Salary

[NinetyNine]

Hi guys,

I still don't know what is the appropriate salary for nurses because I think salary.com might blow it out of the water. I am currently in a Master's Accelerated program which means I have a Bachelor's in another major and I am getting my Master's in Nursing. I know pay might depend on the area I live in but can anyone give me a ballpark as to what the minimum I should get and the maximum? I don't want to go into an interview and lowball myself or ask an amount that is absurdly high. So for someone in my situation - I'll be a new grad with no experience (besides an externship hopefully) and a Master's - what is a reasonable salary?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

[MauraRN]

I am a new grad RN in Massachusetts. My previous degrees and 3 years as LPN did not count when it came to salary. New grad RN pay only. Go figure. I am just happy to have a job, going to have to delay grad school for financial reasons tho.

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

I am a new grad RN in Massachusetts. My previous degrees and 3 years as LPN did not count when it came to salary. New grad RN pay only. Go figure. I am just happy to have a job, going to have to delay grad school for financial reasons tho.

I think that stinks. It is like they assume you have no transferable skills.

[MERRYWIDOW46]

Salaries vary depending on the area you live in, community hospital, large teaching hospital. A RN without experience is considered a NEW Grad period. NON-NURSING experience does NOT count. In my area new grads at large teaching hospitals make $22-24/hour, community hospitals are a bit lower. Good Luck.

[BlueEyedGuy]

I'm not a nurse (yet), but I have a suggestion. Public hospitals, such as county hospitals have to post the salaries for all of their job classifications (this is true in California, is it true everywhere?). Look on county websites for this listing. Look for at the salary for a position titled something like "Nurse Trainee" or "Clinical Nurse I", or call the county personnel office to find out what job classification you should look at.

I don't know how much public employed nurses make compared to private however.

[MedSurgeMess]

I'm not a nurse (yet), but I have a suggestion. Public hospitals, such as county hospitals have to post the salaries for all of their job classifications (this is true in California, is it true everywhere?). Look on county websites for this listing. Look for at the salary for a position titled something like "Nurse Trainee" or "Clinical Nurse I", or call the county personnel office to find out what job classification you should look at.

I don't know how much public employed nurses make compared to private however.

Not the case everywhere. This may be something you have to ask in an interview. As another poster stated, despite education, you will still be considered a new grad.....

[lweatherby]

I was recently hired at a large teaching hospital and they did increase my pay based upon my non-nursing experience. I have a previous degree in social work and the nurse manager spoke with HR about giving me more per hour for my previous experience. They increased it by about 3 dollars per hour. So, don't rule that out - you may be able to get some credit for previous work.