Starting Salary for Nurses

Being a nurse is no simple task, it requires a whole lot of patience, understanding and a genuine interest in helping others. If you've decided to go in for this medical job and become a nurse, then it is best that you know the starting salary for this profession. A knowledge of nursing will allow you to have a choice in choosing your field of study perhaps, or to plan for a better future. In the article that follows, we shall give you the figures of the starting salary for nurses and provide you with an overview of the same.

Average Starting Salary - Overview

It has been studied that the average starting nurse salary for registered nurses falls in the range of $20 - $26 at an hourly rate and $39,000 - $54,000 per annum. This figure stays constant for the first 4 years of their career, changing very little and not very drastically at all. But of course, one has to also factor in the different reasons due to which, the salary ranges for jobs can undergo a change. These factors include the location of job, city of work, years of experience, the stream of education and the gender. It has been seen that the starting salary for male nurses is usually lower than their female counterparts. The starting salary figures might be quite modest, but all these factors will lead to an increase in the figures as well. And with years of experience, the salary of a nurse will increase further.

Snapshot of Average Salaries (Different Streams)

Here is a brief account of the average salary for nurses from different streams and expertise. This will help in getting a clearer understanding of the situation.

Stream	Average Salary (Yearly)
Registered Nurses	$39,000 - $54,000
Nurse Practitioner	$60,000 - $76,000
Practical Nurse	$28,000 - $40,000
Emergency Room Nurse	$39,000 - $58,000
Critical Care	$50,000 - $57,000
Nurse Anesthetist	$100,000 - $146,000
Public Health Nurse	$41,000 - $65,000
Flight Nurse	$51,000 - $78,000
Pediatric Nurse	$41,000 - $51,000
Intensive Care Unit Nurse	$39,000 - $61,000
General Duty Nurse	$38,000 - $54,000
Staff Nurse	$41,000 - $59,000
Office Nurse	$33,000 - $43,000
Occupational Nurse	$54,000 - $70,000
Geriatric Nurse	$48,000 - $66,000
Obstetrics Nurse	$58,000 - $66,000
Industrial Nurse	$45,000 - $60,000
Head Nurse	$60,000 - $88,000
Psychiatric Nurse	$50,000 - $56,000

P.S. ~ Please understand that these figures only give an approximate range of the average starting salary and that they are prone to change based on a number of factors like the location, education and policies of the industries.

One has to understand that one cannot give an exact figure of the salary ranges only because there are several factors that influence them. It has to be also understood that the company of hire will lead to a change in the starting salary as well. A nurse working in a private organization, for example, will have a greater starting figure than a nurse working for a government organization. And even then the policy of the company will determine and influence the starting salary ranges.

And now that you have a clear idea of what the starting salary of nurses of different streams is like, you can go on to plan the field of nursing you want to get into. But keep in mind the fact that these numbers will increase over a period of time. All the best!