salary concern

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · May 23, 2020

That would depend on your employer and the area, and it would not necessarily be a good thing to have your pay to equal that of a BSN. A few years ago, I worked with a second-career nurse who only had an ASN, with a non-nursing Masters. At the time, he had been employed with the company for 7 years. As a new employee with an ASN and BSN, I was employed at only one step less than his, but within the same pay grade. How he found this out, I'll never know. But he and the NP for the unit were having a discussion about it, and they definitely were not happy.

Apparently, my salary was comparable or 'in the ballpark' of the NP as well. Mind you, I also had 24 years of LPN experience under my belt. I entered that job with the 24 LPN years (primarily in acute care), 7 ASN-RN years, and 3 BSN years. All of that played a role in my pay.

Overall, with that particular employer, what was outlined and detailed in the resume determined what the Nursing Professional Stands Board set as the salary. Unfortunately for that RN colleague, unless he completes a BSN, he will eventually max out in that pay grade because the next grade specifically states that in order to qualify for that grade (and appropriate pay) with a Masters in any other area, the nurse MUST possess a BSN in addition to the non-nursing Masters. Once I complete my MSN, my salary will catapult over his. Also for the NP with that company, unless she gave up the bankers hours and and/or moved into a more acute area of practice, her salary was only going to increase every two years along with the step increases of every other employee in the organization (unless she did something outstanding that really impressed the powers-that-be in the interim).

In the private sector, I didn't not received one dime for my BSN. All increases in pay were specifically based on merit, and there were some ASN-RNs who made more than I did because of their years of employment with the company and/or their total RN years (with experience, of course).

Hukilau · May 23, 2020

I have an associates degree RN, a non-nursing BA and a non-nursing MA.

In my experience as a hospital based psychiatric nurse, none of that ever mattered. Salary and raises were based strictly on merit and time with the company. The only thing that added money was the ANCC certification. (+1 or 2 dollars per hour)

After 13 years at my last job I was making 132k/year and I'm pretty sure I was just about at the top of the range.