Nursing Pay

barbyann · Sep 10, 2006

I wonder if the above poster is currently working in an acute care setting. New grads are everywhere, doing everything. I have seen my floor leave four new nurses (less than one year out of school) to fend for themselves. I was given the task of choosing which one was ready to take charge report from me. We take new grads into ICU/ED right off the graduation stage. They are expected to know it all and it is so sad for them. The are truly baptisted by fire.

I would also like to compare hospital CEO salaries from back then to now. Have they increased in proportion to nursing salaries? Have they increased substantially more? Please acknowledge that we now pay for healthcare coverage, we lost our great pensions, and cost of living has skyrocketed. I don't remember having to train for biological terrorism back then. MRSA/VRE/EBSL were not the norm. We now have lots of research that shows the damaging physical effects on the body of night shift workers.

Like anything in life it all comes down to risk vs. benefit. All new nurses should acknowledge the risk they are exposed to and decide how much money it would take to make it seem reasonable to go to work.

catlady, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2006

I wonder if the above poster is currently working in an acute care setting. New grads are everywhere, doing everything. I have seen my floor leave four new nurses (less than one year out of school) to fend for themselves. I was given the task of choosing which one was ready to take charge report from me. We take new grads into ICU/ED right off the graduation stage. They are expected to know it all and it is so sad for them. The are truly baptisted by fire.
I would also like to compare hospital CEO salaries from back then to now. Have they increased in proportion to nursing salaries? Have they increased substantially more? Please acknowledge that we now pay for healthcare coverage, we lost our great pensions, and cost of living has skyrocketed.

Yes, I am working in acute care. I have been a nurse for 21 years, and about fifteen of them have been in acute care and most of those years were in ICU. I started out as a new grad on a med-surg floor with tele beds, although the head nurse refused to send me for training on how actually to read the tele. We had everything short of Swans on our floor, including radiation implants, CVP lines, pushing major IV drugs, doing all our own respiratory therapy and treatments, etc. I was doing charge in less than six months, and my orientation consisted of, "You've seen what the charge nurse does." What does that have to do with the fact that new grads are entry level workers, and that they shouldn't be making anywhere near what experienced workers are earning? When they have the experience, they should be paid for the experience. New grads are hired on spec. And BTW, IMNSHO, acute care nurses aren't any more deserving of higher salaries than other nurses.

I am on my wage compression soapbox again.

All industries have huge disparities between the workers and the CEO salaries, not just healthcare. We may not like it, but it's not likely to change; therefore it becomes just another strawman in the discussion.

EMAILRN · Sep 10, 2006

Hi- I am new to the forum and have a question for everyone. I will be starting an accelerated nursing program soon and have a question about nursing pay. Where I live, nurses start at about $28/hour. At 36 hours a week, this comes to $48,384. Do most nurses work a lot of overtime? I always hear how nurses make "such great money", but $48,384 is hardly great money. How much could I realistically make my first year as an RN? Thanks.

Well, here in NY the start is at least $62,000 a year. It depends on where u live 2 don't forget...but remember nursing is not just about pushing a cart around and giving out drugs....thats where u get your experience.......but open you mind RN can bring you to a lot of places.....

Halinja, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2006

I would really like to know where in the USA nurses are in high demand as new grads, the public schools are good, and housing is inexpensive.

Here's the problem as I see it (IMHO). If there are good public schools and housing is inexpensive, there isn't going to be a high demand for new nurses...the experienced nurses will already have moved there, and if it really is great, they won't leave. I would do that if I were them!

The places having the most opportunities are going to be the places people don't really want to live, or can't afford to live, or the schools and neighborhoods aren't all that great.

Again...just my opinion...

NurseyPoo, RN · Sep 11, 2006

Hi there,

I am new to this forum and wanted to make a comment on this thread...

I returned to school in my 30's and graduated almost 2 years ago with a BSN, and have to say that Nurses do not make nearly enough for what we do. I started out at $20.50 an hour. After the first year the only raise that we received was a cost of living raise...$.82 an hour. I was so upset at that. I now work nights to compensate for the low rate. It totally depends on where you live. The problem that we face in Upstate NY are the taxes that we have to pay. The cost of living is tough here because of the taxes. The housing is very cheap but the taxes are usually more than the actual mortgage! I have been looking at potential areas to move. My husband and I discovered that in order to keep the lifestyle we are accustomed to I would have to do travel nursing. The money is fantastic but I do not want to be away from my family for 12 to 13 weeks at a time. If we relocate anywhere else we will not be able to afford a house that is even remotely comparible to the one we now own. So, what do you do but keep on truckin' along and deal with what you got. I know nurses all over the country and 2 have been trying to get us to move to their states (Florida and North Carolina). North Carolina offers alot more for me but nothing for my husband. Florida offers alot more for my husband but less for me).

