In the nursing profession the salary potential is high. There are also plenty of benefits to go along with it. Here we take a general look at nursing salaries and benefits. Both of these things are important considerations for all those contemplating a career in this field of the medical world.
Nursing salaries are not the same across the board. There are a variety of factors that play a role in how much a nurse earns at her job. The type of nursing degree a nurse has makes a difference as does her level of nursing education. Her years of experience in the field she has chosen also matter as does the kind of work she does, her specialty and the city and state she lives in (in other words, cost of living figures into the salary she will earn).
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) train for a year or two at a community college, vocational school or hospital. Once they graduate they then must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) in order to earn their nursing licensure.
According to the website PayScale.com this is the median hourly rates for LPNs in a select number of states as of May 2009:
• North Carolina- $18.11
• Ohio- $17.72
• Florida- $17.52
• New York- $17.23
• Georgia- $16.25
Becoming a registered nurse (RN) involves more education and more of a time commitment then becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Students in this case must earn either a four year Bachelor of Science degree (BSN) or a two year Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN). Another option is to complete a nursing diploma program. After graduation they then must pass the NCLEX-RN to receive their license to work as a registered nurse.
Data compiled by the website PayScale.com in June 2009 showed that RNs are earning the following median hourly rate in select states:
• California- $33.73
• New York- $27.91
• Pennsylvania- $26.14
• Illinois- $25.84
• Texas- $25.95
It is important to note that nursing salaries vary widely based on specialty. For example, according to Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow (NHT) in 2009 the income of a certified nurse anesthetist ranged from $135,388 to $155,415. For a nurse practitioner (NP) it ranged from $75,838 to $89,392. As previously mentioned this is also tied in with the area where the nurse resides and what medical facility she works in.
Many nurses think about the salaries that they can make in this field of employment but do not think about the many attractive benefits that are also a part of the job. Many of the benefits can add up to many perk and can even increase the pay that a nurse takes home!
Vacation is one benefit. The average registered nurse works 40 hours a week and earns two weeks vacation a year. That works out to be 80 hours. The vacation time you accrue becomes greater the longer you have worked at a particular job. For example, an experienced nurse is likely to have four weeks vacation a year which equals 160 hours a year. If you figure that out on a monetary basis then that is a few thousand dollars!
Sick time is another nursing benefit. The majority of nurses earn an estimated 40 hours annually in sick time. There are some employers that will permit their nurses to accumulate as many as 800 to 1000 hours of banked sick time. It is comparable to a form of short term disability that reimburses the employee at 100 percent of their wages for one week up to as many as 25 weeks.
When most people think of the benefits they get through their jobs they think of medical, dental and vision benefits. These are all very important things. These benefits are generally very good for nurses. There are some employers that will pay 100 percent for the nurse employee but will pay nothing for the coverage of dependents. Others will pay a portion (and sometimes a sizable portion) of coverage for a dependent.
There are plenty of options when it comes to nursing medical benefits. There are HMOs, PPOs, high deductible plans, low deductible plans, etc. A nurse can choose which type of plan is in her best interests and most suitable to her lifestyle. The national average cost of medical premiums for an employee is approximately $500 on a monthly basis. This works out to be $6000 per year.
Other nursing benefits include such things as free medical tests (such as blood work, urine tests, x-rays), education, holiday pay and retirement plans. Overall when you look at both nursing salaries and benefits a career in this field has so much to offer!
