Telemetry Nurse salary
A telemetry nurse earns about $96,410 a year — roughly $46.35/hour, with most earning between $78,270 and $103,800. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Telemetry Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$96,410
Hourly
$46.35/hr
- Typical range
- $78,270–$103,800
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $139,380
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $68,010
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Progressive care certification (PCCN)
- Step-down patient ratios
- Rhythm-interpretation competency
- Hospital cardiac program size
- Off-shift differential hours
About Telemetry Nurses
What they do
A telemetry shift centers on reading rhythm strips and responding to monitor alarms while caring for post-heart-attack, post-catheterization, and heart-failure patients. These nurses titrate cardiac drips within protocol, catch dangerous arrhythmias early, and juggle patient loads heavier than an ICU assignment but sicker than a med-surg floor.
How to become a Telemetry Nurse
Telemetry nurses hold an RN license plus ACLS and a basic rhythm-interpretation course, often building a med-surg foundation before moving to a monitored unit. Experienced step-down nurses frequently add the PCCN credential from the AACN once they've logged enough progressive-care practice hours.
What drives the pay
Because federal wage surveys group every registered nurse into one category, telemetry pay here is estimated from that RN baseline. The modest bump above it comes from the unit's position between med-surg and intensive care — advanced-life-support requirements, drip-titration duties, and an alarm-heavy environment that demands constant cardiac vigilance.
Telemetry Nurse pay by state
Where this role tends to pay the most.
| State | Annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $133,040 | +38% vs national |
| Hawaii | $115,690 | +20% vs national |
| Alaska | $113,760 | +18% vs national |
| Oregon | $113,760 | +18% vs national |
| Washington | $113,760 | +18% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $110,870 | +15% vs national |
| New York | $108,940 | +13% vs national |
| District of Columbia | $107,980 | +12% vs national |
Compare next
Roles nurses weigh against this one.
Telemetry Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Telemetry Nurses make?
- Telemetry Nurses earn an estimated $96,410 a year — about $46.35 an hour, with most between $78,270 and $103,800. Telemetry Nurses aren't reported as a separate role in public wage data, so this is a specialty estimate that starts from registered nurse pay.
- What is the hourly pay for Telemetry Nurses?
- Most Telemetry Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $46.35 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $37.63 to $49.90. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays Telemetry Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Telemetry Nurses, at roughly $133,040 a year, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states. State figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living.
- Why is Telemetry Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Telemetry Nurses as a separate occupation, so we start from registered nurse pay and apply the pay difference these nurses typically see. The figure is clearly labeled an estimate and sharpens as nurses submit their own pay.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
Telemetry Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.03×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2024. Last reviewed June 1, 2025. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed June 1, 2025.