Why am I starting out making 19 an hour?

[NewgradMary]

I just got hired into a new grad residency program making 19 an hour. It is a small hospital, but I know other students who got hired at bigger hospitals in big cities also making around the same amount. Yearly this adds up to about 35,000 not including the taxes that will be taken out. This seems extremely low. I was under the impression I would be making at least 50,000 starting out. Is this normal?

[llg, PhD, RN]

That $19 per hour is probably not including shift differentials, etc. By the time the differentials are added in, it will be over $20.00 per hour. Also, you will probably work a few extra hours throughout the year ... which is how the "typical income for a new grad" increases from $35,000 per year to somewhere approaching $50,000.

That $35,000 figure is assuming that you will not get any differentials for night shift, weekends, or holidays ... and that you will never work more than 36 hours per week. In reality, you will probably work some extra hours now and then -- and some of your hours will be paid at a higher rate because of the "off shift" differentials.

[RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN]

I start a New Grad residency next month. $21/hr which is exactly what every other new grad at this hospital makes. My son graduated college in Dec and started working at the construction company my husband works for (an administrative position). He's 23 and makes far more than I will be making.

[T-Bird78]

New nurse in a small, rural hospital, that's why. I'm in the south and my first job (office setting) was $14/hour and now I'm at $18/hour in a larger clinic setting with 6 years experience. Be glad you're starting at $19 because I'd love to reach that one day soon.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

In addition to everything else already mentioned, remember that you are a new grad: unless you have some extraordinary talent or skill that you haven't disclosed (bilingual, extra training, prior LVN experience, etc.), you don't really have a lot of negotiating leverage and are going to start at the low end of the salary scale because you are an inexperienced RN.

My first job was $22/hr plus diffs...which was actually higher than the medical hospitals in the area. Fast forward several years later, and I'm making more than twice that amount. You need to be patient and pay your dues.

[MurseJJ]

Wow, I can't even imagine these salaries! But I guess, as others mentioned, it is location dependent. I work as an unlicensed PCA at a hospital in NYC, making $20/hr, plus night diff (though I'll be starting a new position for BSN students that is a couple dollars less)...apparently other hospitals in the city pay techs/PCAs more...but yes, cost of living...

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

Cost of living, people. A new grad in a southern rural hospital with very low cost of living will not and should not make as much as a new grad in California or NYC where the col is astronomical.

The house that costs about 80-90k in the south will easily cost triple that in California. Gas and food are also significantly cheaper.

[caliotter3]

As I recall, the median cost of a house in the SF area is about $980,000. This is what defines the rates of pay in that area and anywhere else. Even so, the majority of nurses in SF can not afford to buy a house unless their spouse is bringing in a high salary and there are three or four jobs between the couple. RNs with skills and experience make more than $19 an hour in SF, but not a rate that is commensurate with that kind of mortgage payment, or rent. Employers know how desirable a nursing job is in SF, and they pay as low as they can get away with there, just like any employer does anywhere else.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

My assumption was based on the fact that I thought the average salary was 60,000 for nurses (based on sites like salary.com) I didn't think that meant starting out at 35,000.

How did you think averages are calculated?

Basing your expectations on Salary.com's AVERAGE nursing salary is totally unrealistic. Averages are based upon salaries of specialized nurses with 20, 30, 40 years of experience, as well as new nurses.

And your BSN will not earn you much if any more $$ than an ASN. The highest difference I've heard of is $ .50 to $1.00 more.

Read some more threads here from folks who have spent months/years trying to find a job. Congrats on your new job!!

[MurseJJ]

I wonder what physician salaries are like in these same areas...

[mommy2anangel]

Yeah, new grads start out at $19/hour here in Oklahoma. I've got 20 years of experience and currently teach and make less than $50,000. When I worked as a case-manager, I made less than $40,000. Even when I worked on the floor as charge, I only made about $55,000.

[flyersfan88]

I do believe you answered your own question, so I'm not sure what the mystery is here.

My advice.... if you want big city money, move to a big city.

[817nurse]

My assumption was based on the fact that I thought the average salary was 60,000 for nurses (based on sites like salary.com) I didn't think that meant starting out at 35,000

The average yearly pay for nurses is bumped upward by seasoned nurses who earn in excess of $100k annually in expensive cities like NYC and San Francisco. It is also bumped downward by new grads who earn less than $40k a year in inexpensive places like rural Missouri or small town Virginia, like you.

Just because you become a nurse doesn't mean you are entitled to a starting wage of $60k by default. Pay is affected by many things.