Members are discussing various aspects of nurse practitioner (NP) programs, salaries, and job satisfaction. Some members are sharing their personal experiences with NP programs and salaries, while others are referencing reports on NP salaries by state and specialty. Additionally, there is a conversation about the perception of certain cities and the impact of location on salary and job satisfaction.
Hi everyone. I'm curious as to see what an actual paycheck (before taxes) looks like from an NP. I find salary websites to be not very helpful. So...
What type NP are you?
Where (state)(rural/urban) do you practice?
Are you independent or in a group?
How many years experience?
What is your before tax paycheck amount?
Monthly or bi-weekly?
Salary/hourly/other(explain)?
Avg hours on check?
What are the perks of your contract? (ie. PTO/vacation/bonuses)
I know this is very personal, but if you are able to provide input, I would appreciate it! I'm mainly interested also to see after the gov/operational costs etc have taken their share, how much are you left with?
Hi everyone - I am not an NNP yet but graduating in a few weeks so I thought I'd give my two cents. I have 2 offers currently - one for $98K, no PTO, good insurance, $1500 yr/CEUs. The larger metropolitan-area job was starting at around $110K-115k with 2 weeks PTO, same on everything else. To sweetether - I would assume that in So. Cal. you could hit that mark, especially considering that the strong nurses' union pushes salary up for nurses overall and you would be able to say you didn't want to make less than what you would make as a bedside nurse. I could possibly get info on Texas for you - I have a friend graduating in that area of the country.
Hi everyone - I am not an NNP yet but graduating in a few weeks so I thought I'd give my two cents. I have 2 offers currently - one for $98K, no PTO, good insurance, $1500 yr/CEUs. The larger metropolitan-area job was starting at around $110K-115k with 2 weeks PTO, same on everything else. To sweetether - I would assume that in So. Cal. you could hit that mark, especially considering that the strong nurses' union pushes salary up for nurses overall and you would be able to say you didn't want to make less than what you would make as a bedside nurse. I could possibly get info on Texas for you - I have a friend graduating in that area of the country.
I'm working in the LA area and have fellow nurses who are licensed CRNP's still working at bedside nurses in the ICU because they don't like the idea of the huge pay cut they'll take when they take their practitioner job. The medical groups you'll join up with don't care how well your nurses union got you paid as a bedside nurse, it's a whole different ballgame as a salaried CRNP.
Also I know there are a lot of California nurses talking about how they have got great pay in California but I should shed some perspective on that for you. I've lived in The San Fran and the LA area in the past year, you need to earn $130,000 to $150,000 to live somewhat comfortably there with the outrageous cost of living. In the SF area you need $1 million dollars (literally) to buy a crappy 1000 sq foot 3 bedroom home that needs updating. In SoCal you'll need around $500,000 to $600,000 in a cheaper/higher crime neighborhood but your pay is significantly less in SoCal as well.
I've lived and worked from New York/Connecticut down to Atlanta to Tennessee to Texas then all down the coast of California. I love California but don't let these high pay numbers fool you. A nurse making $90,000 a year in 85% of America is probably actually having a better and more luxurious lifestyle than a nurse making $130,000 in many places in California.
True - nursing salary has nothing to do with practitioner salary. However, when I negotiated I knew I wasn't going to take less as an NNP that I would as my FT nursing job and that was honored in the offer without any difficulty. I think it also depends on what your specialty is and what demand there is in your area for that specialty. I'm just glad we're talking about this - it seems like when it comes to negotiating new grads are just "glad to have a job" and will take whatever is offered (in my experience).
Much of the "I made more and an RN than an NP" talk is comparing apples to oranges: if you are working night/weekends/overtime as an RN and you make more than an NP working a 40 hour M-F work week than good for you, but its not a salary to salary comparison.
True, and many of my FNP friends cite not working holidays/nights/weekends as a main draw. NNPs still work all of those shifts so for me, my personal benchmark was that I was not going to take less than when I was a bedside nurse, especially with the added liability aspect. I'm not comparing the two jobs and coming up with a number.
I'm not sure - it's pretty standard for my area so I didn't check further. Right now, the NNPs work 10 days/month with occasional transports at night and it's pretty much "the days off are your days off." If I didn't take this job I'd be driving 2-3 hours to work 24 hour shifts so everything is a trade off.
