A reader profile study of Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek nurse readers released in 2007 provides a mixture of results, influenced by specialty, setting, and experience. Of the 2,598 total respondents, 1,910 answered a study question about their approximate annual incomes and 1,720 answered a question about their hourly wages for a regularly scheduled shift.
How does your salary rate compare with the Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek readers who responded to this Harvey Research Inc. questionnaire? Do you rank with the more than 14% of RNs who earn between $60,000 and $69,000 per year?

Nurses’ salaries, of course, depend on level of education, years of experience, type of work, and specialty area. They also vary from from location to location. The majority of survey respondents from across the U.S. are BSN grads (39.3%) with 21 to 30 years of experience (33.2%), who work full time in hospitals (49.7%) in a med/surg primary specialty (13.9%). About 60% are not certified in their nursing specialty or subspecialty area.

Of the almost 75% who responded to the question on salary, the average salary was $62,618. This group included nurses who provide direct patient care (46.3%); managers (9%); educators/staff developers (5.5%); APNs/CNSs (5.4%); and administrators (2.6%).
Five Tips

• Tip #1: Know your position on revealing your salary history before you begin your job search.

Do you consider it private and confidential? Are you willing to walk away from a job if the employer demands this information? What if the employer next wants information about your health history? Don’t compromise your values. You can always find work, but regaining your self-worth is much more difficult to do.

• Tip #2: Never volunteer your salary history.

To avoid the salary trap as illustrated above and to secure a fair wage for your talent, sell yourself on your work experience, accomplishments and merits—not past salary. Accordingly, do not add your salary history to your resume or cover letters.

• Tip #3: Be prepared to indicate your salary requirements, but do not volunteer this information until asked or until an offer has been extended.

Again, do not state it on your resume or cover letter, as what you believe you’re worth may be too low once you learn job details during the interview. Do some research to find out what you’re worth. When asked, indicate that you believe your talent is worth a range of salary from low (acceptable) to high (desired). By stating a range, you provide yourself and the employer with wiggle room for negotiation.

• Tip #4: If an employer presses you for information about your salary history, and if you feel that such information is private, don’t simply say, “That’s private information, and I won’t divulge it to you.”

That could be the kiss of death. It’s better to say something like, “I’ve always felt that one’s salary history is a private matter. However, considering my past work accomplishments and talents, I feel a compensation level of (state salary range) would be appropriate.”

• Tip #5: If you do divulge information about your past salary history, never lie.

Some employers may ask you to verify your salary history or request such information from past employers. If it’s found that you’ve lied, you could be fired.
Notable Findings in Nurses’ Earnings by Region

Southeast
Average Annual Salary: $57,261
Average Hourly Wage: $29.60

Florida
Average Annual Salary: $59,204
Average Hourly Wage: $30.00

IL/Chicago
Average Annual Salary: $58,810
Average Hourly Wage: $32.00

Midwest
Average Annual Salary: $53,759
Average Hourly Wage: $29.10

New England
Average Annual Salary: $61,707
Average Hourly Wage: $36.10

NY/NJ
Average Annual Salary: $73,630
Average Hourly Wage: $37.30

Philadelphia
Average Annual Salary: $61,719
Average Hourly Wage: $33.40

DC/MD/VA
Average Annual Salary: $63,920
Average Hourly Wage: $34.50

South Central
Average Annual Salary: $59,288
Average Hourly Wage: $28.80

Northwest
Average Annual Salary: $59,562
Average Hourly Wage: $32.90

California
Average Annual Salary: $74,950
Average Hourly Wage: $41.60

Heartland
Average Annual Salary: $52,771
Average Hourly Wage: $28.80

Southwest
Average Annual Salary: $59,562
Average Hourly Wage: $32.90

Source

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Nursing Education. Tags: annual incomes, average salary, California, Chicago, direct patient care, Florida, Harvey Research Inc., job search, Midwest, New England, Northwest, nursing spectrum, Philadelphia, salary history, salary rate, Southwest, survey respondents, United States. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.