Nursing Salary Facts - You need to know!

Dplear · Jul 27, 2004

Several things wrong here.

1) Yes we do make too little money. That is a given.

2) The average rate of inflation for the 90's was 2.81%. adjustred for inflation the 1990 wages for a nurse was 28,700 NOT the 24000 or so quoted.

3) The average wage vs the adjusted rate of inflation for a nurse shown in 2000 would have shown over 100% inflation. Never has the inflation ever been near that here in America.

4) I am living proof that wages are not stagnant. My wages have gone up an average of 11-15% EVERY year. that far beats out the average rate of inflation. My disposable income has gone up steadly in comparison to my debt load which has gone down every year due to better financial management and investment.

5) I make a hell of a lot more than a starting nurse where I work. I make over 10 bucks an hour more than they do and my wages again will go up soon.

6) You can make money in nursing. It is easy to make 6 figure wages in nursing. You just have to look and research to be able to do it.

Dave

Q. · Jul 27, 2004

None of this is given to us freely. We have very strong unions with committed and knowledgeable leadership. Every 3 years we re-negotiate our contracts, this can be emotionally exhausting, but well worth it. We picket, we get vocal ( when we don't like what the district is purposing for the next contract) we are strongly supported by the families of the children we teach, we are united. Everything that teachers have earned in their contracts is fought for and at times we work without contracts. In my time we have never gone on strike, we don't have sick outs. The most extreme thing we ever did was dress in solid black for an entire school year to protest our anger at stalled negotiations.

As nurses, we should be able to learn from teachers. But we don't. Read her above paragraph again and see what's wrong with our profession. Not that I'm a big advocate for unions, because as the single largest workforce in the US, I think we have a strong voice without a union, but we definitely lack the unity, committment and standardized practice that teachers have.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 25, 2004

R U B Y!!!
it's so good to read you here! i can't believe it!
to add to this thread:
in nj, teachers have THE best benefits! after 25 years they can retire with FULL health care coverage for life :angryfire for themselves AND their spouse!
other than the hours and benefits, the wages are about the same.
tridiltrish
(ruby-1 night i had 2 mis come in. i used up all the tridil! they said..we'll just call you tridil trish. thought that was a good name for nursing boards!):rotfl:

Trish -- finally found your post. It took me long enough! Welcome to allnurses!

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Aug 25, 2004

Several things wrong here.
1) Yes we do make too little money. That is a given.
2) The average rate of inflation for the 90's was 2.81%. adjustred for inflation the 1990 wages for a nurse was 28,700 NOT the 24000 or so quoted.
3) The average wage vs the adjusted rate of inflation for a nurse shown in 2000 would have shown over 100% inflation. Never has the inflation ever been near that here in America.
4) I am living proof that wages are not stagnant. My wages have gone up an average of 11-15% EVERY year. that far beats out the average rate of inflation. My disposable income has gone up steadly in comparison to my debt load which has gone down every year due to better financial management and investment.
5) I make a hell of a lot more than a starting nurse where I work. I make over 10 bucks an hour more than they do and my wages again will go up soon.
6) You can make money in nursing. It is easy to make 6 figure wages in nursing. You just have to look and research to be able to do it.
Dave

Would you care to enlighten the rest of us as to how you do this?

Are those wage increases standard where you work or do you receive preferential treatment of some sort? If they are standard, where are you? If you receive different treatment, why?

More details please.

Jo Dirt · Aug 26, 2004

Our new grads start out at $22.50. If you start out in a specialty area, once you get certified in ACLS and everything and if you work evenings and get the shift differential, it goes up to $28.50. I am a CNA and make $10.50 an hour so any pay increase once I get my license will be welcome. But if it means anything, I think you're all worth a million bucks:>)

New jersey is one of the highest taxed states in the country, having owned property in Tennessee and New Jersey, I know that $28.50 in NJ is about the same as $18.50 in Tennessee. So regardless of how it sounds, wherever you live, your salary with be about even with nurses in other parts of the country fir the cost of living in your area.

srhdaw · Aug 26, 2004

i also do not believe that teachers and nurses should be compared...Salary is different EVERYWHERE...you cant really go by the National average salary.

i know of nurses who make well over 60k a year here in new york, and i know some who only make 36k a year...

some teachers here make 75k, in a private or highly rated public school. some make DIRT!, literally...

oh.. and in NY, if you have your masters and your an NP, like my Aunt, who has been a Nurse for 23years coming up next month, you can make over 100k a year...

i do agree that nurses do get paid unfairly in some places... i wish it was different, but nothings perfect right? ...

