Starting RN Wages?

Perseus Mandate · Aug 7, 2007

New grad (5 months) $33.00/hr for weekend only option (three twelves) Boston MA. Of course the cost of living is high but I guess there are issues where ever one lives.

Wait, you're saying 5 months into being an RN, they're at 33/hr? Weekend only option? So they make that working the weekends and one week day?

gerry79 · Aug 7, 2007

Wait, you're saying 5 months into being an RN, they're at 33/hr? Weekend only option? So they make that working the weekends and one week day?

Yes working either every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday allows one to get the weekend pay rate. I like the fact that I work one less day and make more money, and have a set schedule.

Shopgirl1 · Aug 7, 2007

Hi there, just started my nursing career and I live in Boston. The starting new grad pay at Mass General is 27.75 with a $5 evening differential, 7 for nights, and 4 for weekends. They have a system where if you work every other weekend, they will pay you 7$ more, on top of your base pay AND the differential. I am opting out of this because I've been working every other weekend for the last 5 years!

Anyhow, you seem to really have a great head on your shoulders, and I encourage you to go and persue your nursing degree! I am only 22 and already have my BSN and will at some point further my education. There are so many options for you within nursing, I can't wait to go and explore them all!!! I say GO FOR IT!

Perseus Mandate · Aug 8, 2007

Hi there, just started my nursing career and I live in Boston. The starting new grad pay at Mass General is 27.75 with a $5 evening differential, 7 for nights, and 4 for weekends. They have a system where if you work every other weekend, they will pay you 7$ more, on top of your base pay AND the differential. I am opting out of this because I've been working every other weekend for the last 5 years!
Anyhow, you seem to really have a great head on your shoulders, and I encourage you to go and persue your nursing degree! I am only 22 and already have my BSN and will at some point further my education. There are so many options for you within nursing, I can't wait to go and explore them all!!! I say GO FOR IT!

Awesome, such encouragement here is impressive. For awhile, I interviewed a lot of doctors and asked them what they thought of aiming for medical school. I was motivated (as I am about nursing now), and excited about my future plans. All I got was negative feedback, horror stories, and tales of how I wouldn't make it.

I get the feeling a lot of doctors are quite bitter. It just seems like pursuing their path beats you down a lot in the end. At least here people are giving me positive reinforcement.

Shopgirl1 · Aug 9, 2007

Yeah, one of the hospitalists that I work with is trying to convince me to go to medical school and I just don't have any desire to do so. I don't want to pay for super expensive medical school, be in residency for years, until I can FINALLY call myself a MD. It can take 2 years to get your RN, you'll be making GREAT money that will only get higher, and more importantly will have a job satisfaction that very few jobs can provide, AND people are begging for nurses! I can't wait to start working and really get myself established as a "seasoned" RN. Good luck to you with your choices!

Sheri257 · Aug 9, 2007

I'm sure it varies with the hospital you work at and the state you live in, but what was your starting wage as an RN, right after graduating?
Nurses get paid by the hour, correct?
What kinds of raises do nurses get? What's the cap on wages currently?
What's a typical work week? I've heard three 12-hour shifts is the most common, and anything over that is overtime.

I'm a new grad. Generally, starting wages for hospitals in my area ranged from $26-$30 an hour for new grads depending on how far you were willing to drive. More with night and weekend differentials.

However, a federal court ordered the California Department of Corrections to start paying RN's a lot more money ... $42 an hour. So, to be honest ... it was all about the money for me. Afterall ... it was a big difference in pay. Especially since in three years, the pay gets up to $48 an hour ... with great benefits.

However, there were tons of RN's competing for these jobs. So, shortly after graduation, I took a low paying job at a local prison ($23 an hour) with the hope of getting hired, and I did, within a couple of months.

You don't work 3 12's like the hospitals ... the shifts are typically eight hours five days a week. I do miss the extra days off but, the extra pay is worth it. Some months I make an extra $2K in overtime, other months are less.

And ... just FYI since people always point out the high cost of living in California ... I happen to live in a cheaper area of the state.

EnigmaticParadigm · Aug 9, 2007

I'm in the same boat as Sheri. I got hired on at CDCR as well, and I won't lie: it was for the money. The fact that I love my job turned out to be a definate plus. There are several nurses who work four or five 16 hour days/ week and will make over $200,000 this year; hell, three nurses have already passed $150,000 so far this tax year. And, like Sheri, I live in a cheap part of CA. It is kind of a sadistic satisfaction to know that you make as much as pharmacists (most that I know personally make around $110,000 to $150,000 per year), hospital NPs, PAs, etc working as a RN. PAs at our prison (registry) pull down over $24,000 per month. It's crazy.

