RN Salary: At an All – time High

There are many factors that affect the current RN salary nationwide. The job opportunities for registered nurses are excellent and are at an all- time high. Of course, before embarking on an RN career, there are several things that you will need to take into consideration.

Starting Salaries for Registered Nurses

Although there are many factors to consider, the starting salary for an RN ranges from $28,000 to $50,000 dollars per year. The starting hourly wages of registered nurses range from $16.50-$26.00 per hour. As a nurse advances in his or her career and takes on higher management positions, and if they get more specialized training their RN salary can increase greatly.

Geographic Location

It is important to remember that geographic location affects an RN’s salary very much. For example, if you were to start your RN career at a hospital in Tennessee, you would probably start out at about $18 dollars an hour. An RN who chooses to go to work at a busy hospital in New York City, would probably have a starting salary of about $26 dollars per hour.

The Many Hats of a Nurse

Registered nurses contribute on a wide array of levels, and they also wear many hats within the medical community. Many employers have reported trouble in staffing RNs and keeping them. The opportunities for RNs are endless it seems. It goes without saying that those with the most specialized training will make a higher RN salary than those who have less training. It seems that in the future RN’S with a BSN training will earn more than those nurses who hold an AND diploma.

The Best Employment

Of the over 2.6 million jobs held by registered nurses in recent years, 60 percent of those nurses were employed by hospitals. Private physicians employed 8 percent and home health care only 5 percent. Other services such as employment services employed the rest. The field of nursing is expected to grow 22 percent by the year of 2018.

The Greatest Need

It seems to be that the areas with the greatest need for RNs pay the most. The state of California pays RNs the most at $87,000 dollars per year. Massachusetts comes in second at $84,000 per year. New York, Texas and Pennsylvania follow closely behind that.

Benefits

Registered nurses receive great benefits as well. They often receive packages with educational benefits, flexible hours, bonuses and child care benefits. The career of nursing is in huge demand, and if you have skills and compassion for people, you will more than likely have a career for a lifetime

Median Salary

The average pay for an RN working a 40 hour week (median not starting pay) is $50,000 per year. The upper end of this median pay was $74,000 dollars per year. It is important to remember the cost of living in the area where these numbers that reflect  the higher pay are is about twice as much. It costs about twice as much to live in California as it does a more rural are.

Some of the states with the lowest RN salary are Oklahoma, South Dakota, Mississippi, Kansas and Wyoming. The place of employment also plays a key role in what salary a nurse will receive. Nurses who go to work in major hospitals tend to make more than those who work in private practice. Nurses who work in big hospitals on average make about $64,000 dollar a year.

Dedication and Skill

It is easy to see that the choice of becoming an RN is a very lucrative career investment. If you research the information, nursing careers are some of the best there are today. The possibilities of advancement and the various fields of study are endless. If you have the dedication, the determination and the skill to do well as an RN, you can have a successful career that can bring you happiness and an RN salary that provides you with financial peace and personal fulfillment for a lifetime.