Nurses pay

NurseDiva04 · Jan 8, 2004

I am not a nurse. I will start an accelerated program in Sept. I am looking forward to making $40,000 or more. Just think I used to make $65-70,000 a year in computer technology. Now, I make $24,000 a year, working 10 hour shift and I don't like it. During the last 2 years, I have been laid off 3 times!! So, consider it a blessing.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Jan 8, 2004

Great attitude, Diva!

Can tell you're a survivor and a winner.

Best of luck!

HomeNurse4kids, LPN · Jan 8, 2004

Originally posted by Speculating
Let's crunch some numbers. Let's just take the lesser of the two, 2 dollars an hour. That's $3840.00 more per year tacked onto your check, and let's start with an average career of say thirty years = $115,200.00. .............Let's not even discuss three dollars an hour more which is nearly a quarter of a million dollars over a career!!!:balloons: That's why you go back to college!

Chaching chaching :eek: Woo Hoo!

I'm ready to go back RIGHT NOW! Where do I sign?

Dragonnurse1, ASN, RN · Jan 8, 2004

Stay away from Alabama. New grads start at 12.75 per hour and it took my 10 years to get to 18.95. That is without shift diff, acls, and pals.

kc ccurn · Jan 8, 2004

I think all the post's are correct. There is money to be made in nursing, it all depends on where you work and what effort you are willing to put into your education and career goals.

I think that an important point that has been missed, ChristineG has the desire to be a nurse, I think you need to follow your heart and do something that you love, not something that you just like. The money will come, it may take a while, but in the long run it will work out.

Just need to ask yourself which decision, in the future, will you regret making-not going and wondering what might have happened.... or going to nursing school and following your heart?

Speculating · Jan 9, 2004

Originally posted by sierranic
From what I have seen, I think RN's get paid less in my state then most of the others. I am not a nurse, hope to be someday!! But I do have a friend that works at the hospital and she stated that they hire RN's at $15.57/hr starting out. I am also told that hospitals have a tendency to pay less then other locations, but searching at some of the local hospitals to work, I think we have 8-10 within 20 miles of me, the most I have seen was in the $16/hr range and the lowest was in the $14/hr range. The sad thing is that I currently have a job that pays more then what some nurses start out at, and my job didn't require a degree..... Go figure....

What part of Iowa seirranic? I'm an Iowa boy born and raised- Council Bluffs. The pay sounds about right for the area. I was just looking into moving back last week. I looked into a job in a busy ER in Omaha. It was I believe an assistant director ER eves. The pay was like $21.00 an hour. I laughed and decided I'm not moving back home. A lot of the pay issues have to do with what's going on around the cities. An area like I was discussing Council Bluffs/Omaha is no New York City. Thinking back when I lived there I bet there are at least 4 colleges teaching RN programs alone. That's why the pay in that area is so decreased in comparison to others. They have a factory line kicking out student nurses.

old rural nurse, RN · Jan 9, 2004

One thing to consider when discussing nurse's pay, is the working conditions, benefits and hours most nurses experience. My sister has a Master's in Education, and makes less than I do, but then, I've been in nursing for over 20 years, have had to do my share of floor work (13 yrs), and work many many holidays, eve shifts, night shifts etc. Also my sister gets the whole summer off!

I changed jobs last year with quite a large loss in salary, and my new employer doesn't offer much for benefits, but although I didn't lose all the stress I had at my former job, I feel I can stand with this job, at least till I'm ready to do something else (in the works) or retire.

TriskixRN · Jan 9, 2004

:eek: From my perspective nursing pay changes not only from area to area, facility to facility, but with education; There is no acounting for experience..... I started in 1994 as a new LPN and made just over $8.00 / hour at a county home in the midwest.... changed to a private LTC facility and skilled rehab increasing my pay to roughly $11.00 / hour in just one year... then after 4 years in LTC was up to roughly $14.00 / hour... moved to the deep south and at first b/c the pay they were offering was nothing like I was getting went back up north to work for 5 years as a PRN nurse for four diffrent facilities and increased to $15.00 / hour during that time I got my IV therapy training and was certified and increased pay rate to an hourly max of $19.00 / hour of course I expected to lose some of the hourly rate when I agian moved south but never imagined would have to tolerate aproximately a 50% pay cut.... worked FT at LTC and made $10.15 per/hour went to the hospital and got $11.00 per hour (FT) left the hospital and went to the clinic and am back to $10.00 per hour with the LPN 2 liscencure and this is sopposed to be including payrate adjustment for being a nurse for 10 years! Its day shift and that makes a big diffrence to me at this time. All other wages were mainly eves or nights.... its what was most available.

Good thing I love to care, like nursing, and arn't in it for the money (although I miss the higher pay I had in the midwest / north. The cost of living in my area now is actually more than it was up there. I have to stay here due to family health concearns so moving is not an option at this time.) I found even searching the wages on line was not accurate for what I found in person. :confused: :nurse:

allnurses Guide · Jan 9, 2004

Originally posted by Speculating
Hi Steph,
I mean no disrespect what so ever to you. From coming across your other posts from time to time, I highly respect what I know of you. I'm a single male - I shouldn't have to help pay for your son's college either. Everyone else please let's not make an issue out of my statement. It's simply my opinion and shouldn't be reason to change the direction of this thread. Coming fresh out of school I started around $37,000, but it increased very quickly.

Hiya Speculating! Good point however it is the old "what came first - the chicken or the egg?" argument. Since the system is already set up to assist kids with exorbitant college costs and college costs ARE exorbitant, how do we change that? If there were no grants available, I know the costs would go down and average parents could afford to send their kids to college without help. But how do we do that?

steph

Speculating · Jan 9, 2004

originally posted by stevielynn
hiya speculating! good point however it is the old "what came first - the chicken or the egg?" argument. since the system is already set up to assist kids with exorbitant college costs and college costs are exorbitant, how do we change that? if there were no grants available, i know the costs would go down and average parents could afford to send their kids to college without help. but how do we do that?

steph

touché steph! i don't know what to tell you. from the images on that picture it looks as if you may have some time to figure it out though. what worries me most is - are we sure that the same fellows working on social security aren't the same guys working on this. if that turns out to be the case you may have to open another one of those savings accounts and start throwing your loose change in there.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2004

Originally posted by stevielynn
Hiya Speculating! Good point however it is the old "what came first - the chicken or the egg?" argument. Since the system is already set up to assist kids with exorbitant college costs and college costs ARE exorbitant, how do we change that? If there were no grants available, I know the costs would go down and average parents could afford to send their kids to college without help. But how do we do that?

steph

I think making college education accessible is vital to ALL of society. Being single I don't mind my tax dollars going for college grants. (And you know I'm not single, but in the minds of the government I am. But that's another point. :)) I do wish persons with kids had to pay more taxes than they do, but that's another point. :) That single persons taxes are higher isn't fair. I say equal taxes for everyone and educate everyone.

Katerina · Jan 9, 2004

Think of the value and quality of your life that you are sacrificing to nurse. What do you want to trade your nursing time for? $100,000 and no time to enjoy life; or $35,000 and time to live your own life. Moderate/level out your sacrifices and paycheck. :)

I hope I made sense.