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The results of the 2010 ADVANCE for Nurses salary survey are in! We present them in this story and in accompanying charts. To provide a complete snapshot of your nursing world, we also asked recruiters to share their insights on the salary scenarios they see playing out in their regions.
The 'Who' & 'How Much'
Before we jump into the dollars and cents of the survey, we should establish who responded. More than one-quarter (26 percent) of the participants work in the Greater Los Angeles region, while one-fifth (20 percent) work in the Bay Area. The Central Coast/Central Valley region accounts for 12 percent. San Diego and the Inland Empire each chipped in 11 percent, with Orange County (9 percent), Wine Country/Sacramento (6 percent) and Nevada (5 percent) rounding out the remainder. This breakdown indicates that 95 percent of those surveyed work in California. Three quarters are employed full time (35 or more hours per week). A strong majority - 86 percent - are women.
Based on the data we gathered from these demographics, the average hourly rate for a nurse in California is $45.05, for an average annual salary of $86,786. Nurses in Nevada reported averages of $33.98 per hour and $45,504 per year.
Dennis Yee, president-elect of the National Association for Health Care Recruitment and a recruitment consultant for Children's Hospital Central California in Madera, said the average hourly rate for California is consistent with what he is seeing throughout the state. Yee added that the average annual salary seemed a bit low, commenting that new grad nurses in Central California, regardless of degree but including shift differentials, overtime and unit, work at an average salary of $76,000 per year.
"When you apply the formula that healthcare recruiters use in their metrics, which is 2,080 hours multiplied by the average hourly rate of pay, the number is closer to $93,000 or $94,000 for nurses in California," he said.
Michelle Hughes, BSN, ACIR, CDR, of Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, Reno, echoed Yee's assessment, noting that new grads in Nevada start in the $55,000 range. Applying the average hourly pay reported for Nevada to the formula suggested by Yee, the state's average annual nursing salary would be about $70,000.
Yee also agreed with our data regarding salary by facility type. Nurses working at government facilities reported the highest average annual income at $92,000 - $5,000 more than non-profit facilities and $15,000 more than for-profit facilities. In terms of facility size, facilities with 401-500 beds are paying the highest hourly rate ($49.14), less than $1 per hour more than facilities with 201-300 beds; in general, smaller facilities paid the lowest hourly rates while the largest facilities paid less than midsize facilities.
The Economy
By now we are all too familiar with the perils of a poor economy. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities have not been spared. In some cases, they are among the hardest hit. Our salary survey data certainly lines up with this sign of the times.
Almost all survey respondents who saw their salaries fall saw them fall by more than 5 percent, with a third of them losing more than 10 percent of their pay. The most common reason for pay decreases was change in wages, although demotion and decreased work hours each accounted for 25 percent of the pay-cut pie.
Benefits were reduced, too, for one-third of all respondents, with a small number - 4 percent - losing benefits altogether.
Also as a result of the poor economy, 53 percent said their work plans have changed. Nearly 40 percent picked up additional hours or secondary jobs. Many others delayed retirement, returned to the workforce or put off going to school. Overtime was another popular way to bolster personal bankrolls, with roughly half of respondents volunteering for overtime, although a majority (60 percent) took on only 1-4 extra hours per week.
But it's not all doom and gloom.
If we told you that 50 percent of respondents saw a salary change in the past 12 months, you would probably guess down - and you would be wrong. More than 80 percent of the 50 percent who saw their salaries change actually saw them rise, mostly by 3-5 percent due to collective bargaining agreements or merit raises.
"Even during this difficult economy, nurse salaries overall have seen a slight increase," Yee affirmed.
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