[ERRN629]

Hey there! Just wondered if anyone out there feels a little jipped that ER and critical care nurses make the same exact amount as nurses on the floors. In our hospital we have one floor where the nurses pass meds to their 4 patients twice a shift, yet they make exactly what we do an hour for busting our butts with 15-25 patients per shift!!!! And that's not even going into the knowledge and psychomotor skills that we have to keep up with!!! Anyone work anywhere that has a DEPARTMENT differential????

[TazziRN]

No, and I don't see anything wrong with it. We have a diff if you have experience in general, and a sign on bonus for specialty training, but the salary is the same. We may have to know special stuff but they can work just as hard as we do.

[Meerkat]

Originally Posted by ERRN629

Hey there! Just wondered if anyone out there feels a little jipped that ER and critical care nurses make the same exact amount as nurses on the floors. In our hospital we have one floor where the nurses pass meds to their 4 patients twice a shift, yet they make exactly what we do an hour for busting our butts with 15-25 patients per shift!!!! And that's not even going into the knowledge and psychomotor skills that we have to keep up with!!! Anyone work anywhere that has a DEPARTMENT differential????

I'm sorry you feel cheated, but may I ask you please not to use the word 'jipped'? It comes from the word 'gypsy', implying that we of Romany (Romany being the proper term for 'gypsy') blood are out to rip everyone off. For our heritage, the word 'gypsy' is like using the 'N' word to an African American--very insulting.
I'm sorry you feel under-appreciated in the ER. I think we all generally choose our specialties, and with our choice comes pros and cons. For example, I chose Forensic Psych nursing, and I am often at high risk to be assaulted by mentally ill convicts. That's a trade off I make to work in a field I find interesting.
Try to find the bennies in your specialty. ER's sometimes have 'dead' nights as wellas the fast paced night. Maybe ER doesn't have enough bennies for you to find it satisfying for your salary.
But, let me say, that med-surg nurses work their tail off---often getting saddled with 8-9 patients. Imagine 20:00 meds pass...one patient has a feeding tube, one patient has to have crushed meds mixed up in applesauce, one patient has a room full of upset family members, one patient could code any second, one patient is refusing meds, one patient just threw up her meds, one patient pulled out his foley, one patient went down to the cafeteria, one patient wants pain meds and some other nurse has the narc keys, you need to call the doc for a critical lab value and have to hold meds for one patient...all this going on at 20:00 med passing. Those floor nurses deserve every penny, in my opinion. Not saying you don't...just saying that I don't see any clear cut reason why ER nurses should have an automaticly higher wage; even though some nights you may have 15 patients, on other nights you might get 1 an hour. Floor nurses never get that. But I hope you will find satisfaction in your work. We appreciate you.

[begalli]

I would say that until one stands in the shoes of the nurses who have those 4 patients no one can say what exactly they do. I can't imagine all that's done with those four patients is "pass meds" 2x/shift. How do you know that they haven't already d/c'd 4 and then admitted 4 more?

Each and every unit/floor in a hospital is a specialty in it's own right.

Nurses knocking nurses = not good.

[DusktilDawn]

If you've only worked in the ER, how would you know whether or not the floor nurses have it "easy." Those nurses don't just pass meds twice a shift and than spend the rest of the time with their feet up drinking coffee.

[bethem]

ED, ICU, medical, surgical, paediatrics, home health - every one of us has our own specialty. Why should some of us be compensated differently? Additional education can lead to additional pay - for example, a Masters in Nursing can lead to becoming a clinical nurse specialist, and then you get more $$.

We all have the same eduation to start with (in Australia, anyway - you have to go to uni and do a Bachelor's degree to become an RN, we don't have the associate's degree that you guys do) so why should our pays be different depending on the areas we choose to work in? I'm saying this as someone who wants to go in to ICU, too.

[LeahJet]

I tend to agree with the majority here. Every specialty has a knowledge base that is different from the other.
The bottom line is we all work hard.

[anne74]

Wow - I'm totally shocked by this thread. I'm one of those "slacker" floor nurses you speak of. I work on a med/surg specialty unit with four patients, and believe me, we do way more than pass meds twice a shift.

First of all, we pass meds all day long, often IV piggy backs on the hour - some chemo. We implement forever changing doctor's orders, admit/discharge patients constantly, give treatments, change dressings, put in foley's, IV's, NG tubes, monitor tele, chest tubes, JP drains, etc. just to name a few. Also throw in constantly changing vital signs, chest pain, seizures, falls, dropping O2 sats, change in mental status - again to name a few.

What do you think happens to your patients after you send them up to the floor? You think you've cured them, they remain stable, and they don't need any more nursing interventions?

Last week I had a patient seizing, another confused man on fall precautions wandering down the hall, a patient puking and the last one needing pain meds - all at the same time. We never, never have down time. I never take breaks, and I rarely eat lunch. If I'm lucky, I manage to use the restroom every now and then.

Are you aware of how detailed our charting is? Our paperwork load is much greater than the ED's. I know, because when I get a patient from ED, I have to start the admission process from scratch, even though they've been sitting down there for hours.


I'm sorry - I'm just embarrassed for you that you even put this in writing. Try to educate yourself a little bit before you make a judgement. Or maybe you were just kidding - right?

[noc_owl]

Originally Posted by LeahJet

The bottom line is we all work hard.

I agree with those who point out that we all have difficult jobs, and nurses in all specialties should appreciate other nurses, not knock them. I have thought about leaving the ER to find a nicer, less stressful position. I've been looking and shadowing for other jobs. I don't think a non-stressful nursing position exists. Other specialties may have their differences and seem like the grass is greener, but they also have their own set of difficulties.

[traumaRUs]

Having worked in an ER for many years, I think what the OP is referring to is the extra that ER nurses are required to complete. For instance:

ACLS - usually required of all RNs.
ENPC or PALS - you always must have at least one peds cert
PEPP, TNCC, PHTLS - you must always have at least one trauma cert
GENE - is becoming the standard of care for elderly trauma patients

In the hospital I worked at, there was a lot of talk about dept differential simply because the ER must care for ALL patients, from peds to geriatrics to trauma of all ages.

Meerkat - I certainly wasn't aware that the slang term was disrespectful. I have used it and didn't mean any offense. I appreciate the info. Thanks.