Salary for an ICU RN in NY?

LM NY · Aug 11, 2013

Very unlikely you will get an ICU position after graduating. You would need some experience first. All the nurses I know from different departments started out with the same salary. Your education level, years of experience and certifications is what increases your salary, not the department. City hospitals start out mid 60's, while most private hospitals start out low 70's.

mondalroman · Aug 18, 2013

Low 70s or high 60s would be perfectly acceptable for me as a starting nurse. Ideally high 70s but I wont be hoping -

My philosophy is try your hardest, expect a low outcome. If its low then thats fine, if its even higher then spectacular :)

Is it really hard to get an ICU position fresh out of school? Will I be able to increase my chances if I Intern at a Hospital or have shadowing experience? Maybe experience as a technician?

The reason Id like to get into ICU early is because it gives me the option of gaining valuable experience for If I choose to apply to Anesthetist School.

Would it be easier If I work as a general nurse for a year or two before switching jobs into ICU?

Matt89 · May 7, 2014

Trusting salary.com it says the Median salary is somewhere around 80K. But just as you said, some pages say in the 60s some in the upper 90s or even more. However, no matter how much it'll be it's gonna be more than what a nurse gets here

I've started out with about 50K which is not a lot. And I live in Munich which is the most expensiv city in Germany.... But yeah not comparable to NYC though....

bisson · May 10, 2014

There are no new grad jobs, you can most certainly not expect an ICU position. N.Y.nurses don't leave their positions.

Starting salary is $40/hr +/-

mondalroman · May 15, 2014

Thanks for the input guys! Even if i dont get an ICU position for a while its okay. Ill manage.

I found out recently that I was accepted to the nursing program this year, so thats another 3 years of school for me anyways.

Any advice on how I can move to an ICU position as soon as possible? O:

MurseJJ · May 15, 2014

Thanks for the input guys! Even if i dont get an ICU position for a while its okay. Ill manage.
I found out recently that I was accepted to the nursing program this year, so thats another 3 years of school for me anyways.
Any advice on how I can move to an ICU position as soon as possible? O:

I was also accepted to nursing school for the Fall, and would like to start in the ICU as a new grad. It is possible to get a job as a new grad nurse in the ICU, it just may be a tad difficult. A guy at the hospital I work at was hired into one of the ICUs right out of school (ADN), though he was also a clerk there. Apparently he also did the EKG course and critical care course that our hospital offers. I also have a few friends that went into PICU and NICU directly out of school, with BSNs.

From my research, I think the best way to get into the ICU as a new grad is to do an externship in an ICU (I'm hoping to do a summer externship next year), have a clinical rotation in an ICU, and then apply to hospitals with new grad residencies in critical care. That seems like the best route into the ICU. When you look at teaching hospitals, they general have new grad residency programs, and critical care is usually an option. See here for example:

North Shore-LIJ Extern & Fellowship & Programs | Learn More

Nurse Residency Program (New Grads) - Critical Care

Education & Training - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

YourLocalAsian · Aug 13, 2016

I got a new job in MICU in a level one trauma center in a large teaching hospital with 8 other people. Don't go by what people say here, look around, be peristent, show interest and you should be fine.