how much do a nurse make
Average Nursing Pay in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses earned an average of $33.23 per hour across all specialties as of May 2011, and a mean annual income of about $69,110. However, the practice area of a nurse can have a large impact on expected salary. A salary survey conducted by RN Magazine in April 2009 found that pediatric nurses earned an average of $31 per hour, similar to the average hourly pay earned by RNs specializing in oncology and ambulatory surgery.