How much will you make being a nurse?

How much a month does a nurse fresh out of college able to make?

• I'm thinking of becoming a Nurse Anesthetists. Just wondering though, how easy/hard do you think it will be finding a job right after I graduate college, and how much do you ...show more

• Answer:

  You won't get a job as a nurse anesthetist as a new grad RN. That job requires a minimum of a Masters degree in nursing and a separate certification exam to be licensed as a CRNA. You can get a job as a regular RN, get at least a year of work experience in an ICU before you can go into a Masters level program to become a CRNA. You probably won't get hired in an ICU as a new graduate, so you'll have to work in some other hospital setting - like a regular med/surg unit for at least 6-12 months before most ICUs will hire you. A few hospitals might consider training a new grad to ICU - but not many. New graduate RNs working in a hospital environment will make anywhere from about $25-30 per hour. Could be more or less depending on if you're living/working in a rural vs. urban area, working night shifts, etc. I don't quote monthy or yearly salaries because not many nurses choose to work full-time, 40 hrs per week. Many hospitals give nurses full benefits packages for part-time work - my employer gives full benefits at only 20 hrs per week! Nursing can be very stressful, another reason many nurses choose not to work full time. So it's really up to you how much you want to work and that, naturally, will affect the salary you earn.