What pay wage can I expect in ATL?

zahryia, LPN · Sep 7, 2006

I'd like to know too. According to BLS, the minimum is 51k. I think salary.com reported 54k. Is either correct?

zahryia, LPN · Sep 9, 2006

I don't understand why no one has replied to this post?

jb2u, ASN, RN · Sep 9, 2006

I don't understand why no one has replied to this post?

I am not a Nurse yet. So, I can't answer that question, but I do understand your concern. I believe that most people want to know "how much they will make" and "how much to expect." Life is NOT free and we all need to make money in order to live. That being said, many people forget about that once they "have the job" or were taught to never discuss money. I don't really get it, but that is our society.

Many people will tell you to go to sources such as salary.com, but I've had many jobs in different states and I find salary.com to be inaccurate. Statistics are a tricky thing. Imagine you live on a street where everyone on the street makes 20,000 a year and then Bill Gates moves into the last house on the street. Well, statistics will say the average homeowner there makes 1.2 million a year. OR it could cancel out the extremes...Bill Gates and the other guy down the street that is an "artist" and makes $5000 a year. Or they could take the mode or median. I think you see what I am trying to get at. Looking at stats doesn't really tell you much unless you know HOW they arrived at those stats.

The point is that because "our society" is so hush hush about money, people tend to not want to tell you what to expect. It's not like you are asking, "How much do YOU make?", but they hear/see the word money and they shut down. What can I say?

Anyway, in the Augusta area I've heard new grads start off between $18.50 and $20/hr. However, I am a firm believer in the power of negotiation. Set the rate at which you feel that you deserve based on your skills and experience and ASK for THAT amount per hour. I wish you both the best and happy job hunting.

Sincerely,

Jay

jamangel · Sep 15, 2006

I live in Augusta and I can tell you that $18-20 is not accurate as a LPN new grad and you'll be lucky if you get it with 10 years experience. You can expect that much in ATL probably and working contract in Augusta. You would probably get more buck for your experience at the VA hospital. Private sector LPN's with experience still can' expect to earn more than 34,000/yearly (base). I make more than that because I work for the VA. I've work corrections, LTC, Rehab, Med-Surg etc.

By my own standard of living I do fine here in Augusta but in Atlanta I'd probably struggle a bit.

jb2u, ASN, RN · Sep 15, 2006

I live in Augusta and I can tell you that $18-20 is not accurate as a LPN new grad and you'll be lucky if you get it with 10 years experience. You can expect that much in ATL probably and working contract in Augusta. You would probably get more buck for your experience at the VA hospital. Private sector LPN's with experience still can' expect to earn more than 34,000/yearly (base). I make more than that because I work for the VA. I've work corrections, LTC, Rehab, Med-Surg etc.
By my own standard of living I do fine here in Augusta but in Atlanta I'd probably struggle a bit.

You are correct. I was talking about ADN/BSN ($18-20) and LPNs that I've talked to said $9-12/hr. I would not work as an LPN for that much myself, but everyone is different.

sueinga · Sep 17, 2006

I made 14/hr at a nursing home one hour north of Atlanta as an LPN with 25 years experience- then I went thru the Excelsior program to get my RN- you cannot survive on an LPNs salary unless you do agency in a big city perhaps-

The market changes constantly and many variables come into play such as your experience and the demand for it, good luck!

singer · Sep 27, 2006

I read some information in the AJC. The pay rate advertised for some of the LPN jobs seemed competitive. Some jobs advertised as 17-19/hr which I think is reasonable for a LPN . I'm not sure if the AJC is correct but the higher paying jobs are closer to ATL.

ex1140 · Oct 3, 2006

Maybe I'm wrong...but I don't think the # of years are a big factor in nursing. In fact, I think it can be a problem. Many facilities will hire people with less years of experience so they can dish out less pay.

Let's be honest being a nurse for 15 years doesn't mean you have more experience then someone whose been a nurse for say 5 years. It strongly depends on where each person has worked.

Take my supervisor she's been a nurse for 20 years...but...she has spent 15 of those years in Corrections. She told me that another RN was hired about 2years ago with a higher salary than hers...I was not surprised at all, because the other nurse has a B.A and works med/surg for a prominent hospital part-time. It's not all about the number of years, but more about the knowledge you've gained.

WindyhillBSN · Oct 29, 2006

I've talked to a couple of recruiters in the Atl- metro area and most start at 19-20.00 p/hr plus shift differ. for nights and weekends.

keishahu · Dec 29, 2006

Im not from GA, Im from NY hoping to move there very soon. The cost of living I believe is rising in ATL do u guys think the same thing. In NY we can easily start at 71,000 this might include night time differential and BSN. Can u still live nicely in atl with this type of salary and can you purchase a night condo with this type of pay?

jamangel · Dec 30, 2006

you can kive quite nicely on that salary