Salary question??

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Ive been doing a lot of reading on this site and noticed that alot of people complain about pay. However, I read classifieds, sallary.com, and testimonials on here as well that are saying 50-60 grand a year. While your not getting rich, this seems like a pretty decent salary, espically when it only requires 2 years of school to become an RN.Anyone explain?

blah, blah, freakin' blah, we have gotten way off the subject

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Hmmmm.... what an interesting thread. Let me tell you my story (as if anyone cares) My first nursing job was in NJ pay $18.96/hr, renal transplant unit carried 10 pts a night 1 tech for a 42 bed unit, union therefore paid no premiums for insurance etc. When I left there to return home to KS my pay went to $14.20/hr and insurance that cost out the ying yang. We have had several across the board raises and in 7 yrs. I am now at $24.60/hr $7/hr WIN program on Fri. and Sat nights. 10% shift diff 10% tele diff 10% weekend diff. Not bad wages at all. But truthfully would still do it for 14.20/hr.....WHY? Because I'm a nurse I love my job I love having the skills to be able to save someones life if they want and to be able to offer a caring hand and heart when they don't. I am coming off of a 12 hr shift that turned out to be 15 hrs.. (you all know what I mean) last night we coded a 22 y/o MVA (bad outcome) who's passenger was sent home with stitches, saved an 84 y/o man with pressures in the 50's, and still took care of 5 other patients on the floor (I work in a CAH) and you know what.... I didn't think about my pay for even 1 sec of any of it. If you don't understand that line of thinking and expect more than just self fulfillment you are probably looking at the wrong career.

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Hmmmm.... what an interesting thread. Let me tell you my story (as if anyone cares) My first nursing job was in NJ pay $18.96/hr, renal transplant unit carried 10 pts a night 1 tech for a 42 bed unit, union therefore paid no premiums for insurance etc. When I left there to return home to KS my pay went to $14.20/hr and insurance that cost out the ying yang. We have had several across the board raises and in 7 yrs. I am now at $24.60/hr $7/hr WIN program on Fri. and Sat nights. 10% shift diff 10% tele diff 10% weekend diff. Not bad wages at all. But truthfully would still do it for 14.20/hr.....WHY? Because I'm a nurse I love my job I love having the skills to be able to save someones life if they want and to be able to offer a caring hand and heart when they don't. I am coming off of a 12 hr shift that turned out to be 15 hrs.. (you all know what I mean) last night we coded a 22 y/o MVA (bad outcome) who's passenger was sent home with stitches, saved an 84 y/o man with pressures in the 50's, and still took care of 5 other patients on the floor (I work in a CAH) and you know what.... I didn't think about my pay for even 1 sec of any of it. If you don't understand that line of thinking and expect more than just self fulfillment you are probably looking at the wrong career.

THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE IS WHY NOTHING EVER CHANGES IN NURSING! I know this will offend but I just have to contribute here. Those of us who choose to stick our heads in the sand and adopt a holier than thou or martyr attitude only hurt things in the long run. There must be a healthy, realistic exchange to move forward and improve things. Furthermore the scenarios you offer in this ONE shift that I hope was not outside of an emergency department, are dangerous; why did you have an unstable 24yo S/P MVA on a "floor" this means med/surg to me--I apologize if I'm wrong about that. I don't believe any of us go to work with dollar signs in our eyes; but we will never be taken seriously unless we behave professionally. Part of that is expecting safe conditions for ourselves and our patients. It also means expecting adequate compensation PACKAGES for the work we do and the education/experience we bring to the bedside. To me a caring attitude is a GIVEN. I hope you don't feel judged. It sounds like you had a harrowing shift.

Please allow that discussion isn't necessarily complaint.

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You make a valid point but I think it might be lost in what seems like an emotional response.

Let me elaborate (thanks for bringing up that first point):

I often hear CRNA's speak proudly of their pay/"perceived worth" which is primarily a result of their organization in the form of lobbies, etc.

While a nurse's goal does rely on the patient, there needs to be some way, to put pressure on the powers that be, to ensure that quality of life is up to par. For example, those that do awesome at school, awesome in the clinicals, and feel they deserve more, may end up floating or working in travel as they will earn more money. Hospitals, which are in probably the most dire need of a steady flow of able-bodied nurses, should also be able to compete with other nursing jobs.

On CareerBuilder and other job sites, I see the hospitals NEVER disclose pay while many other places do. From my experience in many types of business and with many jobs under my belt, I know that if the advertised range is right, I'll apply there FIRST rather than waste time in an interview wondering if they're even worth my time because they didn't mention how much they pay to begin with. Only to get offered a position at much less than what I perceive my worth to be. Let alone an additional contract that tries to tie me to them (as one poster mentioned after accepting a job).

Don't be afraid to mention what you pay nurses, make it competitive and you'll have a backlog of competant nurses applying for you first. I know I'd much rather apply to a hospital first because I'd like to be in a single unit where I can apply care steadily, rather than never feeling "set in" due to floating or travelling all over.

