Student Nurse negotiating on pay after graduation.

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I am a student nurse at a hospital in Tennessee. My pay right now is $10 an hour. I met some new grads during orientation and they said their starting pay is $18.50. Neither one of them were student nurses during nursing school. I want to know if anyone has any experience or information on negotiating after graduating assuming one will stay on the unit they worked while in school or even transferring to another unit in the same hospital.

Do you think it would be acceptable to negotiate with the nurse manager and/or HR?

I would be a new grad but I would at least have the floor experience on the unit. The nurse manager told me they would want us student nurses to come on as a nurse once we graduate.

(In this situation) Would it be a good idea to at least explore and ask when the time comes or take the new grad pay? I would want to negotiate for $20.00 an hour but I would agree to $19.50. I am not aware of their benefits so that and the $18.50 pay may balance out. Thank you for reading and any opinions given.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

OP: As a new grad, you really are not in a position to negotiate. You're going to come off as entitled. Seriously, don't do this.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

Special snowflake, wait till you graduate , and are offered a real job......

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I have a real job. I certainly do not work for free.

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meanmaryjean, thank you for your opinion.

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As a new graduate, you're not likely to have much negotiating power. "Student nurse" is not a nurse, and although it may help you network your way to a nursing job, it's not likely to qualify you for a pay raise.

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Sour Lemon, thank you. I had the same thoughts. If anything I may be able to get my foot in another door and work on another unit. Maybe surgery or L&D.

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Specializes in ER.

Wow, the pay sucks in Tennessee!

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Emergent, it does and I think this hospital pays the highest for RNs (versus the other hospitals in the city).

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Wow. Very low. However, the new grad rate is usually set in stone if it is a residency.

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Specializes in ER.
Emergent, it does and I think this hospital pays the highest for RNs (versus the other hospitals in the city).

What is the average cost of a house in a nice area there?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I concur with the other respondents: as a newer nurse, you have no bargaining chips upon which you can negotiate a higher rate of pay. You have no specialized experience that differentiates you from the rest of the herd.

You can certainly ask for $19.50/hourly, but why in the world would HR agree when there's likely a line of fresh faces who would willingly accept $18.50 with no questions asked? Also, HR frowns upon negotiating staff nurse wages out of the desire to avoid claims of discrimination.

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