When does your salary go up??

[Epona]

Good evening!

Let me start off by saying I am THANKFUL I have a job. On the other hand, I am wondering when my salary will go up??? I have gotten my first full time RN job in a hospital. My salary is around $35,000. This is WAY BELOW what the average RN is supposed to make. Most RN's in my area (according to a salary check I did), make in the mid 50's. I realize this is with experience. I am thinking even after ONE YEAR, say I transfer to another unit, I am probably not going to get that much of an increase. Does anyone know typically WHEN the RN salary goes up??

Oh... and I am working mostly days. There is a shift diff., but like I said I am days for the most part, so this is pretty much what I am going to make. :uhoh21:

Is this pretty standard??

[iPink, BSN, RN]

That salary was something I was hoping I would never see when I get my first RN job. I'm a career changer and when I first graduated college, I remember getting that low of a salary and remember struggling to pay my bills because of it.

I live in the Northeast so I think RN's are getting about the average that you mentioned. Are you in the South?

I'm curious to find out what the experiences nurses who will answer your question says about it as well.

[Epona]

I am in the Mid-Atlantic.

I am happy I have a job, but like you said, it will be a bit tough to cover expenses. It's a 'foot-in-the-door' so I am happy. I am assuming it will go up from here! Just not sure WHEN.

[caliotter3]

Perhaps a quick little trip or phone call to HR might shed some light.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I live in the Midwest and our new grads start out at $17.80/hr. I've worked for the same hospital for almost 16yrs and last year only made $57,000. That was with noc diff, 2 certifications and overtime. We receive yearly raises, 4% max. That said,.you can also buy a nice, new, 4 bedroom, 3 bath house with all the upgrades for $200,000,.so salary is relative :)

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

I live in the south and when I graduated 2 years ago as an RN I started at $18.65/hr. My first paycheck was only about $1200 and I was wondering how I was going to pay my student loans back plus support my family off that. I was working three 12's a week (36 hrs) in an ICU at a trauma center.

2 years later Im making about $21/hr which has helped plus Im on nights which is a $3/hr shift diff. I make about $47,000 a year right now which Im pretty comfortable with. I noticed I got my biggest increase when I went from one hospital to the next....now my yearly increase this year was $0.77 and we are one of the top performing units (our unit averages 3-4% raise a year, never more than that....basically my sister who works for Walmart gets more raises than I do). My paychecks after taxes are between $1500-$1600 depending in if I get charge pay, weekends, etc. I work a full 40 hours a week now too which makes a big difference in my paycheck compared to 36 hours a week (12's) I was working....it adds up. That extra 8 hours a paycheck you get with 40 vs 36 hrs a week helps! For me its about an extra $400 a month which covers my car and insurance payments.

I worked with RNs with 10+ years experience and they are maxed out making about $30/hr which is good money where I live. You can make up to $50/hr here working prn in certain units but that will be the max.

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

Impossible to say without knowing where you live exactly. It's very different between San Diego and Pittsburgh. It's relative to the cost of living.

I agree you should check the hourly rate range for your position with HR if you don't know when or how yours is meant to be reviewed.

[cocogirl80]

wow, i hope to make that much!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Instead of comparing your annual salary as a new grad to the annual salary of experienced nurses ... compare your hourly rate to that of other new grads. $35,000 is about $16.75 per hour, right? Compare that figure to the starting salaries that local hospitals give new grads.

Based on your previoius posts, I believe you work in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. If that is true, then $16.75 is below average. That leads me to suspect that you are working for a hospital that that has not kept up with the regional average. What does that tell you about the hospital in general in terms of compensation? Use your critical thinking.

Check with your fellow nurses, your manager, and/or Human Resources to find out the usual timing of raises for your particular hospital. How often do they usually give raises? My hospital usually does it yearly ... except that we got zero in 2009.

[Epona]

Thanks everybody! I appreciate all the posts. I am guessing it will certainly go up over time (I hope!) :chair: When I was first thinking of being a nurse I saw all these averages of $50-$60 thousand, so I was planning my future off that salary range. Yes, it will be tight, but I am a nurse, have a good job, so I am thankful especially during these times. I hope to specialize eventually so that too will boost it some I am guessing.

Thanks everyone and Happy Mother's Day!! :flwrhrts:

[**All Heart RN**]

I'm in the Midwest, work in the hospital, and am also a New Grad. Working day shift, I earn $23.07/hr. Night shift, which I will begin permanently in a few days, is 28.07/hr. Weekend Nights is 33.07/hr. I also get "Double Pay" after 52 hrs (so after an additional 12 hr shift, I'd receive double pay).

I guess I'm not too disappointed by what I'll be making working night shift...

[NC Girl BSN]

I live in NC and in my area, the hospitals have not given raises in almost 2 years. I just finished my first year of being a nurse and this is the first profession when I didn't get a raise every year. IT SUCKS! They all use the excuse that its the economy and that we should be happy to have a job. I am very grateful to have a job but its not right for the hospitals to use it as a crutch. I don't know if I will ever get a raise. Sorry your salary is so low. Most jobs give yearly raises. Maybe your hospital will give you a raise next year.