Salary increase

[rubyagnes, BSN]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new grad just starting out in the ED. I'm trying to plan ahead... I only have my associates in nursing and definitely plan to go back for my bachelors and eventually masters.

What are the ways you can get a salary increase?

Raises? Do they happen?

Advanced degrees/continuing education? Will that increase salary?

PRN work? Temp work? Travel nursing? Are these realistic on top of a full time schedule? How much extra can you really make/is it worth it?

My modest goal is to make ~70,000 to match my partner in income, and rn I'm starting at like 50, so I'm trying to plan ahead and figure out what steps I need to take to continue my career path in a proactive way.

This is all very new to me. My #1 priority is to be an amazing nurse and I likely won't even attempt to take classes or anything until I feel confident as a nurse... I'm just daydreaming at this point and *curious* how nurses can increase their pay rate.

Thanks for any info!

[llg, PhD, RN]

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.

[rubyagnes, BSN]

@llg Thank you so much for your cohesive and clear response. I really appreciate it. I'm definitely new to this and I'm sure I'll learn the ropes over time. My boyfriend is a high school teacher and went from starting at 50,000 to earning 70,000 within 9 years by getting his masters, taking continuing education courses, etc... So I was hopeful Nursing had similar methods of increasing salary. One thing at a time for me, though... My focus now is becoming a great nurse!

Thanks again!!