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Starting Salaries for Graduating Nurses in California

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First-year nurses in California enjoy some of the best wages in the United States.

Hospitals in California have a shortage of about 47,000 nurses that new graduates from nursing schools cannot fill fast enough, according to Trust for America's Health 2010 statistics. Employers, eager to encourage first-year nurses to join their medical center, offer generous compensations, the highest in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Estimates from Indeed.com for 2010 report that a student graduating from an accredited nursing program sees first-year annual wages averaging $49,000, about $8,000 higher than the national average. Furthermore, education degrees and location may shift this mean wage. Bonuses and benefits can sweeten further hiring packages.

  1. Education

    • The California Board of Registered Nursing authorizes nurses to practice in the Golden State if they graduate from one of the approved nursing programs and pass the National Council Licensure Examination. Two types of nursing schools can receive accreditation in California---two-year programs for an associate degree in nursing from a community college or a four-year program for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from a university. First-year annual compensations rank higher with a bachelor's degree, about $3,000 on average according to Indeed.com. Mid-career, BSN nurses earn $10,000 more on average per year than someone who came out of an associate program.

    Geography

    • The Bay Area pays entry-level salaries that far exceed the California average. Positions in San Francisco and San Jose come with annual wages averaging $57,000 for first-year nurses. Earnings remain strong for nurses that continue their profession in this area. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites the Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara corridor among the top paying areas for nurses in the United States, with mid-career compensations averaging $111,030. By contrast, the San Diego or Sacramento medical centers start first-year compensations around $37,000, based on estimates from Indeed.com.

    Bonus

    • Some medical centers add financial incentives beyond the promise of a generous annual wage. Sign-on bonuses may reach levels as high as $10,000, according to Indeed.com. For instance, Sierra View District Hospital gives $5,000 to RN applicants who accept a position on its staff, according to a job opening listed on CareerBuilder.com. Some hospitals offer to reimburse tuition expenses or will offer cash to pay for relocation expenses.

    Benefits

    • Employers also expand employee benefits to increase the attractiveness of compensations offers. Besides health care benefits, first-year nurses may see packages that include matching funds in their retirement plans, liability and life insurance coverage and extra paid holidays. NursingLink spotlights Stanford Medical Center on its list of best medical employers in California for addressing the needs of nurses with young children and providing an on-site daycare and preschool.

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  • Photo Credit Nurse in Scrubs image by Mary Beth Granger from Fotolia.com

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