IANANY (I am not a nurse yet), but that's been my experience. I have a family to support and if a hospital isn't able to help me at least take care of myself FIRST, I may need to go somewhere that will allow me to do so. As the saying goes, you can't take care of anyone if you don't first take care of yourself.

Has anyone seen nurses unions actually work? Is there any other way to apply pressure to up pay or incentives? In some areas, nursing pays well, but in others, like one person said, the minute you get a family or have to pay for more than yourself (read: buying a home, etc.), you better think about moving somewhere else in the field because you simply can't afford it at your wage.

Hopefully I'm not too off-base here. I'd like to suggest that this thread should be positive. The more we bash other posters, the more we are truly.. "eating our young". ;)

*ducks and hides*

THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE IS WHY NOTHING EVER CHANGES IN NURSING! I know this will offend but I just have to contribute here. Those of us who choose to stick our heads in the sand and adopt a holier than thou or martyr attitude only hurt things in the long run. There must be a healthy, realistic exchange to move forward and improve things. Furthermore the scenarios you offer in this ONE shift that I hope was not outside of an emergency department, are dangerous; why did you have an unstable 24yo S/P MVA on a "floor" this means med/surg to me--I apologize if I'm wrong about that. I don't believe any of us go to work with dollar signs in our eyes; but we will never be taken seriously unless we behave professionally. Part of that is expecting safe conditions for ourselves and our patients. It also means expecting adequate compensation PACKAGES for the work we do and the education/experience we bring to the bedside. To me a caring attitude is a GIVEN. I hope you don't feel judged. It sounds like you had a harrowing shift.

Please allow that discussion isn't necessarily complaint.

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Does anyone know what the starting salary for a new grad RN in Tampa, Florida is? Or recommend a any hospitals?

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You make a valid point but I think it might be lost in what seems like an emotional response.

Let me elaborate (thanks for bringing up that first point):

I often hear CRNA's speak proudly of their pay/"perceived worth" which is primarily a result of their organization in the form of lobbies, etc.

While a nurse's goal does rely on the patient, there needs to be some way, to put pressure on the powers that be, to ensure that quality of life is up to par. For example, those that do awesome at school, awesome in the clinicals, and feel they deserve more, may end up floating or working in travel as they will earn more money. Hospitals, which are in probably the most dire need of a steady flow of able-bodied nurses, should also be able to compete with other nursing jobs.

On CareerBuilder and other job sites, I see the hospitals NEVER disclose pay while many other places do. From my experience in many types of business and with many jobs under my belt, I know that if the advertised range is right, I'll apply there FIRST rather than waste time in an interview wondering if they're even worth my time because they didn't mention how much they pay to begin with. Only to get offered a position at much less than what I perceive my worth to be. Let alone an additional contract that tries to tie me to them (as one poster mentioned after accepting a job).

Don't be afraid to mention what you pay nurses, make it competitive and you'll have a backlog of competant nurses applying for you first. I know I'd much rather apply to a hospital first because I'd like to be in a single unit where I can apply care steadily, rather than never feeling "set in" due to floating or travelling all over.

IANANY (I am not a nurse yet), but that's been my experience. I have a family to support and if a hospital isn't able to help me at least take care of myself FIRST, I may need to go somewhere that will allow me to do so. As the saying goes, you can't take care of anyone if you don't first take care of yourself.

Has anyone seen nurses unions actually work? Is there any other way to apply pressure to up pay or incentives? In some areas, nursing pays well, but in others, like one person said, the minute you get a family or have to pay for more than yourself (read: buying a home, etc.), you better think about moving somewhere else in the field because you simply can't afford it at your wage.

Hopefully I'm not too off-base here. I'd like to suggest that this thread should be positive. The more we bash other posters, the more we are truly.. "eating our young". ;)

*ducks and hides*

Hey, I just re-read my post. I apologize unreservedly. You are not at all off base.

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Pfft, no worries :)

I'm just a student here to learn from the ACTUAL nurses. I just find the opinions on this matter specifically to be very interesting. As an IT professional, we run this same question into the ground several times a day lol. It's wonderful to contract/compare :)

Hey, I just re-read my post. I apologize unreservedly. You are not at all off base.
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But we have done nursing and I repeat: anyone who goes into nursing thinking that it's a guaranteed income needs to be aware of the truth. It's not.

I am not a nurse yet, that is why I read these posts so that I can try to ascertain what I am getting myself into! I have seen it mentioned several times how easy it is to be fired. While that does concern me, my question is how hard is it to find another job? It seems to me that the health care system is set up to be that facilities are not loyal to the RN's, so the RN's are not loyal to them. I guess what I am asking is, it seems that in this field your job is never secure, but should you lose the one you have, there is always another one around the corner, because they always need nurses. Is it something like that? Sorry, I know it is a weird question, but I am just trying to find out what is going on out there!

