? re nursing wages/salaries in the US

[bubbaray]

I know there are some nurses/former nurses here. If you wouldn't mind sharing or PMg me the hourly rates or annual salaries for nurses in the US, that would be great.

DH and I are having a discussion about this (neither of us are nurses). There was a big front-page article in the paper here yesterday, with a weblink to salaries of various gov't employees. Nurses here are, generally, gov't employees. It seems that many are making $150K in basic wages (which does not include benefits or overtime) -- that works out to $72/hr if they work a 40hr week (I think they work less per union contract). These aren't head nurses nor are they BSNs -- these are RNs (2 year community college program, vs. BSN which are 4 year university degrees).

Just curious. TIA.

[ellies mom]

I know in my area the starting wage for an RN (2 year) starts at $28.

[icunurse]

Here's a link to a general article about regional salaries for 2008 and there is a link at the end for a chart of the US with average salaries.
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Content/Editorial.aspx?CC=108359

Nursing has a huge stretch of salaries depending a lot on location and type of setting that you practice in. I live near Chicago and work in a teaching hospital. I've been a nurse for 10+ years. So, if I worked full-time, I could make about $70k/year (I think new RN's start at $25/hour, not including shift differential or weekend pay). If I worked an evening or night shift, I could make $80k+. If I completed forms for clinical advancement (basically jump through hoops to make extra money), I could easily make $90k+ full-time. If I worked the weekend program, I could make $60k working 2 12-hour shifts every weekend. But that is as an hourly staff nurse. Some hospitals will pay a bit extra if you have a BSN or work in a difficult department, but my hospital doesn't.

If I chose to teach at one of the colleges here, I probably wouldn't break $50k. If I worked in an office, I would be lucky if I made $40k. If I worked for the county health department, I would probably make $40k. If I worked in a nursing home, I probably wouldn't make much money. If I lived two hours south, I would only make mid40's for full-time.

I have read stories of nurses who do tons of overtime for a county hospital and make $150k/year (hence why they are stopping overtime for those employees!). The nearest hospital to me, which is union, pays about the same as the hospital I work at, but with a sliding pay scale (your hourly wage changes with however many hours you are committed to working - so, I would make more per hour working full-time than I would if I only worked part-time). However, the patients are easier, they have more help, etc. Unions are shunned a lot at hospitals, but, if you get the right one, they can really make a difference in safety for both nursing staff and the patients.

[EllasMum]

Hi Melissa - I am in Canada, as you know, but had to jump in on this one. I have a number of friends who are nurses, and have been for at least 10 years. They all make about $32 per hour. Since they can basically work as much or as little as they want, there is the potential for high income. I don't know, $150K per year sounds high to me, unless they are including a great deal of overtime, and working holidays (where nurses often get triple time). ETA: I just reread your post and you said that the $150k did NOT include OT etc. so that amount definitely sounds very high to me. My friends are all BNs with the extra certifications a PP mentioned, and they are certainly not making $72 per hour (though I bet they wish they were! LOL)

Also, I have heard (from a nurse who moved to BC from Alberta) that the wages in BC are a bit lower than they are in AB...

[bubbaray]

Thanks ladies.

I'm pretty sure this reporter in the news story d/n have all the facts. All nurses here are either union or paid union rates plus a management premium. I'm thinking these salaries must either include OT/shift diff or they are for nurse managers.

There has been a lot of "talk" locally about nursing wages because a lot of Canadian nurses were being poached by US hospitals (their education in CAnada is subsidized by tax dollars, so that wasn't going over too well), so they have had to raise the pay scale to retain nurses here (and attract more younger people to the profession). So, I know they are paid well, but I'm thinking $72/hour must be something other than a basic RN wage, KWIM?

TIA!


ETA -- Susan, that's interesting. I have a friend in AB who is an OR nurse and she told me that she makes less in AB than she did in BC. She's an RN, not a BSN, though. I know many BSN's here, but virtually all of them are community health nurses and not hospital nurses.

[ellies mom]

Thanks ladies.
There has been a lot of "talk" locally about nursing wages because a lot of Canadian nurses were being poached by US hospitals (their education in CAnada is subsidized by tax dollars, so that wasn't going over too well), so they have had to raise the pay scale to retain nurses here (and attract more younger people to the profession). So, I know they are paid well, but I'm thinking $72/hour must be something other than a basic RN wage, KWIM?

That's nice to know because the husband and I are contemplating a move in the other direction when I finish nursing school.

[MontrealMum]

There has been a lot of "talk" locally about nursing wages because a lot of Canadian nurses were being poached by US hospitals (their education in CAnada is subsidized by tax dollars, so that wasn't going over too well), so they have had to raise the pay scale to retain nurses here (and attract more younger people to the profession). So, I know they are paid well, but I'm thinking $72/hour must be something other than a basic RN wage, KWIM?


Melissa, I have a few friends that are RNs here in QC, and I've got to say that those salaries/rates are shockingly high. I know it varies by province, but even so, I don't think many nurses are making that here. Yes, ours are unionized also, and most recently had a strike about low wages/long hours two years ago now?

I am not sure exactly what my friends make as I'm not the sort to ask, but based on the cars they drive, clothes they wear, house and neighborhood they live in...you get the idea, it's certainly not 150k. Yes, they make good money, but not *that* kind of money. Again, there is also lots of overtime available, but those figures don't inlcude that. Also, since we have a nurse shortage here, the ones that are retired are more than happy to still be picking up hours from time to time, which tells me that they did not retire at that level. I think either that reporter is looking at a very small, and specialized sample, or there is some sort of error.

