Comparing A Nurses' Salary

[Joe V]

According to Indeed, Registered Nurses (RNs) earn between $55,726 (< than 1 year experience) - $72,833 (10+ years of experience) per year in 2021.

Forbes reported back in 2019, that top hospital CEOs were making $1 million+. Payscale currently lists the average Hospital Chief Executive Officer salary at $153,479.

How do you feel about your salary compared to other professions?

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[kabooski]

Hospitals like to brag and even "not profit" ones make ALOT of profit. So here in Central Florida, the ADN will be a thing of the past. My school announced that they are doing away with the ADN program and going strictly BSN starting in 2014. Why? because the hospitals told them they do not want to hire anymore ASN/ADN; in-fact, they are forcing all of their ASN/ADN RN's (even those with 10+ experience) to back to school and get their bachelors.

You can bet if this community college does it, then all others in the area will do it to. So to all those that want to move here, get ready to go back to school. Pay will be the same, but hey, you can tell your family and friends you have a "bachelors" degree now.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Teal72 said:

Yes seriously...I have no reason to lie..I don't know if you can access it but you can look up the KAiser permanente contracts online and see. Or I'd anyone else in the Sacramento Region please feel free to add.. Especially if you work at KAiser!

True, but while I'm only making $26.50/hr for noc shift in the midwest, I'm also only paying $700/month mortgage for a 2300 sq house.

[tnmarie]

When my mom graduated LPN school, she barely made above minimum wage, hehe (early 1980s). I make $18.00.hr as an LPN and don't plan on accepting anything less than $25 as an RN.

As far as those projections go, I just don't know. I don't know if anyone else has noticed but people can't afford health care, censuses are going down, and nursing hours are being cut (not to mention the almost inevitable crash of medicare). Maybe the hour cutting thing is just where I'm from though.

You also have to take cost of living. I can make around $25/hr here as an RN or drive two hours away and make upwards of $50/hr but also see my living expenses double and triple as well.

Some posts on this thread have me wondering if the male/female pay gap exists in nursing, hmmm....

[austx_fsa]

Austin, Texas... BSN RN (Foreign Trained - Philippines) USA Texas License Spring 2011.

First Offer LTC $19 (Turned Down)

Second Offer LTC $23.50 (accepted and worked there 2 months)

Third Offer Dialysis Clinic (they trained me...) Started at $24.50 been there a year and now making $25.50 avg with weekend pay.

Pro: Limited weekend work (every other Saturday) and no major holidays.

Con: Early hours 4:30am,, work can get a bit too repetetive.

Currently looking for something else (maybe in med-surg to bolster my Dialysis credentials), as no real increase after they spent $10k in training costs (8-12 weeks),,, according to the one year contract I signed.

As my Father-in-law says,,, if you don't take care of her,,, Someone else will.

BTW... BSNs should get a bit more pay to start "In my opinion". Perhaps, they

should receive 2 years of work experience credit when determining starting pay.

AusTx_FSA

[squirtcatt]

Ok after reading most of these posts I just had to comment! when I looked for my first job in 2000 I actually applied to 3 hospitals, one in Colorado, one in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin! Colorado called and their starting pay was a joke, for the cost of living in that area. Minnesota did not want me, but I did not want them either. I took a job in Wisconsin starting pay was $16.57, heck, I thought I was rich! I worked there for 11 years, when I quit to head South I was making $35.30 base with the extras of straight nights, charge nurse pay and weekend pay thrown in! I had no prolem doing what ever I wanted and buying whatever I wanted. It depends on where you live the cost of living is a huge factor. Yes California pays great, but the cost of living is a heck of lot more than Wisconsin or Texas where I am now. Oh and one year I did make around $80,000 when I worked overtime, the hospital had a great little incentive to do it and it did not take but maybe one day extra a pay period.

