The 1st check as an rn....yay!!! Or nay!!

Nurses New Nurse

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hi lovies!!

i was just wondering, what did you guys do with your first check?? and how did it feel when you received it?? was it like.."oh yes sooo worth it!!!":lol2: or was it more..."blaaahhhhh":crying2:...

i wanted to know because throughout nursing school i've been working as a medical receptionist and making $17/hr pays the bills but its pretty "blah":yawn:...if/when i get hired at my facility as a rn (when i get my licsence)...the starting range is between $32-$34....:yeah:

when i get my 1st check as an rn i want a new wardrobe:monkeydance:...no more sweats and tees for me!!!! then of course save to buy a house since i'm sure taxes are going to rape me since i have no kids, i own nothing, and i'm 23 years old.....

so.....what did you guys do with your hefty or non hefty check???? :hpygrp:

Lucky you :) Good luck!

The luck runs out as soon as you see their average rent. New Jersey has become a glorified suburb of NYC and the rent and housing market reflect that.

$32 an hour will probably barely keep you out of a tenement in that part of the world.....and will probably put you in something only slightly larger than a shoebox.

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I love threads like this. High hourly rates with huge costs of living to justify that rate. For everyone thinking making $30-$40/hr is something great, you're not seeing the whole picture.

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Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.

Very, very interesting thread! Where you live has such a huge impact on your pay... I'm in NY, so the hourly rates are pretty high, but so are taxes, houses, and everything else. *sigh*

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I hear that RNs are getting paid close to $50/hour here in Maryland :) So I'm excited to graduate! I want a Corvette Z06! LOL.

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Specializes in Clinical Research.

I just accepted my first RN position in NC at $17/hr... I made $17.50/hr as a Tech in Michigan during nursing school.... boo! :(

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I start as a RN for a Hospice on Monday. I'll be salaried, but it equals out to $31.50/hr. I think for my first check I'm definitely getting my hair done!

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Moving to Holland, MI. Is anyone familiar with the job situation and RN pay scales there? Also considering Grand Rapids, MI. Desparate for information.

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at my hospital in nc, one can make $40 an hour if you work straight weekend nights. thats the only way you can make that kind of money around here.

oh my goodness...thats sooo much money!!! maybe i should move there when i graduate?! lol

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For me.....I will probably cry when I get mine..... :(

I currently make $37/hr so my first RN will be ~57% of what I have been earning each yr for the past 18 yrs! Preparing for it now by putting myself on a self imposed austerity program and paying off all debt outside the mtg. I should have it all paid off by Sept......and I get pinned Aug 23!

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I ended up with about a 30% pay raise. Starting is now about 28/hr at my VA in MN. I am up over 30 for base. Differential adds 10% for evenings, 25% for weekends, 35% for evening weekends. I have been able to put my student loans in repayment, fund my tsp for a second retirement account, refinance my house and still have some left over for me.

Middle class incomes in MPLS are 58 k/year so I am comfortably middle class...

My thoughts try to be 15% below your income in lifestyle...

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whoa... where do you work??

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With all the bills, and loans I have mine was more a "meh"...I was excited to get it after looking for a job for over a year, but the cost of living is high in Pacific North west so my 24/hr won't go far.

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