[kijip]

Well some examples from people I know in my state:

-LPN with 30 years experience, nearing retirement, who works at a state hospital for the developmentally disabled (hard job!) - nearly $80,000K a year once overtime is factored in.

-Newly hired RN, 1 year out of school- $45,000.

-BSN with 4 years experience- $65,000. But I think she works a reduced week. Like 30 hours.

-Fresh out of school LPN- $33,000.

FWIW, I collect this data for work from people I know have benefited from my organization (and I am related to the first person), I don't roam around asking people rude questions, LOL.

[kijip]

I know in my area the starting wage for an RN (2 year) starts at $28.

Move north! In my county, it is closer to $45K at hospitals anyways (less in offices).

[bubbaray]

Move north! In my county, it is closer to $45K at hospitals anyways (less in offices).

$28/hr with a 40 hr week = $58K

[kijip]

$28/hr with a 40 hr week = $58K

In another thread she said it started at $28K per year. Seattle has the highest nursing wages in our state and brand new RNs don't get 58K base, though they get promoted to that fast and can make that much with hospital shift differentials- more for swing, even more for nights, more for weekends.

[jyllebean]

Wow, you'd have to work some serious overtime to get $150k. In NYC out of school with a BSN a made $68k at a fertility clinic. No overtime/extra holiday pay. I think you can make more if you work night shifts and join a union that is strict about overtime and holiday wages.

Nursing is a great salary right out of school and really flexible, it's great that way. In my opinion though, the ceiling is fairly low, depending upon what you want to do. So while you start making a decent salary, I don't know many nurses who make 6 figures even with years of experience. You'd have to go into a higher level or advanced practice. Unless you wanted to travel or have a horrible schedule.

[ellies mom]

In another thread she said it started at $28K per year. Seattle has the highest nursing wages in our state and brand new RNs don't get 58K base, though they get promoted to that fast and can make that much with hospital shift differentials- more for swing, even more for nights, more for weekends.

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. It is $28 an hour not $28K a year. According to the RN recruiter for a local hospital the starting wage is $27.59 base pay. I did round up a bit.

[kijip]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. It is $28 an hour not $28K a year. According to the RN recruiter for a local hospital the starting wage is $27.59 base pay. I did round up a bit.

That's great!

[bubbaray]

http://www.bcnu.org/contracts_services/provincial_contract/pdf/WagesLTC-case-managers-inserted2.2007-date-of.01chgd-to-2008.pdf

That is the provincial contract for all nurses in BC -- there are sub-contracts too, but that is the main one that covers by far the majority of nurses. I'm not sure how they differentiate between RNs and BSNs. The range as of April 1, 2008 is $27.85 to $44.10/hour. It looks like a BSN gets an extra $100/m and a MSN gets an extra $125/m. I don't think that reflects all the pay differences between the RNs and the university degree nurses -- I know for a fact that community health nurses and head nurses have to have at least BSNs, if not MSNs. The gov't was trying to do away with the RNs, but I think they have relented on that with the nursing shortage.

LPNs are not part of the nurses union here, they are part of a different (lower paid) union (Hospital Employees Union). The RNs/BSN's I know get quite persnickety about LPNs calling themselves nurses. They don't get to do "real" nursing duties, they do more of the, er, grunt/physical work -- that orderlies used to do (but there aren't orderlies here anymore).

[MontrealMum]

I think they've done away with the LPN designation in the States, actually (or maybe just in MI?). I heard this from my aunt quite awhile ago, who is a nurse (an RN), but as the head of a ward in a senior's home she probably does make close to your figures - in the US. I misspoke earlier, all the QC nurses I know are BSNs, not RNs. They're making much closer to the #s you just posted above.

[bubbaray]

Yeah, frankly to an outsider, all the different types of nursing designations are confusing. There are also psychiatric nurses here that used to be considered LPNs, but I'm pretty sure they are now in the BCNU.

[kijip]

I think they've done away with the LPN designation in the States, actually (or maybe just in MI?). I heard this from my aunt quite awhile ago, who is a nurse (an RN), but as the head of a ward in a senior's home she probably does make close to your figures - in the US. I misspoke earlier, all the QC nurses I know are BSNs, not RNs. They're making much closer to the #s you just posted above.

LPNs are still trained and hired in many states. In WA it starts in the 30s or so, some get their LPN and then get their employer to pay for their LPN to RN ladder degree. Some students can't get into the RN program because of a shortage of school spots, so they do LPN first because they have no other choice. My MIL is an LPN, but she has so much experience and on the job training, she is paid very well. We spend a lot of time in hospitals due to my mom and I have not noticed LPNs doing orderly or other cleaning work.

[elephantmeg]

I read this and nearly choked. I make around $29/hr base, plus shift/weekend differential

[ellies mom]

LPNs are still trained and hired in many states. In WA it starts in the 30s or so, some get their LPN and then get their employer to pay for their LPN to RN ladder degree. Some students can't get into the RN program because of a shortage of school spots, so they do LPN first because they have no other choice. My MIL is an LPN, but she has so much experience and on the job training, she is paid very well. We spend a lot of time in hospitals due to my mom and I have not noticed LPNs doing orderly or other cleaning work.

One of the fairly local WA RN programs (not mine) has it set up so that you can take the LPN boards at the end of the first year year and the NCLEX for your RN at the end of your second.