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
I am not a nurse yet, that is why I read these posts so that I can try to ascertain what I am getting myself into! I have seen it mentioned several times how easy it is to be fired. While that does concern me, my question is how hard is it to find another job? It seems to me that the health care system is set up to be that facilities are not loyal to the RN's, so the RN's are not loyal to them. I guess what I am asking is, it seems that in this field your job is never secure, but should you lose the one you have, there is always another one around the corner, because they always need nurses. Is it something like that? Sorry, I know it is a weird question, but I am just trying to find out what is going on out there!

No such thing as a weird question, Jenni ;) and I'm happy to explain myself.

Yes, it's true that most of the time you can get another nursing job easily if you have been let go for one reason or another, but as with any job, get a couple of bad ones in a row and quit them, and suddenly the next HR person starts to wonder if your troubles aren't coming from you instead of from the places you worked at. (As a new grad, you could just say, "It wasn't a good fit," but that won't work if you've been one place 10 years and then suddenly the next two jobs are so bad you leave.)

Also, a lot of nurses have complained (see the Hunter Group thread https://allnurses.com/forums/f100/nightmare-returns-hunter-group-coming-81163.html ) that whenever staff is cut, they go for the most senior nurses because they get more pay and have more benes.

So suppose I work for C Hospital. I work there for 10 years, but in my 8th year, I develop a chronic illness. Now C Hospital pushes me to quit, so finally I quit (they don't have to pay unemployment that way), and I move on to D Hospital. First of all, my benes won't be as good, they'll cost more, there'll be a waiting period, and they might not cover my chronic illness because of the preexisting condition clause.

I will also have to start at base salary, which may mean taking a pay cut. I will also have to learn all sorts of new information and learn to work with a new team and a different workplace culture....not to mention travel time, distance, and scheduling differences.

Then there are always the extra education courses that you have to take to keep yourself more marketable. One of the reasons I moved into Cardiology was so that I could be competent on more than one unit, should the need arise.

There's always that awkward period where you're running into new situations that scare you. You always wonder what kind of toll that takes on your emotional and physical health, because until you're sure of yourself, you're under a lot of stress and you do a lot of worrying.

To sum it up, starting over is not easy, even for those who thrive on variety.

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Yes, I see what you are saying, that is stressful.

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OK ummm.... first off I by no means stated that we shouldnt protect ourselves or our income. I started that post off with my first rate of pay and my ending. I guess maybe I am willing to do that work because I work for an excellent, fabulous (can't say enough good stuff), extraordinary hospital. We are currently offering time and a half plus $150 for 12 hour shift to nurses that sign up for critical staffing days.. Not because anyone complained but because our employer truly and unabashedly appreciates us. Nurses were already signing up extra and working for straight pay, admin back paid everyone for the past several weeks without being asked for increases because they know how to treat their employees! It is a very unique thing to find an employer like this but they are out there . If anyone is interested in a new trend to mgmt check out the STUDER GROUP very interesting and even mentions some of the best employers, our hospital lives by this standard. As for the MVA on a med/surg floor .... I work in a CAH meaning we have a total of 11 acute beds 1 OB bed and 2 ER beds we staff three nurses and a tech. Anything that presents to that door is ours to deal with the closest Level 1 Trauma is 60 miles away so we have to stablize everything within a 30 mile radius before they can be shipped. Unless they are life flighted out and even then they can carry max two patients anyway. People can poo poo small town hospitals all they want but I'd like to see anyone on this message board run a code by themselves without a doctor, deliver a baby (with Dr. :) ) and take care of a fresh appy and 8 other patients in one night and be called anything less than very adequate nurse. Ok babbling here... Point being that's why we had 22 y/o MVA on the floor. Ok back to the original point. I in no means think that nursing should sit back and get run over by the admin financial BS that goes around most hospitals but I also believe that nursing has to be a calling in order to be the best nurse possible ( and I know there are others that will agree) and don't agree with those that overly greedy.. refusing to work for anything less than $45-50/hr etc. I think that is ludicrous and is doing nothing but driving up the price of health care for nothing more than greed. I know I know pharm co. Dr's etc all do it why shouldn't we... Because back to my first post we do it for reasons other than just the money. We make good livings that we can support our families off of. We have nice things and enjoy good vacations. Our families have food on the table, roofs over our heads and we have time to enjoy them while doing it all. I personally don't need more than that remember the old saying "Money can't buy happiness"? Find a job you enjoy for the money you can afford to live on even if it means a cut in pay. that was the whole point to my original post. I'm sorry if I offend I by no means mean to! Enjoy life!

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Specializes in tele, stepdown/PCU, med/surg.

I would reckon that it really isn't as EASY as you think to get fired as a nurse. Does anyone agree? We here stories of people getting let go here but that's not representative of the whole population. Second, we don't always get the whole story.

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