Who do nurses make more than?

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 1, 2012

your post is greatly entertaining. please do not go into this field.
-K

Are you kidding me? WHy should someone who wants to make good money not go into this field? people type online differently or put it differently than others so what?

NamasteNurse, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2012

you sound young, and you want a lot. Neither of those are bad things so don't get all huffy on me. Prepare to work lots and I mean LOTS of overtime if you are a single mom. If you're married and your husband makes similar to what you do, you may be able to swing the lifestyle you want.

nguyency77, CNA · Dec 1, 2012

Are you kidding me? WHy should someone who wants to make good money not go into this field? people type online differently or put it differently than others so what?

My aunt is an RN. My uncle is a stay-at-home dad for their two small children. My aunt works ridiculous amounts of overtime, because my uncle isn't working. She made somewhere around $70,000 last year, but taxes took a huge chunk out. They have a modest house, and two cars. They live comfortably, but cannot live extravagantly.

The point is that while on the surface a nurse's salary can look nice, other expenses must be calculated: taxes, mortgage/rent, home insurance, utilities, trash, car payments, insurance for vehicles, cell phone bill, Internet, cable, groceries, gasoline, household necessities (shampoo, toilet paper, dog food, etc.), home maintenance, time off of work if the child or the OP becomes ill/injured/family emergency, college funding, emergency money...

The list goes on and on. As mentioned by BrandonLPN, some people will live beyond their means anyway. It comes down to how much you budget, how much you save, and whatever is left over.

debarose · Dec 1, 2012

Hey Amber your best bet will be to get a RN! ( BSN-to RN) but as you know NURSES with higher degrees is where the money is. Just like a nurse with a one year degree vs a nurse with a Bachelors. There is a difference in pay.

I have many friends that are a variety of Nurses meaning from LVN to RN to a PHD (MRN). The higher the degree the more Money there will be. Of Course it also depends on your location . Some places pay better while others don't.

It is possibly to make money depends on your degree and area of specialization.

Good Luck to you,

Deba

JZ_RN · Dec 1, 2012

If you become a nurse for the salary you will be burned out quickly and sorely disappointed.

Editorial Team / Admin · Dec 1, 2012

Hey Amber your best bet will be to get a RN! ( BSN-to RN) but as you know NURSES with higher degrees is where the money is. Just like a nurse with a one year degree vs a nurse with a Bachelors. There is a difference in pay.
I have many friends that are a variety of Nurses meaning from LVN to RN to a PHD (MRN). The higher the degree the more Money there will be. Of Course it also depends on your location . Some places pay better while others don't.
It is possibly to make money depends on your degree and area of specialization.
Good Luck to you,
Deba

Generally, it's RN-to-BSN, not BSN-to-RN (actually, I've never heard of one of those), but other than MAYBE a tiny differential, most places will treat an RN with any degree (diploma, ADN, or BSN and even MSN if working bedside) exactly the same- other than equally qualified applicants whose only difference is degree (and they will hire the person with the higher degree). Now, if one were to get an MSN, that would open other opportunities for higher paying jobs, such as management or advanced practice but there are no guarantees.

OP, if you're going into a career solely for the money with no interest in it at all, my advice would be to look elsewhere. Having no interest except for the money would likely lead to job dissatisfaction, burnout, and other not-so-good outcomes. Money cannot buy happiness. If you do have an interest in nursing besides the money, yes, nurses can live a decent lifestyle. Like others have said though, it is important to live within one's means. I am single, own a modest house and a decent but older car, and am working hard to pay down debt (the result of a catastrophic event involving the house- almost there, and should have it paid off by the end of January!). Before returning to school, I was taking multiple vacations a year- Hawaii, Europe, not cheap trips to take. But I can do that because I don't just go out buying things on a whim that I can't afford.

allnurses Guide · Dec 1, 2012

To answer the question "who do nurses make more than?" I would suggest going to the federal government Bureau of Labor Statistics website where they've gotten much more user-friendly and understandable to most people. Especially this page -

Occupational Outlook Handbook where they have subcategories for things like "highest paying" and "fastest growing(projected)". Some proprietary ventures like monster.com have a "salary wizard" search tool where you can find wage:cost of living information specific to your area. Good luck!

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2012

Generally, it's RN-to-BSN, not BSN-to-RN (actually, I've never heard of one of those), but other than MAYBE a tiny differential, most places will treat an RN with any degree (diploma, ADN, or BSN and even MSN if working bedside) exactly the same- other than equally qualified applicants whose only difference is degree (and they will hire the person with the higher degree). Now, if one were to get an MSN, that would open other opportunities for higher paying jobs, such as management or advanced practice but there are no guarantees.

In the Philadelphia area there is a STRONG hiring preference for new grads with a BSN. Several area hospitals simply do not hire diploma or ADN new grads, so Philly is one of those places where getting a BSN right off the bat or having a plan to do the RN-BSN ASAP is important.

lemur00, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2012

I find it interesting how many people believe that nurses are "rich". Nursing pays reasonably well, but it doesn't make you rich. At all. I really think this is a leftover from the fact that typically most nurses are woman who for many years earned the second income in their families, ie they had husbands who earned MORE and had the REAL career. The extra cushion of income it gave would allow a family to edge out the Joneses. In other words, nursing was (and still is) considered a high paying career for a woman. Journalists don't help when they record that one nurse once made 250k (all by working ridiculous amounts of overtime).

In reality (and in answer to the title) it's kind of a middling position over all.

I linked to a paper on generational differences in another discussion which noted that millennials are most concerned with pay. But there are a lot of other factors in play with job selection. There's pay, but there's also level of education required and whether there will be a good return on the education investment, there's the amount of work that is done for the pay, the availability of jobs once finished, the stability of the industry, personal suitableness and satisfaction in the work, etc etc.

I mean if you really just want to get paid, work in the oil patch with the crackheads and live in your car half the year.

roser13, ASN, RN · Dec 2, 2012

I think that it's important to note that the title of this thread is: "Who Do Nurses Make More Than?"

Overlooking obvious grammatical issues, OP seems focused on comparisons with other career choices and the associated earning capacity of those other choices. We might better answer her initial question by listing those wage earners whose salaries are generally less than a nurse's. For example, fast food workers. I heard on the news tonight that some fast food workers are attempting to start unions in areas where most organized unions have no interest in being involved. The fast food workers are earning roughly $18,000/year.

Compared to that statistic, nurses are living large!

nguyency77, CNA · Dec 2, 2012

I think that it's important to note that the title of this thread is: "Who Do Nurses Make More Than?"

That's kind of interesting, actually... I was thinking the same thing. Given that the post and the title are seemingly unrelated, the OP seems to be wondering if she is able to live a certain lifestyle with a nurse's salary. I don't see how knowing what other occupations nurses out-earn could be useful, haha.

WanderingSagehen · Dec 2, 2012

Its a good living..... but really.... so many nurses became a nurse at a young age (in their 20's), can they really compare salaries? How about you older nurses that worked those lower paying jobs before becoming a nurse. I don't mean you young ones that worked at Mc Donalds while going to school but those that worked low paying jobs while raising their children and then finally got to go to nursing school. Nursing is a great living and comes naturally for many. "It is easier to be happy with money than to be happy with no money, but its more fun with money." I forget exactly how that saying goes. Its never about how much you make, its how much you spend.