN so i digress

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

In my area NP is going up

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

I am so sick of repeatedly beating this dead horse. At the macro level, NP salaries are increasing and have been increasing for the past few years. In addition, there are regional variations as well as variations by specialty. PMHNP pay is skyrocketing in the West because we are in desperate need.

As a new grad RN I was offered a job for $65K in Baltimore. As a new grad NP I was offered a job for $100K in Baltimore. I don't now of any new grad RNs that start out making six figures.

Nurse Practitioner Salaries on the Rise | HealthLeaders Media

Salaries for Nurses Decrease, While NP Salaries Rise : AJN The American Journal of Nursing

Medscape: Medscape Access

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[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

In the North East things are still looking pretty good. I just landed a 20% pay increase changing RN jobs including an hourly bonus in a large city teaching hospital. I have now hit 6 figures (base pay) and will graduate in May with my AGACNP. I intend to never work for less than 6 figures again.

[aok7, NP]

Having gone from being a LPN to a NP and using this forum as a support through the process, I have to say I appreciate the guidance here. I must say, though, I wasted a lot of energy being scared after reading predictions, etc. I nearly quit NP school thinking it would be a waste of time, that there would be no jobs when I graduated, etc. Thankfully, I didn't quit. I have a salary solidly in the 6 figures, and more importantly, an awesome job where I feel supported as a new grad. The fundamentals of hard work and solid professional values are not necessarily taught in nursing school, but these old-fashioned basics got me through the ups and downs of the economy in my 9+years of nursing. I just have to put that out to those who genuinely want to be nurses.

[Dodongo, APRN, NP]

Do not come to SW PA. UPMC offers $65,000 to new grad PAs and NPs.

[watch123]

I got started off at 140,000 in the icu in Georgia as a new grad. It's up to you if you want to take a low pay. I had many offers in this range.

[babyNP., APRN]

somebody will have to take care of all the baby boomers in the next 10-30 years- I expect job demand will still be around unless we've invented robots that will take care of them. We may have driverless cars by then, but not human-less health aids, I expect...

[guest416560]

Demand will still be there....there will just be too many of us willing to do the job so it starts eroding wages. I've already seen it happen personally to me and a dozen other NPs I work with in California. Wage deflation is real.