Salaries for FNP

Salary is so variable depending on the employer, practice size, and geographical area. In my NP over-saturated area the starting salary ranges from a low of about $50,000 with horrible benefits to in excess of $70-80,000 with fantastic benefits. Since it is common to make close to $70,000 as an RN here, those going to NP school are absolutely doing it for autonomy/personal satisfaction, not financial gain. I live in NY.

Friends of mine who just graduated in my area (north Texas) are starting at anywhere from 80-95K with bonus /productivity opportunities.

Yeah, it's hard to compare.

I think you also need to compare your specific job role with that of others.

For example, it would be hard to compare an office/practice based NP with that of a NP in a inpatient hospitalist service. You'd also need to know about billing. In my personal example, I am a hospital employee (hourly) working in the ED. I do not get paid based on RVU's, production, volume, acuity etc., it's a flat hourly rate. Some ED staffing entities will pay based on your RVU's and other numbers.

The BEST thing to do is to actually contact a recruiter at a hospital (if you're looking for inpatient work) and ask them. If you're looking for group/practice work, then I"d call some office/practice managers and inquire.

Hope this helps.

Oh, you also need to figure the TOTAL BENEFITS PACKAGE. Add up all the deductions for benefitis, all your vacation time, include your education/CME money and put that all in the figure before you divide it by a monthly salary.

Thanks that helps alot!

I live in Arkansas and make more as a nurse than I do as a FNP. Actually I work as a RN in the hospital to make up for what I am missing.

I live in Arkansas and make more as a nurse than I do as a FNP. Actually I work as a RN in the hospital to make up for what I am missing.

As an FNP are employed or a contractor?

Do you collect your own billing per patient or do you work for a salary?

Are you eligible for production bonuses?

Do you get any money/time for education/reimbursement for CME?

Sounds like you didn't negotiate very well or do enough market research when you took the FNP job.

I live in Arkansas and make more as a nurse than I do as a FNP. Actually I work as a RN in the hospital to make up for what I am missing.

Interesting...

A quick review at Salary.com shows:

Arkansas/RN

AVG salary: $56,000

Range: $45,800 - $66,600

Arkansas/NP

AVG salary: $75,000

Range: $63,670 - $87,230

So I'd say either you're getting some REALLY good pay as an RN or a really POOR rate of pay as an FNP.

If the latter is the case, you need to renegotiate with your FNP employer, OR dump them and go with someone who puts your salary in the appropriate range.

Just to answer the above questions. I am employed. No I do not get money for anything---I pay for my own insurance. I work for hourly rate. As far as a bonus. I started working there a little less than a year ago. I was to get a bonus in December--did not get it, finally got a $400 bonus added to my check so that it could be taxed to pieces. And as far as the last comment , I work prn as a RN for higher pay. Thank you for your comments.

I feel the same way about the Texas NP market. I live in Texas and I don't think the NP's here make 100,000. Working in critical care, as a seasonal PRN based employee I have made 6 figures the last 5 years of my practice as a RN. I start NP school in 2-3 weeks. I anticipate making 50,000-70,000 here in Dallas after I am done.

Question: To any currently practicing NP's...do you still work as a RN? Can you be specific about your practice in relation to caring for patients, implementing orders that may not be appropiate knowinginly that you are at that advance level and etc.

Friends of mine who just graduated in my area (north Texas) are starting at anywhere from 80-95K with bonus /productivity opportunities.

What part of North Texas and what is their speciality in NP?

As an FNP are employed or a contractor?

Do you collect your own billing per patient or do you work for a salary?

Are you eligible for production bonuses?

Do you get any money/time for education/reimbursement for CME?

Sounds like you didn't negotiate very well or do enough market research when you took the FNP job.

Wow...quite a harsh accusation about another posters negotiating skills.

Salary.com isn't always that accurate. For my area....

RN 50k-73k (I make 72k, but have been there 9 years)

NP 70k-96k (I haven't interviewed for one position that pays over 60k...at the hospital I work at the starting NP pay is 54k per union contract-no negotiating permitted and the local university hospital 58k per union contract)

There is an RN shortage and NP/PA over-saturation....supply versus demand drives salary here. With a huge job shortage and many, many NPs working as RNs try to negotiate too much and the job will be given to someone else!

I actually had one interview at a federally funded clinic in an underserved area that has been recruiting for 6+ months with no success partially because it is in a remote area. The pay was $60k with medical ins. alone costing about $12k/year. So a net pay of 48k versus my current RN pay of 72k. Again...this is the salary per the facilities salary schedule.