I'm working in the LA area and have fellow nurses who are licensed CRNP's still working at bedside nurses in the ICU because they don't like the idea of the huge pay cut they'll take when they take their practitioner job. The medical groups you'll join up with don't care how well your nurses union got you paid as a bedside nurse, it's a whole different ballgame as a salaried CRNP.
Also I know there are a lot of California nurses talking about how they have got great pay in California but I should shed some perspective on that for you. I've lived in The San Fran and the LA area in the past year, you need to earn $130,000 to $150,000 to live somewhat comfortably there with the outrageous cost of living. In the SF area you need $1 million dollars (literally) to buy a crappy 1000 sq foot 3 bedroom home that needs updating. In SoCal you'll need around $500,000 to $600,000 in a cheaper/higher crime neighborhood but your pay is significantly less in SoCal as well.
I've lived and worked from New York/Connecticut down to Atlanta to Tennessee to Texas then all down the coast of California. I love California but don't let these high pay numbers fool you. A nurse making $90,000 a year in 85% of America is probably actually having a better and more luxurious lifestyle than a nurse making $130,000 in many places in California.
I put a lot of thought about the lifestyle costs of working and living in California as an RN in comparison to other places in the country, and here is my quantitative analysis of the costs and benefits of working in Oakland, Califonrnia:
First off, I am working as an RN with 3.5 years experience, base pay 71.25/hr, full benefits; base salary $150,000 a year, but due to overtime, I've already increased my income ceiling to date to about USD180,000 (working an average of 42hrs/a week). Trying to get to $200K (if I can leverage OT and work an average of 45hrs/week)
Here's what I found plugging in my region, and base salary of 150,000 (just the base, no overtime included):
My base salary of 150,000 in Oakland, CA is equivalent to:
... Making 178,000/year in brooklyn (Approx $85/hr)
... Making 146,000/year in boston (approx 73/hr)
...Making 103,000/year in Atlanta (approx 51/hr)
... Making 119,000/year in Chicago (approx 60/hr)
... Making 122,000/year in Philidelphia (approx 61/hr)
... Making 111,000/year in Las Vegas (approx 56/hr)
...Making 190,000/year in Honolulu (approx 95/hr)
...Making 115,000/year in Miami (approx 56/hr)
...Making 87,000/year in Memphis (approx 43/hr)
...Making 103,000/year in Charleston (approx 51/hr)
Browsing through the forum in the respective areas above, most RNs don't seem to make the income above in their respective region, with the exception of a few RN's in Las Vegas (correct me if I am wrong please, I'm always curious about pay updates in other parts of the country)
The above may not always be true for all individuals, as COL may vary based on personal spending habits, but generally speaking, somebody living a middle class lifestyle should expect the COL estimates above.
In summary, living and working in my part of California is generally more profitable than most (if not all other) parts of the country.
In practice, I'm finding the above to be true, as I am able to substantially save up to 50% of my after tax take home pay. What does this all mean?
I might have to pay more up front to live in Oakland, CA area with a slightly higher COL than many parts of our country, but the pay here outpaces the cost of living in comparison to what other RNs are paid elsewhere.
As an added benefit, although owning a home costs more, the resale value of a home in this area is relatively stable. In the long run, even if I have to pay more for a house, the home will be worth even more when I sell it, leaving me more money for retirement and/or the option to roll it over to an even larger/grandious home elsewhere in the country.
New Grad accepted a Cardiac Thoracic Surgery NP position in LA, 3 12's (1 weekend/month). Salary 127,500/year, 7 hr PTO/pay period, 1 week CEU, $2,000 for educational expenses. Hospital pays for RN, NP, NPI, and DEA. This is the same unit & hospital I work as a RN for 5 years.
rnkaytee
219 Posts
Hi everyone - I am not an NNP yet but graduating in a few weeks so I thought I'd give my two cents. I have 2 offers currently - one for $98K, no PTO, good insurance, $1500 yr/CEUs. The larger metropolitan-area job was starting at around $110K-115k with 2 weeks PTO, same on everything else. To sweetether - I would assume that in So. Cal. you could hit that mark, especially considering that the strong nurses' union pushes salary up for nurses overall and you would be able to say you didn't want to make less than what you would make as a bedside nurse. I could possibly get info on Texas for you - I have a friend graduating in that area of the country.