I think the bottom line is this...

Nurses do not make enough for what they do! And, yes it is all relative to where you are located. Making $50K right out of school may seem great in one place but I know for fact that it is not enough in most of the Northeast or Southeastern States.

Sorry to be so wordy with my first post:mad:

Plagueis · Sep 11, 2006

Today the minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, and the average new nurse starts out at around $20 an hour with lots of perks. But we still have students complaining that $28/hr isn't enough.
It's entry level, people. A new nurse hasn't proven herself to anyone, other than she can pass a school program. It will take months to years for that nurse to become even marginally proficient. Some things have to be earned, including pay and respect.

As someone who earns less than $25,000 per year, let me tell you that $28 per hour would be a big improvement to me, especially for a starting salary for a new nurse. I know that some complain that it's too little, so I was wondering: what do any of you think should be the starting salary for a new, graduate nurse?

piper_for_hire · Sep 11, 2006

It all depends on cost of living, of course, but I think $40 would be a good starting place. Oh - did I just solve the nursing shortage?

-S

As someone who earns less than $25,000 per year, let me tell you that $28 per hour would be a big improvement to me, especially for a starting salary for a new nurse. I know that some complain that it's too little, so I was wondering: what do any of you think should be the starting salary for a new, graduate nurse?

2bNurseguru · Sep 11, 2006

I currently make 40K in another field with 5 years experience. I don't think this is great pay and I am considering accelerated BSN since I already have a masters in another field. My current degree is in nutrition and I am hoping I can somehow combine the two and expand my opportunities. Anyone heard of someone combining RN with Nutrition? If I can make at least 50K here in the mid west, I would be a happy camper:)

Do you think the extra pay would be worth the tuition cost and loss of pay for 2 years?

CityKat, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

It's entry level, people. A new nurse hasn't proven herself to anyone, other than she can pass a school program. It will take months to years for that nurse to become even marginally proficient. Some things have to be earned, including pay and respect.

I have to say catlady, while I certainly believe that us new grads are entry level and we all have to start out on the low end of the totum pole. But offering a new grad $28 an hour when we are dealing with chemotherapy, radiation, HIV+ patients, blood born pathogens, etc., I think paying a new grad anything LESS than $35 an hour is a crime in itself. REGARDLESS of whether we just started or not. My life and my health is very important and accidents happen, even with the experienced nurse.

This all boils down to unfair pay all around, regardless if you are experienced or not. IMO and in many other RN's opinions who I have talked too, a starting pay should be closer to $35-$40 and then rises as experience is gained. But, this is in a perfect world and we all know that nursing is far underpaid for the amount of work and the dangers they encounter everyday.

catlady, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

I have to say catlady, while I certainly believe that us new grads are entry level and we all have to start out on the low end of the totum pole. But offering a new grad $28 an hour when we are dealing with chemotherapy, radiation, HIV+ patients, blood born pathogens, etc., I think paying a new grad anything LESS than $35 an hour is a crime in itself. REGARDLESS of whether we just started or not. My life and my health is very important and accidents happen, even with the experienced nurse.
This all boils down to unfair pay all around, regardless if you are experienced or not. IMO and in many other RN's opinions who I have talked too, a starting pay should be closer to $35-$40 and then rises as experience is gained. But, this is in a perfect world and we all know that nursing is far underpaid for the amount of work and the dangers they encounter everyday.

So new grads should make more than experienced nurses? Because I don't make $35/hr. And I came from a very high cost area, too--close to what you're spending in NYC--and never made more than the high 20s while I was living there (moved away last year).

I'd like to see everyone's pay rise, including mine. But right now there are too many cases where experience and expertise are not rewarded, and too many cases of "I'm entitled." Nobody's entitled to anything, much as we'd like to hope we're so valuable. We are only entitled to what our employers are willing to pay us. And when new grads make more than nurses with years of experience and certifications in their specialties, something's totally messed up.

catlady, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

It all depends on cost of living, of course, but I think $40 would be a good starting place. Oh - did I just solve the nursing shortage?

No, not really, because if you inflate the wage beyond what the employer is willing to pay, they're going to look for alternatives. Otherwise they'd just pay everyone $100K per annum and everyone would be happy, right? You can't try to outprice the marketplace or you'll be left on the outside looking in. Laws of economics do exist, whether we like them or not.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

"But offering a new grad $28 an hour when we are dealing with chemotherapy, radiation, HIV+ patients, blood born pathogens, etc., I think paying a new grad anything LESS than $35 an hour is a crime in itself. "

You did know that these were the risks involved in being a Nurse and you did know what the pay rate would be when you graduated, right?