Pay increase after 1st year of experience?

I was a new grad when I was hired and started out at the new grad pay rate of $22.75/hour as my base pay plus differentials. I work on a women's services floor of a hospital in the south. I absolutely LOVE my job and my coworkers. :heartbeat Not long ago, everyone got pay raises, mine was $.17/hr. I'm wondering if I should expect or ask for a pay raise now that I know what I'm doing. I don't expect to make the same as the nurses who have been there for years, but I do think I'm worth much more now than I was a year ago. Also, I plan to be in this position, at this hospital for a long time. I have no intention of jumping to another job or hospital. If you do think I should ask for a pay raise, how much should I ask for???
Depends on how your facility hands out raises. I can ask all I want at my facility, but raises are once a year only (July), based on merit and peer reviews. Have you checked to see what is the procedure where you are? I would think that the .17 raise you got was probably the one for the year.Of course, theres no harm in asking. Worse they can say is no. Good luck.

I have only received regular raises at union employers. If you want a raise, then ask. Be prepared to discuss how you have earned it. Longevity raises usually are standard with union shops or an employer that has a clear cut policy in place. Most employers do not have policies for regular raises. Many employers in health care have been cutting salaries to keep from laying off people.

Thanks, Crux1024. I'll find out what the policy is at my hospital. I feel like I am finally coming out of the "new grad" fog!

Caliotter3, we're not union. I'm very thankful for my job and know that the economy is tough now. From what I can tell, there are different levels of nursing, new grad being the bottom and least paid. At $.17/hr per year, it'll take me 6 years to get a $1.00 more per hour.

If that was an acroos-the-board adjustment then you may still have a yearly review to come. Does your facility do yearly performance reviews? If yours is above average you may get another bump - maybe 25 - 50 cents/hr. Best wishes!!!

Quote from ADPIE2008Caliotter3, we're not union. I'm very thankful for my job and know that the economy is tough now. From what I can tell, there are different levels of nursing, new grad being the bottom and least paid. At $.17/hr per year, it'll take me 6 years to get a $1.00 more per hour.

The only time I got raises before any yearly review was if there was a probationary period (usually 3 months) where they did a review, and gave a modest raise. Then, my yearly reviews were based on that date vs my actual date of hire (another way to put off dishing out the dough). Personally, I would not ask - hospital set ups for raises are on schedules..... jme

Quote from ADPIE2008Caliotter3, we're not union. I'm very thankful for my job and know that the economy is tough now. From what I can tell, there are different levels of nursing, new grad being the bottom and least paid. At $.17/hr per year, it'll take me 6 years to get a $1.00 more per hour.

merlee, the evals were done at the time of the $.17/hr raise and I think we all got the same percentage, across the board. Mine was less than 1% but my evals were great. Esme12, 2-4% would be better than what I got! xtxrn, I did have a probationary period of 3 months, but no mention of a raise at that time. BrandybunsRN, that sounds good. I think I will go visit HR soon and ask about this. I would hate to sit back and not ask, only to find out that I could've gotten a bump in pay!

Quote from ADPIE2008Caliotter3, we're not union. I'm very thankful for my job and know that the economy is tough now. From what I can tell, there are different levels of nursing, new grad being the bottom and least paid. At $.17/hr per year, it'll take me 6 years to get a $1.00 more per hour.

Does your hospital have a ladder system? At mine there's a raise from clinical nurse 1 to clinical nurse 2 which happens in a year from hire as a new grad.

caliotter3, a decrease in pay, that would really stink! I'm not complaining about the $.17/hr pay raise. I just want to hear what others have done when going from new grad to more experienced nurse. (Not to say I am now a seasoned nurse, 'cause I've got a long way to go!) hiddencatRN, I think that is what I need to ask our HR department. I've seen the nurse I or nurse II on the job searches at another local hospital, but my hospital doesn't do that on their job listings.