Shockingly low NP pay !

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Specializes in ER LTC MED SURG CLINICS UROLOGY.

I have been a nurse for 20 years and have felt fairly compensated for the work I do. This coming spring I will graduate from CSU in Georgia with an FNP degree. Being the curious one that I am, I started googling NP jobs on indeed.com yesterday. It appears the pay listed for Emory University NP jobs is 72,000 to 105,000. The lower half almost matches my RN pay to the T. Seeing how the NP is billed almost exactly the same as an MD with services provided, it doesn't make much sense to start off NPs at such a low figure. Just had to rant. Guess with the churning out of NPs from diploma mills the pay will drop even lower :(

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I am in the exact same boat, will also be graduating in the spring from Clayton State with an FNP degree. I also checked out indeed to see what the job market is like and I was a bit disappointed to say the least. Emory's pay scale for NP's is low, I know a couple of NP's that work there and have spoken to them about it. They both stated that the starting pay is low but the support and guidance is outstanding based on their experience. I just have to remember that my first RN job was not ideal but after experience, I was able to move up in pay. However, I am in no way taking a job paying $70-80K, it will devalue my worth as an NP. Also, it will take me forever to move the pay scale. Jobs are out there we just need to have patience and pass the boards first.

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Specializes in ER LTC MED SURG CLINICS UROLOGY.

Well said! Thankfully there are more options than Emory in my neck of the woods (semi rural suburban area).

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Your experience will grow more common as more and more NPs are pumped out of the ever growing list of NP schools. As an experienced NP with over a decade of experience I can tell you wages are decreasing even for those of us who have been in the trenches a long time. I was recently asked to take a pay cut as a new NP was wiling to work for half of what I was earning. It's simple economics of too much supply for too little demand. Now is not the time to be a NP or be in NP school. unless you want to do it for wages that are consistent with RN wages.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

It does boil down to supply and demand. There are a lot more nurses than NP's but hospitals recognize the value of having adequate number of RN's at the bedside. This reality hold true in the state where I live where mandatory staffing ratios put hospitals to task of negotiating at the bargaining table as soon as there's a threat of a strike from the strong nursing union. As more and more NP's, especially new inexperienced ones flood the job market, our bargaining power will diminish since our jobs are heavily reliant on physician-led practices.

Hopefully in the Emory scenario, the NP with 20 years of RN experience will get enough recognition of the years of healthcare experience they are bringing to the table to warrant the higher end of the pay range (closer if not at the maximum pay!). That should be a point made during salary negotiation. At least, that's how it is determined in the union-led pay scale at the hospital where I work.

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Yes Emory does compensate for every 2 years as an RN but I am sure there is a cap. Ga is a right to work state no union here.

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Specializes in ER LTC MED SURG CLINICS UROLOGY.

Do you know how much they compensate for years of RN experience? Thanks!

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Do you know how much they compensate for years of RN experience? Thanks!

Not sure about the exact number but I do know that the new NP's start out 85k and go up from there w/ RN experience. The person I know started as an ACNP at about $90k w/ good benefits and good schedule. She is always raving about the support she gets and that she never feels thrown to the wolves, which happens to be my biggest fear.

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I'm a new NP who just graduated with my DNP. Many of my classmates have to move around the country to get a descent paycheck. It seems if you are willing to move to an underserved area then you can cash in but who knows what the working / living conditions are like there. Anyway, I'm starting at a little over $100K here for a position I'm excited about. Not really any than what I make as an ER nurse when you take into account the shift diff and the OT that goes with the job but I look forward to a more normal schedule and taking on a new challenge

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Specializes in medical surgical.

I am in Georgia and I make far less than the 72k that you quoted. This is a state that is very backward for NP's. If I could sell my house and leave I would. I have given it thought. We also have an exit of NP providers in this state. The young ones recognize early and leave. There are NP's making 40 to 45k in this state.

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Thats crazy about asking a NP to take a pay cut. but I see many managers saying this. even with PMHNP jobs

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I am starting my FNP in January. I am making $25 per hour, so If I start making $35 after I graduate, I'll be making way more. I read that NP's do a very different job than RN's do and it is a completely different trait. That is the reason why I would not wait more years as an RN if I always knew I wanted to be an NP.

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