How Are Nursing Salaries Calculated?
More than 2 million people work as nurses in a wide variety of settings, from a hospital emergency room to a cruise ship. Nurses are paid according to many different criteria, including the shifts they work as well and their years of education and training.
Other People Are Reading
-
Annual Salary
-
Nurses are paid an annual salary as a member of a hospital staff, private practice or research facility. Nurses work on staff in many health-care facilities. They often are paid every two weeks based on yearly salary. The average nurse earns a salary of nearly $60,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Per Hour
-
Some nurses are paid by the hour or shift as part of an agreement with a hospital, other health-care facility or nursing staffing agency. Wages typically start at $25 per hour and go up depending on the nurse's experience and area of specialty. Working freelance rather than as staff can offer a nurse the flexibility to work as little or as much as she pleases.
-
Night Differentials
-
Many health-care facilities need people to work at night and pay night-shift nurses more. The night differential payment can be as much as 10 percent of base salary.
Holiday Pay
-
People need health care every day of the year, including holidays. Nurses are paid extra for working holidays.
Extra Training
-
An LPN is a licensed practical nurse. LPNs are required to complete a year of post-secondary education. They earn roughly $20 per hour or an annual salary in the mid-40s. RNs are registered nurses. RNs may complete a degree at a community college or four-year higher academic institution. RNs are paid about $25-30 per hour.
Specialty Nursing
-
Once a nurse has completed her basic education, she may choose to work on additional education in a specific field, such as the care of premature infants. Nurses who gain additional certifications are usually paid more. The amount earned depends on the specialty in question.
Geographic Variance
-
Nurses are paid more in certain areas. For example, the average emergency room nurse in Alabama earns roughly forty thousand dollars annually. However, the same emergency room nurse would earn over $70,000 if she were working in California. This is reflective of increased costs of living in certain areas. On average, housing costs in Alabama are lower than housing costs in California. Nurses may also earn more if the work in suburban setting rather than a rural or urban one. Suburban hospitals may have the financial resources to attract more qualified candidates and thus compensate them accordingly.
-
