The Average Starting Salary of a Nurse
As a nurse you are an educator and an advocate for health, helping patients and their families prevent diseases and manage illness, notes the Mayo School of Health Sciences. Armed with your nursing degree, you can embrace this powerful mission from day one. Your first year annual income should be approximately $43,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, this number represents an average for all entry-level nurse positions in the United States. In truth, salaries vary with location, education and the workplace.
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Location
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If you have the flexibility to choose the city where you would like to work, New York, New York, has the greatest demand for nurses and the best paid entry-level salaries, according to Indeed.com. Salaries in New York start at $50,000. First-year nurses working in hospitals in San Francisco and San Jose, California, receive approximately $48,000. In contrast, their counterparts in San Diego hospitals have first year earnings of $37,000.
Education
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The track that you chose to graduate with a nursing degree also influences your first income. If you followed the recommendation from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and pursued a four-year bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), you can expect a compensation that is competitive with the national average. Alternatively, graduating with a two-year or three-year associate degree in nursing (ADN) from community or junior colleges lowers your entry-level salary to about $40,000, according to Indeed.com.
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Workplace
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Jobs with medical equipment manufacturers pay top first-year compensation, approximately $48,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, they hire you to promote their products, not to care for patients as you would in hospitals. Second most paid jobs reside with civil or social organizations at approximately $46,000. Hospitals pay compensations at the national average. In contrast, nursing care facilities pay their nurses the lowest with an average of $38,000.
Benefits
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Beyond salary, additional perks supplement your compensation. Stanford Medical Center ranks number one on NursingLink's list of top employers. In addition to the health-care coverage, this medical facility pays for 11 holidays plus your birthday, subsidizes training for additional education and provides on-site childcare and pre-school for employee's children.
Catching Up
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If you think that your options for a good first salary are limited, several professional moves can significantly boost your entry-level salary and allow you to catch up financially within four to five years. Take advantage of tuition reimbursement benefits to obtain a graduate nursing program. These opportunities open leadership positions within the hospital, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Alternatively, consider a specialization, such as becoming a pediatric or cardiology nurse, and see your salary growth accelerate.
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References
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- Photo Credit nurse on her cell image by Tracy Martinez from Fotolia.com
