There is so much uncertainty after graduating from college, and nursing school is not the exception. Should you stay in your hometown? Should you move out of state in search of higher pay? Should you continue your studies right away or get some work experience first? All these questions and many more are no doubt flooding your mind but don’t worry; just continue reading, and you will find the information you were looking for to help you take that next huge step: finding your first job as a registered nurse (RN). And if what you are looking for are RN jobs in Tampa, we’ll help you get the highest-paying RN jobs the Tampa Bay area can offer.
How Much Do Nurses Make?
Within the United States, there is a huge variation among nurse salaries. Whereas the national average salary for RNs in the US is $82,750 per year, the annual average in California is $124,000, and the average in South Dakota is $60,540. Furthermore, nurse salaries vary greatly depending on the industry nurses work in. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry that pays RNs the highest wages is nonscheduled air transportation with an average annual salary of $112,630 while nursing care facilities pay nurses $72,260 on average. Evidently, the more qualified nurses are, the higher their pay will be as well; RNs who have specialized graduate education can more than double their salaries, as is the case with nurse anesthetists, who earn $202,470 annually on average. As you can see, the question of how much nurses make is not as simple as it may seem.
How Much Do New Nurses Make in Tampa, Florida?
If you are a newly graduated nurse, you’re probably wondering where your salary would fall among all this variation. The annual average salary for an RN in Florida is $72,000; if you work in the Tampa Bay area, this average increases to $73,380 per year. Logically, your salary as a newly graduated RN would be lower than the average salary in Tampa; however, we’ll let you in on a little secret: you can pick up PRN jobs as soon as you graduate from nursing school, and these jobs pay significantly more per shift than staff positions do. In fact, through Nursa™’s healthcare staffing app, you can earn as much as $650 per shift!
PRN RN Jobs Tampa
Once you have your Florida state license, you can use the Nursa™ PRN staffing app to request PRN shifts. You won’t need more than 15 minutes to download the app, answer some questions, and upload your license for verification. After these three simple steps, you will be able to browse the RN jobs in Tampa Bay – or wherever else you would like to work. If you’re just getting started, consider applying for the shifts that others might not want in order to have less competition for the jobs – night shifts, weekends, holidays; not only will you have a higher probability of getting these jobs, but you will make significantly more per hour on these shifts than you would for a regular day shift.
What if I Don’t Have a Florida License?
Florida is part of the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC), so if you obtained your license in another compact state, you can still practice in Florida. Currently, there are 37 states and one US territory that are part of the eNLC, so your license is most likely valid to work in Florida, but if you are not sure, you can check this list of compact states.
Keep in mind that the opposite is also true: if you received your state license in Florida, you are also eligible to work in 36 other states. If you like traveling, you can use the Nursa™ app to find PRN jobs in any state you want. What are you waiting for? Get started today!