Relocating to Iowa

[J'Cynda]

I will be relocating to Ames, Iowa. I have been an LVN for almost 2 years. Do hospitals in Des Moines area hire LVNs and what type of pay should I expect?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I had a coworker who was originally from Iowa, and that's where he had completed his LPN program. He says that the nursing homes paid an average of $15 to $16 hourly, and that the hospitals paid an average of $11 to $13 per hour.

In many salary surveys, Iowa consistently ranks toward the bottom of the barrel when it comes to nursing pay rates. In one survey, Iowa ranked 49th out of 50.