Shockingly low NP pay !

Spadeforce · Oct 1, 2018

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.

If one is happy about working as an NP for 35 an hour they must not know what the job entails

Spadeforce · Oct 1, 2018

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.

Not sure if more shocked that NP make 45k (or can) in GA or the fact that people take those jobs. Do RN not make much more than that there???? wow

Jules A, MSN · Oct 2, 2018

Not sure if more shocked that NP make 45k (or can) in GA or the fact that people take those jobs. Do RN not make much more than that there???? wow

I can't believe how many seemingly shell out thousands of dollars for a degree with no clue how much money their local market is paying.

djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 2, 2018

I can't believe how many seemingly shell out thousands of dollars for a degree with no clue how much money their local market is paying.

Sometimes it comes down to perspective as well. I know RN students who are shelling out easily 100k for a University of Michigan degree for a job that will likely start at 24-27 dollars an hour out the gate. The thought of that kind of debt for a nursing degree when I was working as an RN with an ADN and could have easily gotten a BSN at most schools for far cheaper makes me shudder whenever I saw those nursing students in clinicals.

If you have the luxury of getting through most of nursing school with no to minimal debt and find yourself in a state that has lower pay, then maybe that pill is a bit easier to swallow. Also note Georgia isn't one of those states notorious for giving NPs very much autonomy. I wouldn't be shocked to find that most of those doctors still foot the majority of the responsibility as NPs there from my understanding have delegated responsibility under that physician.

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Oct 2, 2018

This salary conundrum is most of why I didn't go to NP school. I looked at the salary ranges for my employer's NPs and PAs. Financially, I could not justify it.

PS - that range is a little low for Atlanta, but other academic centers in the SE have similar ranges.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2018

Not sure if more shocked that NP make 45k (or can) in GA or the fact that people take those jobs. Do RN not make much more than that there???? wow

That is crazy. I made more than that as a new grad RN and I make more than twice that as an RN now. Even the lowest paid RNs in my state make significantly more than that.

msmithaz · Oct 2, 2018

Hi Spadeforce, I know what entails, but everybody needs to start somewhere. I know that NP's can make up to $110,00 per year, but I am realistic. I need to gain experience and before anything pass the boards. Sometimes you won't start making the big bucks until you have paid the dues. I just hear a lot of people complaining how little they are making as NP's and how much they were making as nurses. What I think is that they should had moved quicker into NP instead of being in the nursing profession for 20 years. It is just my opinion.

Jules A, MSN · Oct 2, 2018

Hi Spadeforce, I know what entails, but everybody needs to start somewhere. I know that NP's can make up to $110,00 per year, but I am realistic. I need to gain experience and before anything pass the boards. Sometimes you won't start making the big bucks until you have paid the dues. I just hear a lot of people complaining how little they are making as NP's and how much they were making as nurses. What I think is that they should had moved quicker into NP instead of being in the nursing profession for 20 years. It is just my opinion.

So actually NPs can make over 200k a year under the right circumstances. I personally can't imagine anyone being willing to do it for less than $150k but maybe that's my bias. Please consider that starting low can make it difficult to increase your rate even if willing to leave employers. Having a solid rate as the building block is a smart strategy.

So a formerly high earning RN would be content with a low rate if they hadn't been a RN so long? I don't get that rationale and while I don't think 20 years is necessary having mastered being a RN before moving forward to an Advanced Practice RN is paying the dues imo.

djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 3, 2018

I generally don't treat an np as some right of succession or somehow a stepping stone from RN work, the nature of the two jobs differ drastically. I did feel RN work is critical, but more perspective than specific roles. At least speaking from an outpatient perspective. An np at the end of the day is a revenue generator where an RN is generally a support for revenue generation. (Please don't overreact to this broad generalization). An NP should absolutely push for a highest entry pay for if anything their own advancement potential, but also for the broader community. But I still feel pay is largely local and those pay gaps can often reflect a mix of local cost of living and the amount of responsibility an np actually has. The South isn't known for NPs having any real autonomy and without the risk of forming their own practices, I'm not shocked that mds treat them accordingly.

That being said, long career RNs who compare their current pay to an NP imo are doing it wrong. That RN that is likely at the absolute top of their pay scale and the only way they will advance is to either forfeit benefits for some glorified pool/prn position or work extra hours ad nausea to bring in extra money. Whereas an np has broader earning potential for normal hours of work as either autonomy increases or as experience and patient load goes up.

I would be hesitant to place a value on the position and suggest people who take less than x are somehow devaluing themselves or the profession. While some are worth more, new grads (note most people who post here about salary) are really worth very little. They aren't pulling full loads and take time to build their practice/panel. Most companies take a loss on a new grad for at least a year if not longer. While I'd never consider 45k a year, if the average RN pay for the region was 25k a year and tops out around even 50k a year, I'd probably consider it if moving wasn't an option. In states like what, while progress is slow, they probably have larger growth potential over a career compared to many more advanced states just by virtue of them operating in the Stone age. It also makes me question what mds actually make in those areas give the disparities in income across the board and less than thrilling economies. It's easy to look down on low salaries from the perspective of wealthier states when there's a practically foreign economy at play in other states.

Alicia777, MSN, NP · Oct 3, 2018

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.

Please do not accept an NP job for 70K a year. I don't care what part of the country you're in-this is insulting. Starting salary should be 100K ballpark.

Jules A, MSN · Oct 3, 2018

I would be hesitant to place a value on the position and suggest people who take less than x are somehow devaluing themselves or the profession. While some are worth more, new grads (note most people who post here about salary) are really worth very little. They aren't pulling full loads and take time to build their practice/panel. Most companies take a loss on a new grad for at least a year if not longer.

I can only speak for my area and specialty where new grads are devaluing our profession by accepting lower than average rates. It is also rare in psychiatry to get any orientation. We usually start with a full patient load and therefore full earning potential.

NPs tend to be weak when it comes to knowing their worth or negotiating and yet more than willing to cave under the insulting comments and ridiculous offers employers will make.

Jules A, MSN · Oct 3, 2018

If you have the luxury of getting through most of nursing school with no to minimal debt and find yourself in a state that has lower pay, then maybe that pill is a bit easier to swallow.

I can't imagine the high ticket undergrad degrees either especially now that they are serving the kool aid that everyone should go on for their DNP but I don't think getting through most or even all of nursing school without debt should be considered a luxury.

I believe if more people worked through nursing school, gasp, that there would be less of a squeeze on new graduates to accept whatever lousy job is tossed their way in order to keep the electric on. Same with graduate degrees, work a few years as a RN and gain both excellent experience while you save money toward your graduate degree. If we want to be considered professionals we should act like professionals and that includes keeping our financial house in order as opposed to taking on massive debt in order to "focus on school".