Salary increase

1. As a staff nurse, you can volunteer to work the more unpopular shifts -- probably nights, weekends, holidays, etc. They usually pay a differential that boosts your pay.

2. In a year or two, you can volunteer to be a preceptor, Charge Nurse, etc. -- whatever types of "advanced staff nurse" roles your unit has. Policies about that vary from employer to employer, but they often come with a little boost in pay, too.

3. You can further your education and increase your chances of being promoted after you get some experience. Some employers also often a little bump in pay for a BSN over an ADN. (But not a lot of employers do that.)

4. Some employers pay a little extra for people who are certified in their specialty. Getting certified requires getting some experience, then taking a test.

5. Check out whether your employer offers extra pay for the types of things mentioned above. Don't assume anything. Policies vary from place to place.

6. Seniority. As time passes, you will eventually get some raises. As your time with the organization increases, your pay will go up a bit. However, the amount of those types of raises varies. Sometimes, they are significant: sometimes they don't even keep up with inflation.

7. Don't over-commit yourself to a 2nd job, etc. until after you have successfully transitioned from student to professional nurse. When people take on too much, too soon ... they often get overloaded and their performance suffers -- as well as their quality of life.