All nurses have good hearts.. and knowing you have a god heart .. is better then salary! hehhe!

lossforimagination · Aug 27, 2004

You didn't say where you live and work. I've been nursing for 12 years in Texas and where I've worked they've never given any nurse more than a 2% raise.

Several things wrong here.
1) Yes we do make too little money. That is a given.
2) The average rate of inflation for the 90's was 2.81%. adjustred for inflation the 1990 wages for a nurse was 28,700 NOT the 24000 or so quoted.
3) The average wage vs the adjusted rate of inflation for a nurse shown in 2000 would have shown over 100% inflation. Never has the inflation ever been near that here in America.
4) I am living proof that wages are not stagnant. My wages have gone up an average of 11-15% EVERY year. that far beats out the average rate of inflation. My disposable income has gone up steadly in comparison to my debt load which has gone down every year due to better financial management and investment.
5) I make a hell of a lot more than a starting nurse where I work. I make over 10 bucks an hour more than they do and my wages again will go up soon.
6) You can make money in nursing. It is easy to make 6 figure wages in nursing. You just have to look and research to be able to do it.
Dave

srhdaw · Aug 30, 2004

You didn't say where you live and work. I've been nursing for 12 years in Texas and where I've worked they've never given any nurse more than a 2% raise.

NY

oneLoneNurse · Aug 30, 2004

You didn't say where you live and work. I've been nursing for 12 years in Texas and where I've worked they've never given any nurse more than a 2% raise.

I think its really important to keep an open mind to being prepared to readjust if you want the big bucks. I've been working in the same place now for four years. While I receive COL increases of between 2 to 3 % every year my manager blows me off every time I request a merit increase. I am convinced that he can't do it( my manager is one of the nicest people). Both my manager and another fellow in my department received offers of employment outside of our present employer. Our employer upped their salaries in response to these offers. This is the way it is.

TinaRiy85 · Sep 28, 2005

I live in Illinois right across the river from St. Louis and teachers do make more money here. Teachers starting out in my town make almost 40K a year while nurses starting out make only 33K a year and the teachers get the summer off! There is something wrong with that!

NYNewGrad · Sep 28, 2005

NY nurse here...

Starting salary approx 62k + 1500 BSN + 1750 MSN

Evenings extra 4700, nights extra 6000

Every year of experience is another 1000, and with certification is another 3500.

SO lets figure: New grad BSN nights $69,000.

In 10 yrs from now with a Masters and certification $82,500 for 12 hour shifts.

Then try filling in with per diem night rates of $36+/hr and you can do quite nicely...

mediatix8 · Sep 28, 2005

Well I am a new graduate and where I work, new graduates make 21 an hour, plus 4 extra dollars per hour working 3-11 shift, and 5 an hour working the night shift. We also get 2,000 sign on bonus after 6 months working the night shift, and 1,000 after 1 year. All of that together, plus 10% extra for weekend work, means that I make close to 60,000 a year. (I do work the night shift). I am very pleased with my salary and this is a typical salary for the Chicago area. This is a fantastic salary for someone just out of school. I remember a councelor from our college said that the college of nursing graduates ended up getting the highest salary out of college compared to all of the other colleges... business, liberal arts and sciences, etc. He also did say that students from the college of nursing were the most likely to see them for sress management. Anyway... nurses do make more than teachers, I don't care what that report says. It's also a lot easier to get a nursing job than a teaching job. It's not too likely for a new teaching graduate to get a job in a fancy suburb where the pay is high, and private/catholic schools can pay 12-13 bucks an hour. You tell me what profession, right of of college (bacholor's degree education) makes more than I do. Actually, I'd make the same with an associate's, but I'm being nice here.

Also, it is sooo easy to quit whenever you wat... say, if you're going to have a baby, and get right back into the workplace when you chose to say, work part time, and make awesome money working part time. A registery, float or agency nurse can make 30-50 bucks an hour. There are few professions out there that are this flexable and allow part time work, any shift, that pay this well, and would be so forgiving about you not having been a part of the workforce for a few years.