Pittsburgh-based UPMC is raising starting compensation for new registered nurses, according to a chart the health system shared with Becker's.
New registered nurses with BSN degrees in UPMC's Pittsburgh hospitals are offered a $41.75 base hourly rate, a sign-on bonus of up to $15,000 (depending on location), and a monthly loan repayment benefit totaling up to $20,000 over three years. Together, this amounts to an effective $52.17 per hour by 2027, representing a 20% increase.
New registered nurses without a bachelor's degree can earn up to $50.42 per hour by 2027.
These wage adjustments solely apply to bedside nurses working in Pittsburgh hospitals. However, all of the nearly 23,000 registered nurses who are not represented by union bargaining units at UPMC will receive similar percentage increases, UPMC Chief Nurse Executive Maribeth McLaughlin, BSN, RN, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"We look at the market every year to ensure our nurses have the best economic package and work environment," Ms. McLaughlin said. "Everyone will see wage adjustments."
UPMC operates more than 40 hospitals and 800 outpatient sites across Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. Union nurses at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh approved a new labor contract with raises earlier in October.