amberusky

Cost of living in CA is high, especially LA and SF. As a new grad in LA County as an RN, I was making $35-$40/hr. I worked in a hospital on a tele/onc unit. As a new grad NP, my first offer was at $45/hr. Are you kidding me?? But, it has gone up in the past 3 years. It all depends on location, specialty, etc. If you have experience and work in a specialty, I can see making over $50/hr, but not up to $95! I'm making just over $50/hr as an NP!

I agree! While in NP school, I ASSUMED I would be paid over 100k, but upon graduation, the economy, lack of experience, location, etc. I realized it was not possible. I am over that hump now, and it did take some humble pie to realize it wasn't going to happen at the beginning of my career. A possible reason is new grads expecting to come in where someone with 5-10+ years experience is, salary-wise, and not working their way up. IDK, just my thoughts!

Thanks everyone! I hope we're all good NP's!

A fellow FNP and I are both dissatisfied with our current jobs and so we're interested to see what other options are open to us. Just as there were many options with an RN license, I know they are many as an NP, but I'm curious to see where people work, the patients they see, etc. Any prison NP's? VA? Camp staff? Residential facilities? Obviously, we need to earn a wage, but money isn't a deal breaker. We're both FNP's with 3 years experience. Thanks!

My first NP job out of school was offering significantly less than the local average (8k less). In the past year, the company has realized how under paid we are and has given significant raises. I was originally offered 85k, recent raises have raised it to 110k. This is in addition to vacation, retirement, CME, licensing, credentialing, etc. Those benefits aren't great. Additionally, our medical insurance is awful! Being naive I assumed it would be good because we're healthcare providers ourselves....seems like a no-brainer. With all that said, I work for an FQHC so we are eligible for loan repayment, which I'm receiving (after applying twice), and so that extra 25k does help. Especially when I was making 85k. It's all a balance. Even if they paid me 200k, the job is still what it is. Make sure you like your coworkers, colleagues, etc. IMO, no amount of money can make an awful place good. For me, sanity and peace of mind play a large role. Good luck! .

This is typically from students. Not from faculty. Don't be lured into a false sense of camaraderie with staff.

Wow! Thanks guys! YES, you all understand the plight...which I guess we're all facing together. Scottaprn, coast2coast and BCgradnurse-exactly. Everything you said is 100% spot on. I speak enough Spanish to get me through a basic URI/viral issue. However, half the time when I speak Spanish, I am completely ignored until my MA repeats exactly what I said. I have asked if my accent is too much so they can't understand me and have been told no, that my Spanish and accent aren't bad. So, maybe they don't want to speak to me. I understand a lot and am usually able to catch something my MA misses or doesn't quite interpret the way I need it to come across. I'm working on my Spanish so I can communicate with them directly, and I definitely keep their education level in mind. My spiel typically is, "You have a virus. Viruses won't go away with abx. They typically last 3-5 days with the cough being the last thing to go. I can give you (mortin, sudafed, claritin, etc), lots of handwashing, vapo-rub, humidified air". They talk around town about the docotora who doesn't give medicine, so I've tried to reassure them that I DO give medicine if they need it. I always make sure to have them come back in 5-7 days if there is no improvement. They don't return. As far as DM education, you're right. I will scroll it back. Their culture is so ingrained with tortillas with every meal that asking them to cut back is like cutting off their leg. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and am losing heart because for every 100 patients I see, 1-2 really care and ask questions. I feel I'm very thorough (though simplified) with them and when our surveys come out, I'm reported to not allowing enough time with them, not asking if they understand everything, not allowing them to ask questions. I believe this goes back to what coast2coast said, I think, about them not asking questions and being accommodating. I end every visit with "Do you understand what we talked about? Do you have any questions?", am routinely told, "Yes, I understand. No, no questions". You all offered some great advice and encouragement! Thank you!

The class before mine had no problem getting RN jobs out of the gate. They were all employed within a month or two. My class had difficulty. It took me 5 months and I had to move, to find my RN job. This was all due to the economy and not the "RN without a degree" issue. Fact is, you do have a degree. Just not a BSN. Our class was one of the earlier ones and therefore this "accelerated RN" was a new thing. It's been several years and I believe more employers are open to this fact. With that said, some hospitals may frown upon it, but there are several girls from my class now working at Cedars and UCLA once they had 1-2 years experience. It wasn't an issue. I have a TON of debt. I knew that going into it, but was under the impression that the NHSC was going to be a for sure deal upon graduation. For me, it was not. I was did not get accepted twice and finally found a comparable state program that I am currently involved.

Hi! I'm new on the boards and after reading a bit, thought I'd jump in and see if what I'm experiencing is only happening to me, and if not, if anyone has any advice. I'm a FNP in CA and work in a rural, community clinic. Most of my patients speak Spanish and are farm labor workers. I find that when offering education regarding viral vs bacterial, DM diet education, diet and exercise, my patients are extremely resistent. They only want an antibiotic for whatever ails them. They don't want education. They simply want a pill to make it better. I've been here for awhile and am becoming discouraged. Is it simply the patient population I work with, or are most people simply wanting medication and don't care about learning about their health? Thanks!