Survey: New Grad Pay

palee · May 9, 2008

:rolleyes:Oooops, that should be what is *THE* going hourly rate for new grads in your area....

To clarify:

When I started nursing school, it wasn't with the idea of "yay, I will get a PAYCHECK for this!" I just really wanted to switch to a career that I would find rewarding. :up:

Now as I begin to apply for jobs (I graduate Aug. 9th), most of the applications have a line for "expected salary." I don't know what to put! I don't feel comfortable asking people what they are making, as I was always taught that was a rude question. I am also open to relocating, and while I can find information on the cost of living in different places, and on the mean staff nurse's salary in different places, I can NOT seem to find information on what I will be able to expect as a new BSN graduate.:uhoh21:

Also, any resources with this type of information would be greatly appreciated!!!:heartbeat

ekanderson80 · May 9, 2008

I currently live in smaller community in northeast Nebraska. I am a new grad (Dec 07) with 4 years of CNA experience. I did not get any increase in my hourly wage for my CNA experience. I currently make 18.75 an hour (and I have my Bachelor's degree...makes my head hurt!! :banghead: ).

In Omaha, I was going to be making between 19.50 and 20 and hour with credit for my CNA experience.

I would just write "negotiable" for expected salary. That way, they get to speak with you regarding prior employment credit, where new grad start off, etc, etc.

Good Luck

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · May 9, 2008

During my final semester in nursing school all the big hospitals came and gave recruiting lunches so we kind of knew what the starting pay was, they all were with in a dollar of each other.

I agree with the other response that said just to write negotiable as odds are your going to get what you get. I think most hosp have very flat rates for new grads, sometimes if you were a CNA or an LPN prior to getting your RN they will count that into the equation.

It is not like they are only going to give you 20.00 because that is all you asked for and give the next applicant 25.00 because that is what they asked for.

When your job shopping, inquire about benefits, PTO time, tuition forgiveness, orientation time, pt to staff ratios, as well as any other perks they may offer. Factor all of those in as they all have a benefit to you before you make your decision. You may find the hospital that pays you a 1.00 less an hour is actually better than the one for a 1.00 more when you figure in location, PTO, health insurance rates/benefits etc etc etc.

Good luck!!

suzanne4, RN · May 9, 2008

You should be posting this in the state where you are going to be working. There is such a variable in the range of pay in different states, and even different cities. Knowing what one is making three states over from you is not going to benefit you at all.

Best of luck to you. Check out your state's forum.

palee · May 9, 2008

Thanks for the input! I think writing "negotiable" is a GREAT idea!

Also, I'd never thought about CNA/LPN work counting as "previous experience." Don't know why I didn't, because that makes total sense to me!

As far as the benefits to, hospitals are terrific about posting what THOSE are, but not their starting rates. Wonder why? I was a financial planner & advisor in my "former life" and feel very comfortable evaluating fringe benefits along with salaries. It has just been a mystery to me to find out what those salaries ARE.

We did have one hospital come visit my school that actually gave their starting pay information, and they said they are the highest in the Louisville, KY, area with a starting base of $19.75. Also, that was almost a year ago and they expected it to be adjusting upwards.

Thank again for all of the info! :yeah:

palee · May 9, 2008

Thanks, Suzanne.

I wanted to get an overview from different areas in the country; that is why I posted here. I wanted to know what the trends were in different states and communities, not just were I currently reside.

imanedrn · May 10, 2008

Most hospitals have a standard (non-negotiable) rate for new grads.

Mine was $24.83/hr on days.

The standard diffs (NOT dependent upon experience) for nights is $2.10 & weekends are $1.50.

Performance evals/raises are done annually and actually allow nurses who've worked for the hospital longer to make more (relatively speaking) than nurses who are "new" to the hospital but have more experience.

You can put negotiable... OR, you can call HR and just plain ask what they pay new grads. There may be a set rate or it may be negotiable.

angels1933 · May 12, 2008

Hi everyone!

I just finished nursing school and am graduating officially in a few short weeks. I have a NICU job lined up in North NJ, but I also have been plagued with the question of How much Am I Worth Now??

First of all I asked to negotiate and was refused flat out. Apparently we just take what is given as new grads, but no one ever told me that and I certainly don't feel bad for asking! Live & learn!

But anyone who is a new grad and job hunting, I found a salary survey done by the North Carolina Center for Nursing from 2004. So it might be a little behind but it really helps to give you a better picture of what we're facing. It ranks all the states from Best to Worst pay but then....and this is the great part....it re-ranks them AFTER the cost of living is factored in. So yea....California & Hawaii pay the best but their cost of living is higher so it makes them drop drastically in their ranks.

So check it out here:

http://www.ga.unc.edu/NCCN/research/quickfacts/Salary%20adjustment%20table.pdf

Anyway, don't forget to factor in for yourself Quality of Life factors because we all know that if you're miserable in your personal life, chances are it won't matter how much you make at work.

Best of luck to all new grads out there! :up: :nurse:

2bTraumaRN2008 · May 12, 2008

Where I work it's 21.23 hour for all new grads. The type of degree/diploma makes absoutely no difference. Night differential, which is what I work, is 3.00 hour and 1.00 hour diff. for weekends.

CitizenX · May 12, 2008

As a new grad my hospital start all new grads at $29.75/hr with differentials of $2.10 for PM shift and $3.60 for night. The Madison, WI area hospitals are all pretty close it comes to starting pay. Not to bad IMHO.

spottybug · May 16, 2008

Holy crap, I'm moving to Wisconsin! :) I'm in Seattle and I started as a new grad at 23.96, 4.25PM, 2.50Eves, 4Weekend differentials.