D.C. Nurses: how much do new grads make at your hospitals?

U.S.A. Washington DC

Published

Specializes in Med/Surg/Telemetry.

Hi, I'm trying to weigh my options between the following prospective employers:

Washington Hospital Center

Georgetown University Hospital

George Washington University Hospital

Sibley Memorial Hospital

INOVA Fairfax Hospital

I currently live in No. VA & work as a tech in another INOVA facility's ICU. Any information that you can give me regarding salary, benefits (esp. loan payoff), contract requirements or otherwise, would be extremely appreciated. I'm graduating in May and am looking for the best all around package (no I didn't get into nursing to make $, but I do have some monstrous student loans and you all know the cost of living here...).

Thanks in advance!

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Of all the hospitals in your list, Washington Hospital Center,

Georgetown University Hospital,George Washington University Hospital,

Sibley Memorial Hospital,INOVA Fairfax Hospital, I would recommend the Washington Hospital Center. They have excellent Fellowship programs.

It is an extremely busy hospital and acuity is fairly high so you will be get great experience. As for rates for new graduate nurses, the highest rate is also at the Washington Hospital Center - I believe. Their starting base rate is close to $26. Most of the other hospitals' graduate rates are in the $23-$24 range.

I recommend that you call the recruiting department of each hospital and ask to talk to a Nurse Recruiter. They will be more than happy to provide you with the information you need.

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GUH - $25.25/hr

IFH - $24.00/hr

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i am also a tech, im at guh, and from what i hear, they start off at 24, and whc, does pay more, they gave the nurses a pay raise i believe last yr, a nice one

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Perioperative.

I'm starting tomorrow at George Washington University. They pay $25/hr and you commit to 2 years with their new grad internship. You get $4,000 bonus for staying a year after the first year and every year after. They get raises based on merit. Everyone I've met so far at the hospital seem very happy to be there -- A big plus for me!

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Specializes in None yet, but O.R. intrigues me.

Hello. I currently live in NYC, where I graduated with my AAS in May and I'll be moving to DC to live with my partner once I take the NCLEX (here) and secure a job (there). My friends who are getting jobs lined up here are telling me their annual salary - not hourly - and the high so far is $72K and the low $66K.

Re: the hourly rate, maybe I don't understand how the scheduling works at a hospital. All I hear people say is that a nurse works three 12-hour shifts. Assuming lunch is not paid that works out to a 33-hour workweek. At $26.77/hour (http://www.nursesunited.org/index.cfm?view=newsalerts) that works out to...$46K annually. Am I calculating correctly? If so that's obviously a disappointing discovery. Yes, the cost of living in DC is less than NYC, but not dramatically so.

I'm moving to DC no matter what, but I'm just trying to get a handle of what to expect if the interview gets to that point. Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Perioperative.

It's true, sorry. New grads in D.C. (I am one) get $25.00 per hour. The highest I have seen is $26.00 per hour at Washington Hospital Center. Experience will pay more, but the new grad rate will stay the same except for nights -- you get paid maybe $4 to $5 more per hour.

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Specializes in SICU.
Hello. I currently live in NYC, where I graduated with my AAS in May and I'll be moving to DC to live with my partner once I take the NCLEX (here) and secure a job (there). My friends who are getting jobs lined up here are telling me their annual salary - not hourly - and the high so far is $72K and the low $66K.

Re: the hourly rate, maybe I don't understand how the scheduling works at a hospital. All I hear people say is that a nurse works three 12-hour shifts. Assuming lunch is not paid that works out to a 33-hour workweek. At $26.77/hour (http://www.nursesunited.org/index.cfm?view=newsalerts) that works out to...$46K annually. Am I calculating correctly? If so that's obviously a disappointing discovery. Yes, the cost of living in DC is less than NYC, but not dramatically so.

I'm moving to DC no matter what, but I'm just trying to get a handle of what to expect if the interview gets to that point. Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

Your math is a little wrong. If you are doing 12 hour shifts, you get a 30 minute lunch break (unpaid) so you would work from say 7 am to 7:30 pm to get your 12 hours in. Part of that 12 hours will be paid with a differential rate depending on if you are working during the 7am-3pm (day standard rate), 3pm-11pm (evening diff) or 11pm-7am (night diff). Some places also pay a diff if you work in the ER or ICU such as Children's. I hope that this has given you an idea why your numbers were not matching what your friends have been telling you.

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