State of the Twin Cities RN

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This is my first post so I am hoping I have this in the correct place. I am a pre-nursing student with a bachelor's degree in a non nursing field. Would anyone help me with answering my questions?

How has a day in the life of an RN changed in the past 15 years?

I was a CNA before EMR and was very familiar with a nurse's hospital role in the early 2000s. Has it changed significantly since then? If so how?

Would most RNs choose nursing again as a career if they were to start out today? I've seen some very negative feeds which have me apprehensive.

What is the starting pay for new grads in the twin cities metro area? I currently make $25 an hour and want to be sure going back to school will be worth it.

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I don't have any idea about wages in the Twin Cities area (sorry :)).

Re: your other two questions:

I'm sure you could get as many different answers to your first question as there are members here. My own observation has been that the role of the nurse and what nurses do hasn't changed all that much (at least, not in my specialty area, psychiatry), but nurses are expected to do quite a bit more (in the same amount of time) than was the case 15 years ago. Plus, as you note, the switch to electronic records and charting.

Re: choosing nursing again, keep in mind that many on this site start or contribute to threads to vent about frustrations of the job. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of nurses who feel good about their career and their particular jobs; just that they don't start threads to talk about that. I can only speak for myself, but, while I can't say with confidence that I would definitely choose nursing again if I were starting over now, I feel I have had a satisfying and rewarding career over many years. While there are lots of things to complain about in nursing (as in most other fields), there are also plenty of positives.

Best wishes for your journey!

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Thank you very much for your response and thoughtful, kind words!

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I moved last year but had been working as an RN in Rochester, MN prior to that. Our salary was very comparable to that in the twin cities and last I heard they start new nurses at $32/hour not including shift differential.

Nursing is a very challenging career, especially starting out as a new grad. There are high highs and low lows but it is also very rewarding. I love that there are so many avenues & specialties to explore. Hope this helps!

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Thank you kindly for your response! This is very helpful :)

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32-35 for ADN if you have a BSN its a little higher

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