Salary negotiating

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I'm a new grad with a BSN. I got a job offer and my starting salary is 21/hr not including weekends differential. I really like this job, but i dont think the salary is adequate. Do you think it's a good idea to negotiate my salary and what advice would you give? The job description stated $40,000-50,000 based on experience. I have clinical experience in nursing school, and that's all. Do they usually pay new grads in the low end? How willing are they to increase your salary? It's a union job, so do all new grads get paid the same?

I have a question in relation to this. I can start another thread if the powers that be would rather.

At what point are you considered "experienced". I've had people say, oh you have 2 years experience, you can handle your own. I've also had people say, oh you only have two years experience, you're still wet behind the ears. At what point can you start negotiating for that "experienced" salary?

Thanks,

Crystal

No need to start a new thread.

Depends primarily where you will be working. Each area has different requirements. If in the PICU or NICU area, you will not even start to feel comfortable with what you are doing until well over a year has passed.

Med-surg. Even hear depends on the type of patients that the patient has. You are going to be learning continously throughout your career.

If you are staying at the same facility, many usually have career ladders and you advance in salary depending on where you are on that ladder. Usually I being a new grad, and IV being the highest level that you can get.

If you are going to a new facility, it is also going to be on the skill set that you bring with you. If you are going to a hospital that is short OR nurses with CV experience, and you have two years of that experience, then you will be in the driver's seat for that negotiation, if they want you. Many hospitals will offer a salary to you based on what they pay the others with your years of experience. Two years is not much in the way of experience for many areas.

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I also want to add additional info to my first post. thanks for all the responses, they have been extremely helpful.

My starting salary is $21/hr and i'm from upstate new york. Dont know if anyone's familiar with the area, but the cost of living is affordable. A hospital 4 hours away from where this job offer is pays around the same.

Also, if i do decide to negotiate with them, and they turn down my offer. Would it make me look bad if i still want to work for them? i lack experience in negotiating. :nono:

As a new grad, they are going to be training you. You have no experience as an RN in any capacity. Negotiating when you have nothing to offer is not the best thing to do. If you want to negotiate the salary, and they turn your offer down, you may as well as kissed their offer good-bye. They are actually investing in you and paying instuctors to teach and prepare you there, as well as usually paying addtional pay to the nurse that will be precepting you when you get to the floor. Unless you can offer them something significant, stick with what they are offering you. A new grad has no experience, that is why they are going to go thru a new grad program. You will be very surprised to find things very different once you begin to work, your schooling does not even come close to preparing you for what it will be like in the real world and with your own license.

Best of luck to you.:balloons:

(And p.s.: if other hospitals in that area are offering similar salaries, why do you think that you should be getting more?)

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
As a new grad, they are going to be training you. You have no experience as an RN in any capacity. Negotiating when you have nothing to offer is not the best thing to do. If you want to negotiate the salary, and they turn your offer down, you may as well as kissed their offer good-bye. They are actually investing in you and paying instuctors to teach and prepare you there, as well as usually paying addtional pay to the nurse that will be precepting you when you get to the floor. Unless you can offer them something significant, stick with what they are offering you. A new grad has no experience, that is why they are going to go thru a new grad program. You will be very surprised to find things very different once you begin to work, your schooling does not even come close to preparing you for what it will be like in the real world and with your own license.

Best of luck to you.:balloons:

(And p.s.: if other hospitals in that area are offering similar salaries, why do you think that you should be getting more?)

As usual, Suzanne, truer words were never spoken. It's coming up to a year as a new RN for me...believe it or not....and it was amazing how little you learn in school. I'm still learning new things each and every day I work.

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Specializes in Float.

I'll toss out a question in this discussion:

How soon do you usually start to get raises?

To the OP: I didn't really negotiate a higher pay per se, but I did probe to get another classification... my husband has insurance so I got a without benefits position for a significant increase in base pay. I would like to transition that down the road to a Baylor with benefits.

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Specializes in jack of all trades.
21$ an hour here is on the high side for a new grad.

Everywhere I have worked the standard pay raise was offered after the 1st year and every year thereafter with you evaluation. Some facilities have a lock on what your immediate supervisor is permitted to offer or in relation to thier unit/facility budget also. There were times when I was in management I was only permitted to offer 1-3% no matter how great your eval was or how exceptional you are. I do agree though $21.00 is decent for a new grad in thier first year in direct care.

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Fine advice for someone who has experience trying to negotiate a salary. Experienced nurses are in demand. This nurse will be fresh out of school, dependent on the employer for additional education (at the employer's expense); and, will not be fully productive for at least 12 weeks (depending on the specialty). Also, most good agencies won't hire without at least a year of experience, so the hospital would be sure to know that.

The best thing for the OP to do would be to find out what the geographic area pay range is for NEW GRADS and negotiate with that. For instance, so & so hospital is paying $24.00/hour to its new grads/GNs, I'll sign on if you can match that. The first review is where the OP would have some room to negotiate further. Now, having been trained, the hospital would not want to lose the nurse to another hospital and would be more apt to compensate better if they were given the impression that the nurse would have to leave because of insufficient wages.

Excellent advice.
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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
As a new grad, they are going to be training you. You have no experience as an RN in any capacity. Negotiating when you have nothing to offer is not the best thing to do. If you want to negotiate the salary, and they turn your offer down, you may as well as kissed their offer good-bye. They are actually investing in you and paying instuctors to teach and prepare you there, as well as usually paying addtional pay to the nurse that will be precepting you when you get to the floor. Unless you can offer them something significant, stick with what they are offering you.

A new grad has no experience, that is why they are going to go thru a new grad program... your schooling does not even come close to preparing you for what it will be like in the real world and with your own license.

(And p.s.: if other hospitals in that area are offering similar salaries, why do you think that you should be getting more?)

+1 on that.

They're offering $43680 for a salary range of 40-50,000. You have no experience, no track record, no proof that you can actually do the job, and they're offering you what is within 3% of mid point.

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