When an employer asks 'what's the lowest wage you are willing to accept'...

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What would you say as a new (ADN RN) graduate ? Especially when you have student loans that will need to be paid on very soon ? I have been offered one job at a 'skilled' unit of a post-hospital care facility and the number is in the teens (19) when I was at least expecting 20 something/hr. The patient load will be around 20. Is that too much to ask for a new grad? No one told us it would be so difficult to find a decent job when we were in school.....

My class graduated in May and less than half have jobs. Idk if I should hold out for something better or not. In a perfect world, I definitely would.

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Standard wisdom in any employment hunting situation is not to sell oneself too cheaply. You should have (or quickly find out) what the going wage is for whatever position you are interviewing for beforehand. Then adjust slightly up or down depending upon your personal experience and past wages.

In the case of new grads you obviously do not have prior nursing experience but you should be able to research what others in your situation are being offered.

The thing you want to avoid is low balling yourself to a potential employer. They know what the current market wage should be and offering yourself on the cheap can raise all sorts of red flags. First being you are desperate for work which is not something many employers value in any new hire. Also being seen as such can backfire as you take a position with wages/bennies below market and usually too much work for what you're getting.

Another problem with taking work at too low wage scale is that this early "lowball" could haunt your future wage negotiations for the rest of your career. Employers of all sorts base salary for new employees in whole or part on that of their last or current position. If you are earning only $45K when you should have been at say $55K a new employer may balk at giving you a *raise* of ten thousand and offer you less.

All this being said if you really need work and things aren't shaking a difference of one thousand give or take is not that great. What sort of orientation/training is being offered? Will there be any wage reviews in the first year with chances for a raise?

If the spot is going to offer you acute care experience you can use to move up and onwards there are good reasons for saying "yes", even if the wage is not ideal.

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Specializes in Pedi.

This is a hard question to answer not knowing where you are located. In my area, I would expect new grads to earn at the very least $25/hr and in the big hospitals, closer to $30. In higher cost of living areas like California, they'd probably expect more. In the south, wages tend to be lower.

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They've made the offer, so they want you. Agreed with above, do not undersell yourself. If you can find out if they negotiate then you know you need to start even higher. Say you negotiate to an amount that you still feel is too low, then ask for a written agreement to review your performance and pay review in six months.

Good job!

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Give them the highest wage you in mind,they don't know that's your highest wage.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

What are the new grad rates in your area? What region of the country are you in?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

If this is a union facility this wouldn't be a question. What kind of facility is this?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

If this is a union facility this wouldn't be a question. What kind of facility is this?

We have a couple of threads on this.....https://allnurses.com/lpn-lvn-corner/how-much-do-853816.html

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where are you located? I'm in western NY state. I graduated in Dec 2012 with my RN, and my first job was at a transitional care unit. They started me at $22.50/hr + shift diff. They were part of the hospital, so that's what the new hospital nurses started at too. My nursing school BFF started at very large teaching hospital in the area on a critical care unit, and was started at $23.50. So that's about the average for new grads in my area. I was interviewed by a SNF and they were going to start me at $17/hr for orientation and $19/hr once off orientation - I thought that was pretty crap pay. The area I live in is underpaid for all jobs, not just nursing, so I wasn't going to be making $35/hr anytime soon, but I think over $20/hr should be assumed. And your situation sounds like mine - no nursing jobs, half the class unemployed, getting lowballed, etc. GOOD LUCK!

I'm a school nurse now and make crap lol but it's to be expected. My hourly rate is actually $24/hr but I just work a lot less hours and I'm salaried.

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where are you located? I'm in western NY state. I graduated in Dec 2012 with my RN, and my first job was at a transitional care unit. They started me at $22.50/hr + shift diff. They were part of the hospital, so that's what the new hospital nurses started at too. My nursing school BFF started at very large teaching hospital in the area on a critical care unit, and was started at $23.50. So that's about the average for new grads in my area. I was interviewed by a SNF and they were going to start me at $17/hr for orientation and $19/hr once off orientation - I thought that was pretty crap pay. The area I live in is underpaid for all jobs, not just nursing, so I wasn't going to be making $35/hr anytime soon, but I think over $20/hr should be assumed. And your situation sounds like mine - no nursing jobs, half the class unemployed, getting lowballed, etc. GOOD LUCK!

I'm a school nurse now and make crap lol but it's to be expected. My hourly rate is actually $24/hr but I just work a lot less hours and I'm salaried.

Thanks all. I was offered a job at a non-union, LTC/skilled (HCR Manorcare) facility. THis place accepts pts with trachs,

IVs, and feeding tubes. I beleive the going rate for new grads woring in the few coveted hospital positions is $23-25/hr. I'm having trouble determining what the rate should or is w/ LTC/skilled bc it seems to vary so much. $19 is LOW in my opinion. I think they are asking an awful lot for that $19! Any job is better than no job though, right??? :)

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$19 is LOW in my opinion.
I agree, but...
any job is better than no job though, right??? :)
Yes, at the beginning.

I spent 3 years working for sub-par wages at a sub-par facility 200 miles from home simply to get my nursing career launched. It was far from ideal, or even satisfactory, but it did ultimately lead to my present position at a large, teaching hospital making solid union wages and benefits.

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"Would you be willing to discuss with me your typical range? After researching, I understand that an average new graduate rate of pay in this area is $25 an hour, $23 with differentials. So I would be willing to negotiate."

If $19 an hour is not going to pay your bills, it is not going to pay your bills. And if it is not a union facility, you could be talking about an extended period of time that you would not get any raise. However, if you need clinical experiences that will help you in your future endevours, this may be a place to do so. And to take advantage of any certifications that you may be able to obtain such as IV therapy, wound care certifications, diabetes educator....

Best of luck

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