[SE_BSN_RN, BSN]

squirtcatt said:

OK after reading most of these posts I just had to comment! when I looked for my first job in 2000 I actually applied to 3 hospitals, one in Colorado, one in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin! Colorado called and their starting pay was a joke, for the cost of living in that area. Minnesota did not want me, but I did not want them either. I took a job in Wisconsin starting pay was $16.57, heck, I thought I was rich! I worked there for 11 years, when I quit to head South I was making $35.30 base with the extras of straight nights, charge nurse pay and weekend pay thrown in! I had no prolem doing what ever I wanted and buying whatever I wanted. It depends on where you live the cost of living is a huge factor. Yes California pays great, but the cost of living is a heck of lot more than Wisconsin or Texas where I am now. Oh and one year I did make around $80,000 when I worked overtime, the hospital had a great little incentive to do it and it did not take but maybe one day extra a pay period.

Where in TX are you? I want to apply to the GN program at Baylor in Dallas. Do you know anything about the pay for that area? Any pros/cons?

[squirtcatt]

lvn2bsoon said:

Where in TX are you? I want to apply to the GN program at Baylor in Dallas. Do you know anything about the pay for that area? Any pros/cons?

I am in Central Texas and have no idea what any hospital in Texas pays GN's, sorry. I am sure someone can help you though.

[SE_BSN_RN, BSN]

squirtcatt said:

I am in Central Texas and have no idea what any hospital in Texas pays GN's, sorry. I am sure someone can help you though.

Thanks. I know what they pay is for the GN, just not for after, and if it (the pay) is competitive. The program itself is very competitive, but was looking for pros/cons of the program....and so far I see none, but I am sure there are some. It sounds like a great one, and all the research I have done tells me its a good fit for my future goals. But you know what they say about if it sounds to good to be true!

[JMBnurse]

Teal72 said:

I'm surprised how little RN's are getting paid. As a medical assistant (9months of schooling) I left and I was making $24 per hour!I became an LVN started off at 29.50 per he and then left making $34 per hr!I started RN job at $45 per hr and that's is kind of low cause the hospital that I worked at starts nurses off at $52 per hr. I live in sacramento California!

You can't really compare nursing jobs in California to pretty much anywhere else in the country. I live in the South and I have a brand new home on about a one acre lot in a nice neighborhood. My home and lot in CA would be worth about 1 mil., maybe a little more. My house payment is about $1,200.00/mos. If nurses in certain parts of the US were paid as we are here, they would have to live in their car.

I was hurt over the years with my salary because unlike many of my classmates, I stayed at my jobs for long periods of time. Over 13 yrs, I had 3 jobs, averaging 4+ yrs per job. I started out in 1996 as a new graduate at about $12/hr. I was never good at negotiating when I started a new job, I just took what they offered, so my salary never increased very much each year. The upside of this is that I usually get big fat raises, LOL... The last 2 years I have received over 4% for my raise. I think sometimes this is to level the playing field and bring me up to what my fellow nurses are making. Once I was one of several nurses just given a spontaneous raise and we were told it was to bring us up to the competitive rate. I am currently just under 60,000/yr. Where I work now we also get bonuses twice every year, which is very nice.

[edmia, BSN, RN]

Live in the NE and the cost of living is high.

Started as a new grad at base pay of $62k with night differential of $5k per year but benefits were not great.

Moved on to a private hospital where my base hourly rate was about $32 per hour. First year in there, I grossed almost $80k with the night differential.

Got specialty certification the year after and that added another $2000 per year.

Union job with great benefits including full tuition reimbursement. Actually one of the lower base pay rates around but best benefits.

Graduated ASN debt free thanks to earning scholarships in reward for having perfect grades and using my benefits to fully pay for MSN now.

So, using the education levels available wisely is the key. If I stay a staff RN with the higher degrees, I will get an extra $5000 per year and of course my base rate increases each year due to seniority. But I won't. I'll move away from bedside nursing into advanced practice.

All in all, I believe nurses of any degree level are underpaid for the insane amount of work we perform and the high levels of stress and responsibility we have. NP starting salaries are terrible! But that's another thread

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[bchurko]

I am a new graduate nurse waiting to take my boards. I didn't go into nursing for the money but the fulfillment. I don't think nurses get paid enough. Nurses are responsible for people's lives which is one huge responsibility. Therefore, no, nurses definitely don't make enough money.

[bchurko]

Here in Florida you have to have a master's degree to teach where I went to school. And clinical instructors had to be enrolled in a master's program if they didn't already have their master's degree.