[RGN1]

Originally Posted by english_nurse

aww im sure you look great in your swimmies

If you're into cellulite & stretch marks I do

[ZippyGBR]

pay is not the be all and end all

just as a question

how much are US based nurses paying finto their pensions ( and for what final outcome e.g. NHS pension equals 1/80 of final salary per year worked up to 40 years of contributions ) for a 6 % employee contribution

does tyour pension include life insurance ( not sure if the NHS one is 3 or 4 times annual salary)

what about paid sick leave ( e.g. for NHS staff with 5 or more years service is 6 months full and 6 month half pay)

annual leave ( 27 leave + 8 public holiday days ,on appointment, going up to 29 + 8 after 5 years and 33 *+ 8 after ?10)

[Silverdragon102]

Originally Posted by ZippyGBR

pay is not the be all and end all

just as a question

how much are US based nurses paying finto their pensions ( and for what final outcome e.g. NHS pension equals 1/80 of final salary per year worked up to 40 years of contributions ) for a 6 % employee contribution

does tyour pension include life insurance ( not sure if the NHS one is 3 or 4 times annual salary)

what about paid sick leave ( e.g. for NHS staff with 5 or more years service is 6 months full and 6 month half pay)

annual leave ( 27 leave + 8 public holiday days ,on appointment, going up to 29 + 8 after 5 years and 33 *+ 8 after ?10)

Pay may not be the be all and end all but it pays a high price in my books and so for a lot of my friends. I have paid just short of 21 years into super ann and I feel my pay out is a kick in the teeth, plus when I started paying as informed could retire at 55 now told won't get a penny until 65 but max payment is 30 years so relatively only got 9 years left to pay.

Once I move to the US my hourly rate will double compared to UK hourly rate and according to a few sources will be paying into a reasonable good pension . Yes vacation and sick time isn't as good as the UK but compared to working in a GP surgery here in the UK I only get 8 weeks full and 8 weeks half pay anyway for sick time

[Myxel67]

Originally Posted by Silverdragon102

Once I move to the US my hourly rate will double compared to UK hourly rate and according to a few sources will be paying into a reasonable good pension . Yes vacation and sick time isn't as good as the UK but compared to working in a GP surgery here in the UK I only get 8 weeks full and 8 weeks half pay anyway for sick time

Not many hospitals here in the US have defined benefit pension plans any longer. Most have 401(k) plans (for profit org.) or 503(b) plans (for nonprofit organizations. For these plans, the employee usually contributes up to 6% of earnings & hospital contributes 3% (50% match). The employee gets whatever money is there at retirement. There may be some union nurses out there who still have defined benefit plans. Also US government still has both defined benefit and thrift savings plans (like 401(k) plans)

The NHS retirement benefit described amounts to 50% of pay for a nurse who works 40 years.

Companies started terminating their defined benefit plans years ago as a way to recoup "actuarial gains" on the value of the pension funds and reduce future pension plan expense.

[cariad]

benefits is something that is mostly available for hospital employed nurses, and you choose which ones that you want to pay into it, and how much. as a travel nurse being employed by an agency my benefits are almost nil. no vacation time, no sick time, and the medical cover is not what I thought that it was. we pay 50% of our physical therapy, 30% of our hospital treatment, and co-pays each time we see someone, and of course for the medications. and of course, we now have to pay over $600 to pay for the medical cover now, and this is all while I m sick with no income.
in hospitals sick time as earned and vacation time is sparse, and very dependant on the senior staff giving you the ok to take it.
regardless of all this I will still be going to be employed after I am well enough by a hospital here hopefully will be still better off than in the uk.

[scott33]

Originally Posted by ZippyGBR

pay is not the be all and end all

God there is no getting away from some people is there?

You are right Zippy, so I won’t harp on about the not-so-impossible 6-figure salary many entry-level RN’s can make in my part of the world, as that would just be crass. You asked about other perks, so I will give you my perspective.

does tyour pension include life insurance (not sure if the NHS one is 3 or 4 times annual salary)

Life insurance: Automatic coverage at no cost, equal to 2 x base salary up to $200,000. Pension...403(b)

what about paid sick leave ( e.g. for NHS staff with 5 or more years service is 6 months full and 6 month half pay)

Sick leave: accrued per pay period, option to roll over, or be paid out in part if unused at the end of the year. At least equal to hourly rate. Option to take out extra short / long term disability coverage.

annual leave ( 27 leave + 8 public holiday days ,on appointment, going up to 29 + 8 after 5 years and 33 *+ 8 after ?10)

20 days annual leave + 8 days holiday + 3 personal days.

Also: Full medical, optical, and dental coverage, at no cost to me upfront (individual). No need for PMD referrals to specialists. Co-pay of $10 in network. Routine dental exams, x-rays, cleanings etc, free of charge. One pair of prescription specks / contact lenses per year included.

Education: Tuition reimbursement of up to $5,000 P/A

Higher basic pay rate for those holding / gaining ENPC, CEN, CCRN, or similar in any multiples.

Incentives for continuing education towards advance practice nursing: 100% funded Internships / onsite degrees, leading to NP or Masters with a handful of places per year, per facility.

Not all bad, but depends hugely on facility and location, and nowhere is typical.

By the way Zippy, do you have a fully vested pension with SJA? Or is it just my EMS lot over here that do that. Well, like you say, pay is not the be all and end all :biere:

[english_nurse]

pay is not the be all and end all????

[Belinda-wales]

Pay is not the be all and end all- but it helps. The thing is you need to plan here for bad times which we did not realise so you need to take out extra insurance so if you are unwell you can still live. Everywhere has its down sides all can tell you is our experence we have both walked and I meant walked in to highly paid jobs the company we work for have treated us really well so far and we both have great coworkers and bosses. All I know is that we are earning two and half maybe three times more than in the UK. We also feel less tired than we did in UK I think thats because OG office hours were long now he isback on the floor he is having four days off a week helping me with the children. We are happy so far but I never count my chickens- as for pension well we have got our 20 years pension from the UK and we are hoping to save 401K about $1000 a month I have know idea if this will be enough I will need to take profession advice on this.

[RGN1]

Originally Posted by english_nurse

pay is not the be all and end all????

Of course it's not! We are all following our calling in life - it's our vocation

[Belinda-wales]

One more point YES the UK has fab holidays but they are not much good if you are too tired and skint to enjoy them I ended up working them for extra pay!