Salary question??

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Starting salary for new nurses in my city is $18/hour. As far as I can figure, this comes out to more or less $33,000/year. Can I plan on making more than this after a couple of years? What do RN's do to earn more than this? I would love to go into nursing, but I am hesitant to leave teaching because I need to earn more than the low $30's to support my family. Any advice on this issue? Thanks.

What part of the midwest? I Live near KC and $18 doesn't really excite me either . . . maybe it would have in my 20's but in my 30's with a house, husband and 3 kids not so much.:o

i have a friend in the field in kc and she said the nurses start off at $19-20 an hour (with no experience and 8 weeks of orientation) but there's potential to make more.............. for example if you work the weekends (fri, sat & sun) which works well for a lot of moms so they can stay at home with their kids during int he week............... or if you choose the option to get paid with no benefits then the pay is like $30 an hour, not too bad if your hubby can pick up the benefits.

i have kids too and i'm not all that excited about the pay anymore......... i guess thats what happens when you change your career late in the game :lol2:

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Specializes in ENT, NH LTAC, WOUND CARE.

When i finished school I was at $15, then after 3 months i went PRN and was at 425 with no benefits. Some of my friend started at other job and was at 18.50. I now have a little over 1 year and now i'm at 24.78 with full company paid benefits.

And i hear that a lot of Rn's do travel amnd have mad benefits( housing,rental car,insurance, etc)

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When i finished school I was at $15, then after 3 months i went PRN and was at 425 with no benefits. Some of my friend started at other job and was at 18.50. I now have a little over 1 year and now i'm at 24.78 with full company paid benefits.

And i hear that a lot of Rn's do travel amnd have mad benefits( housing,rental car,insurance, etc)

wow that's great! how do you go from $18 to $24 in one year!??? what area are you in.

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Specializes in ENT, NH LTAC, WOUND CARE.

I am in washington, Dc and when I started as a new grad I accepted the $15 because I had worked there as a CNA and didn't have a car to go anywhere else. i knew that they paid their PRN nurses $25 and that after probation I could change my statis so I stayed and worked.

I was then offered a position through a Government contractor at and ENT office on base at 24.78 plus company paid 100% benefits.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.
Starting salary for new nurses in my city is $18/hour. As far as I can figure, this comes out to more or less $33,000/year. Can I plan on making more than this after a couple of years? What do RN's do to earn more than this? I would love to go into nursing, but I am hesitant to leave teaching because I need to earn more than the low $30's to support my family. Any advice on this issue? Thanks.

not trying to be nit picky...lol..but $18 an hour comes to $37440, So imagine with call pay, shift differential....you should be able to push up over $40000 per year. As other posters have said, Salary.com is a very good website to check things out.

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I am in washington, Dc and when I started as a new grad I accepted the $15 because I had worked there as a CNA and didn't have a car to go anywhere else. i knew that they paid their PRN nurses $25 and that after probation I could change my statis so I stayed and worked.

I was then offered a position through a Government contractor at and ENT office on base at 24.78 plus company paid 100% benefits.

that's great and was a smart move! i hope i can make nursing work for me like you did :idea:

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Specializes in ENT, NH LTAC, WOUND CARE.

Yes salary.com is a great website, but it is even better if an individual can give you some insite. Some people are selfish with the amount of information they will gie you. The nursing feild is and probally will always be short. So if their are any other nurses that woi=uld give her or them an estimate of how much you make it might help us gain another nurse or two.

Let me please set the record straight if the money is your only motivation for this feild, run,run as fast as you can. nurising you have to like no I mean love what you do or you'll be turned off VERY quick. Sometimes I reference Nursing to A Fast food Job. The customer is always right, you better get the order right. There is little room in nurd=sing for mistakes this is someone's life you are dealing with. The money isn't enough to save a life when the pt. has just cursed you up your left and down tyour right. Its the love for the job that keeps you there

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Yes salary.com is a great website, but it is even better if an individual can give you some insite. Some people are selfish with the amount of information they will gie you. The nursing feild is and probally will always be short. So if their are any other nurses that woi=uld give her or them an estimate of how much you make it might help us gain another nurse or two.

Let me please set the record straight if the money is your only motivation for this feild, run,run as fast as you can. nurising you have to like no I mean love what you do or you'll be turned off VERY quick. Sometimes I reference Nursing to A Fast food Job. The customer is always right, you better get the order right. There is little room in nurd=sing for mistakes this is someone's life you are dealing with. The money isn't enough to save a life when the pt. has just cursed you up your left and down tyour right. Its the love for the job that keeps you there

thanks for your honesty. it's not my primary motivation but salary and job stability is a concern for me as a mother. my friend in medicine has warned me time and time again that nursing is a "thankless" job. you feel good for doing it but your work is often overlooked. :o

eta. i don't know why some people are selfish with the info they give. from my view, adding more nurses to the market will help relieve stress on their end........... or maybe some people want the demand for nurses to remain high.............. i don't know. luckily i know a few people in different states that can give me a rounded view.

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Specializes in Float.
not trying to be nit picky...lol..but $18 an hour comes to $37440, So imagine with call pay, shift differential....you should be able to push up over $40000 per year. As other posters have said, Salary.com is a very good website to check things out.

The OP was likely calculating it on a 36 hr work week...pretty typical workweek for most RNs...esp if you work 12s.

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The OP was likely calculating it on a 36 hr work week...pretty typical workweek for most RNs...esp if you work 12s.

Yes, in my city, 12-hour shifts are standard. And no, I'm not going into nursing for the money!! LOL. I would be doing something completely different if that were my only motivator. I didn't go into teaching for the money, either. I want to help people, and the helping professions don't tend to pay as well as they should.

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

Wisconsin runs anywhere from $23.50 + diff's where I work to the high $20's low $30's in Madison. Don't forget to figure in benefits as well when you are calculating your yearly.

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

I live in MN...starting pay here for RN in a hospital is 24.18. We ALMOST moved to Lee Summit, MO. I called a nursing recruiter though to do my homework...and was appalled when he quoted me $17-$19 an hour starting off depending on what hospital. When he started talking about patient loads there I decided to stay put in the cold.

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