Salary growth

libran1984, ASN, RN · Jul 19, 2012

I'm too new to have seen much salary growth. At my hospital they gave EVERYONE a cost of living raise. RNs got 50 cents more an hour and LPNs and Medics got 75 cents more an hour. I'm also expecting a 4% raise from an Performance appraisal which will equal another 50 cent raise - largest raise i'll have ever received in my life. Sadly, I will still make just under $15.00 / hr.

though, we did get an $800 annual bonus this year that was super awesome. My first bonus, ever! and Shift diffs at the hospital are generally better than at a ECF or correctional facility like my last job.

WldChrry · Jul 19, 2012

Cost of living raises....oh how I miss them! I was in the Air Force for 4 years, and every year we got a COL raise. It is very much needed, especially with the rising cost of gas and everything else.

Don't feel bad about the $15/hour though....that is what I make as well. It is not as much as I would like, but I have to take into account the benefits. I get free medical insurance, and we do profit sharing, which brings a bonus twice a year. Plus we get 15 days paid vacation/year and paid government holidays. For the civilian world, I guess that's not too bad.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2012

When I was an LVN, the only way I ever experienced any significant pay increases was through job-hopping.

I started as a charge nurse at a small nursing home in Texas on the 3-11 shift in February 2006 for $17.75 hourly. I quit to work at a nursing home close to my home for $18.50 hourly, and was earning $19.06 at the same facility approximately two years later.

I quit to work at another nursing home that offered me $23.00 per hour, so this 'job-hop' lead to a nearly $4 increase in my hourly pay. I remained at this particular nursing home for two years, and by the time I left, I was earning $27 hourly.

Many facilities offer stingy annual raises (or none at all). Job-hopping has worked for me. The key is to hang around at one facility for at least a couple of years. Do not hop to new jobs every few months, because your job history will begin to look unstable.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2012

Oh how I would LOVE a cost of living raise.. Shoot I would love to get a raise at all. At my current job the manager takes FOREVER to do your annual review. It is usually 3-4 months late, so you sit and wait, sit and wait, sit and wait. Salary growth.. Hmm not much around here, unless like TheCommuter you job hop.

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Jul 27, 2012

I got my first job in May 2009 LTC nights making 14.5 plus 2.00 shift dif. The company changed hands and all new nurses came in making 18-20 hr. I went PRN to make 18 bucks plus 2.00 shift dif on weekends after 2.5 years they gave me a raise of .20 cents I quit. Why? Because it was not worth the headache anymore and I was just keeping the job for experience. I landing a hospice May 2010 making 25 hr and I also work home health at the same rate. I can pay my tuition at the local CC for my LPN-RN bridge program. Most of my LPN classmates or former coworkers still make from 13-18 bucks an hour.

HoneyLPNurse, LPN · Oct 14, 2012

I am currently in LPN school. Just started my clinicals. YAY!! I look forward to graduating next year in July. Any advice on how to land a job in home health and hospice?

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Oct 14, 2012

Most hospice and home health jobs in Atlanta and surrounding areas want you to have at least one year of experience. I had one year when I started with hospice(my sister was a hospice cna and I received a call from her former colleague)and I keep my nursing home job on the weekend. So sometimes it depends on who you know. I still get calls weekly because the word spreads like wild fire. With home health I just kept applying and I was hired. I just made my first year with home health.

HippyDippyLPN · Oct 14, 2012

I went from LTC to a clinic so my salary went down considerably. You do not get huge raises at a clinic, I get one every year based on performance but I doubt it will ever be over $1 a raise, if that. Most likey, after a couple of years if I want more on the hour I will have to switch to a speciality clinic once I have more experience as a clinic nurse under my belt.

T-Bird78 · Oct 15, 2012

My first job was $18/hour in a medical office, but that only lasted 5 weeks. My next job after that was a small ENT office and I started at $14/hour but that got bumped up to $14.95/hour when the manager realized she hired a new graduate (I had graduated before this person) making more than me. I left there after 2 1/2 years making $15.40/hour and got another job in a different area for an office (multiple locations of this practice) and I started at $17/hour. I left there after 2 years making $17.51/hour. I've been on interviews and the highest salary mentioned was $14/hour, the lowest was $10/hour. I turned down an interview when she said it was $12/hour with PTO and profit-sharing--no benefits. I've never had free insurance and had a job offer at $14/hour and the doctor acted like it was huge problem because he wanted to pay $11/hour for the job. I turned it down for other reasons (see my post "Was I wrong to turn down the job?") and am beginning to accept that I'll be taking a $3.50/hour pay cut from my last job.

KimPN · Oct 16, 2012

omg... this sounds horrible... I was making $10.30 Working as a CNA and now I have gone through 1 year of hell to make $15-18?? My friend who's a pharm tech makes more than $15.... and I was expecting at least over $20, what a bummer... this is ridiculous.

T-Bird78 · Oct 19, 2012

I was on intermittent FMLA during my pregnancy due to repeated hospitalizations and home health care. My office initiated it when I was out for 3 consecutive days as per policy. I missed a total of 3 weeks in one month, all covered by the intermittent FMLA. Three months after I returned to work full-time, without missing any days or even coming in late (I even worked while wearing a subcutaneous medication pump for Zofran administration), I had my annual review. I got a 1% raise because I got low marks for my attendance. That made me so mad. I was covered by FMLA and yet it still counted against me on my review. The job before that, I got at least 3% each time.