Thinking of becoming a med surg nurse? The first thing you want to know is how much Med Surg nurses are making in 2025. Med surg nurse salaries vary according to location, experience, type of role (staff nurse or travel nurse), etc. In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know about Med surg nurse salaries in 2025 and tips to boost your income.
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What is a med surg nurse?
Before we dive into numbers and how much they make, let’s clarify what Med surg nursing is and why it is in constant demand. Med surg nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry. The term “med surg nurse” refers to a Registered Nurse (RN) who works in the medical-surgical unit and takes care of a large number of patients with different medical conditions.
Types of Med Surg nurses and their salaries in 2025
Let’s break down the types of med surg nurses and their salaries:
- Staff med surg nurse
- Travel med surg nurse
- Per diem med surg nurse
What is the average med surg nurse’s salary in the US in 2025?
The average Med Surg nurse’s salary in Oct 2025 is $55.70/hour. Here is the detailed med surg nurse salary in 2025.
Staff med surg nurses:
These are the permanent nurses that work in hospitals. They work either part-time or full-time.
Schedules: Their shifts are day, night, or on weekends. And they either work 8 hours, 10 hours, or 12 hours a day.
Pay: The staff med surg hourly pay is lower than travel nurses, but they get other benefits such as health insurance, paid time leave, retirement plans, etc. The average salary of staff med surg nurses in the US is $56/hour or $2,251 /week.
Factors affecting their pay: Hospital type, location, experience, etc.
Travel med surg nurse
Travel med surg nurses work on assignments. These assignments are typically 8 to 13 weeks. Nurses travel to different cities to fill the gaps where there is a shortage of staff.
Pay: The hourly pay of travel Med surg nurses is higher than typical staff nurses. The average travel med surg nurse salary in 2025 is $52.96 an hour.
Schedules: The advantage of becoming travel med surg nurses is that they can pick their own schedules. They can choose the shifts that work best for them (days, nights, weekends, holidays).
Factors affecting their pay: Housing stipends, Bonuses, meal stipends, travel reimbursement, and higher hourly pay in most demanding areas.
Per diem med surg nurses
Registered nurses (RN) who work on an as-needed basis. They get paid on a daily basis.
Schedule: They work on a daily basis and pick shifts that work best for them. They can work during the day, night, weekend, holidays etc. It is the best way for nurses to make extra money and boost their income.
Pay: The average pay for per-diem med surg nurses is $50 to $80 an hour.
Factors affecting their pay: They have higher pay per hour, but have no guaranteed hours or benefits that can affect their salary.
What is the average med surg nurse salary in 2025?
Here is the breakdown of average salary details of med surg nurses in the US in 2025:
- Annual salary: It is approximately $110,165.
- Monthly salary of med surg nurses: Approximately $$9,180.
- Weekly salary: Approximately $2,118.
Hourly salary of med surg nurses in oct 2025 is approximately: $55.70.
What are the factors that affect med surg nurse salary?
Education and credentials:
Education and credentials play an important role in salary. If you have a BSN degree, this means your pay will be higher compared to the nurses holding an ADN degree because most hospitals prefer a BSN degree over an ADN degree.
Certifications also play an important role in your salary. Having extra certifications in med surg fields such as Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) or MEDSURGBC can boost your pay.
Experience:
One other important factor that increases your pay is your experience.
- Entry level (0-5 years’ experience): The estimated salary for med surg nurses is $$60,000–$70,000 annually.
- Experienced (6 + years): The estimated pay for experienced med surg nurses is $$90,000–$110,000 or more.
Facility:
Larger hospitals or units with more complex patients tend to pay more to the med surg nurses.
Shift types:
Shift types also have a huge impact on nurses’ salaries. Night shifts, weekends, and holidays have a higher hourly rate. Overtime and double shifts can also boost med surg nurses’ income.
Travel nurses’ base pay is higher than permanent staff nurses and they get other benefits such as housing stipends, meals, travel stipends, etc. This can also collectively boost travel med surg nurses’ pay.
Location:
Location is another important factor that affects nurses’ pay, or travel nurses’ pay. Places with a high cost of living such as California, pay med surg nurses more than compared in rural or low-cost living areas.
Travel vs staff pay:
As a med surg you can choose between a staff role or travel nurse role. Both have their own pros and cons. Here is the breakdown:
Staff med surg nurses:
As a staff med surg nurse you get your salary and benefits such as PTO, retirement, health insurance etc.
Travel med surg nurses:
As a travel med surg nurse you get a higher hourly rate, but you don’t have paid time off, etc. With travel nursing, you get other benefits such as bonuses, housing stipends, etc.
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How to boost your med surg nurse salary (both staff and travel nurses)?
- Get certified.
- Choose high paying locations.
- Take high-paying travel contracts with SkillGigs and set your own pay.
- Negotiate smartly.
- Maintain flexibility.
Pick up shifts that pay more, such as night shifts, holidays, overtime, weekends, etc.
Conclusion
Med surg nursing is the most demanding nursing specialty. Whether you are a staff nurse or travel med surg nurse, you can enjoy the benefits of high pay and flexibility. The average salary of med surg nurses in 2025 is $55.70 per hour, but it is important to understand that med surg nurses’ salary depends on several key factors such as education, experience, certifications, location, type of shifts, etc.
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