Tell me another occupation where someone with a two-year degree from a community college could bring down $200,000+ per year (drawback is a LOT of overtime, heh). I love nursing :).

Perseus Mandate · Aug 9, 2007

I'm in the same boat as Sheri. I got hired on at CDCR as well, and I won't lie: it was for the money. The fact that I love my job turned out to be a definate plus. There are several nurses who work four or five 16 hour days/ week and will make over $200,000 this year; hell, three nurses have already passed $150,000 so far this tax year. And, like Sheri, I live in a cheap part of CA. It is kind of a sadistic satisfaction to know that you make as much as pharmacists (most that I know personally make around $110,000 to $150,000 per year), hospital NPs, PAs, etc working as a RN. PAs at our prison (registry) pull down over $24,000 per month. It's crazy.
Tell me another occupation where someone with a two-year degree from a community college could bring down $200,000+ per year (drawback is a LOT of overtime, heh). I love nursing :).

I'd want to balance my income and free time, though. Lots of OT with little free time to take advantage of the extra wages seems pointless. That's my view, anyway.

In any case, it seems being an RN is the way to go when measured against medical school. At least for someone like me, who can't wait until he's 32 to finally rake in good money.

Sheri257 · Aug 9, 2007

I'm in the same boat as Sheri. I got hired on at CDCR as well, and I won't lie: it was for the money. The fact that I love my job turned out to be a definate plus. There are several nurses who work four or five 16 hour days/ week and will make over $200,000 this year; hell, three nurses have already passed $150,000 so far this tax year. And, like Sheri, I live in a cheap part of CA. It is kind of a sadistic satisfaction to know that you make as much as pharmacists (most that I know personally make around $110,000 to $150,000 per year), hospital NPs, PAs, etc working as a RN. PAs at our prison (registry) pull down over $24,000 per month. It's crazy.
Tell me another occupation where someone with a two-year degree from a community college could bring down $200,000+ per year (drawback is a LOT of overtime, heh). I love nursing :).

Just FYI: because we do work for the state, and the OT is costing taxpayers a lot of money ... some nurses' names were published in several newspapers recently because they were making so much OT. Consequently, Sacramento told my facility to cut back on it. I guess that hasn't happened at your facility, at least not yet?

My supervisors told me to be prepared to justify any OT we're making because it has become somewhat of a public scandal. Besides, I can't work that much OT anyway. I almost had a wreck driving home one night after working a double and nearly falling asleep.

I don't think I'd like seeing my name in the paper anyway ... at least for that. The newspapers' biggest complaint is that some nurses' OT hours actually exceeded their regular work hours so ... they figure there must be some abuses going on. And, quite frankly, there are ... some people call out sick so they can make their regular salary but, then they'll come in to make more OT.

The thing is ... if the OT continues to be a public scandal ... and if the newspapers continue to complain about it to the point that the legislature decides to do something about it ... well, all of this OT could eventually back fire on the nurses.

Sheri257 · Aug 9, 2007

I'd want to balance my income and free time, though. Lots of OT with little free time to take advantage of the extra wages seems pointless. That's my view, anyway.
In any case, it seems being an RN is the way to go when measured against medical school. At least for someone like me, who can't wait until he's 32 to finally rake in good money.

Keep in mind that the job we're talking about is an unusual situation. A federal judge ordered these pay raises for the state prisons but, it's not like you can typically make this same money at most California hospitals.

Consequently, there's a lot of RN's competing for these jobs (more than 3,000 of them) so now it's really difficult to get hired. I have friends who interviewed and haven't been hired. They're now thinking of moving to more remote areas of the state to try to get these jobs.

Perseus Mandate · Aug 9, 2007

Keep in mind that the job we're talking about is an unusual situation. A federal judge ordered these pay raises for the state prisons but, it's not like you can typically make this same money at most California hospitals.
Consequently, there's a lot of RN's competing for these jobs (more than 3,000 of them) so now it's really difficult to get hired. I have friends who interviewed and haven't been hired. They're now thinking of moving to more remote areas of the state to try to get these jobs.

I gotcha. Hey, I'll be happy with 100k a year, which is what I've heard you can end up at for the cap here on Long Island. I'm sure it depends where you work, but that's great money.

Any idea how long it takes to reach the cap, typically?