salaries for duke and UNC hospitals

Blue Crab Lover · Mar 9, 2010

UNC pays the best for experienced nurses. However, Duke's pay scale is laughable. I thought I was being punked when they quoted me pay in the interview. Then I went to the cafeteria and saw they had a sushi bar with a chef. I am not willing to take a drastic drop in pay so Duke can have a sushi bar.

jlb_rn · Mar 19, 2010

i currently live in central nj and work in pa (philly). i grew up down south and occasionally contemplate moving back. i was researching unc/duke medical system the other day as well as the cost of living in nc and i will say this - the cost of living is much less in nc than nj (just go online and search for real estate and you will see lol) so it's likely that the pay is equivalent to the cost of living - try not to look at the hourly rate but at the cost of living, instead. there are many calculators online where you can figure what you would need to make living in a different region to live the same lifestyle you currently live.

good luck.

Shelley1960 · Nov 18, 2010

Hi everybody!! I am currently in my final semester of nursing school in new jersey. I am considering applying to Duke University Medical Center and UNC hospital. My family relocated to Cary and love the area. I was wondering if anybody knew the starting salaries for these two hospitals? New graduate nurses in North Jersey start at between 27-30 dollars per hour. Will I find anything within this range?? Thank you for all your help!!

I can't believe how low nurses are paid at Duke ! Coming from Los Angeles we get paid around 40.00 an hour. I know the cost of living is cheaper here in N.C. but Duke insults our intelligence! Starting around 24-25.00 day shift is just a shame

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2010

UNC has a higher pay rate, I believe. I used to work at Duke too, and UNC in my opinion is a better place to work.

RevolutioN2013 · Nov 28, 2010

I know the cost of living is less than in NJ, but IMO Cary, Raleigh and Chapel Hill are not cheap to live in if you are planning to buy a house. Maybe if you live in Butner and commute in LOL, but then you have gas cost. Maybe if you commute in driving a Smart Car...