Badly Paid Nurse a Good Nurse

PeachPie · Oct 2, 2006

One of my instructors once said if this was a male dominated profession it would be paid higher. I do the nursing because I have always wanted to take care of people, especially kids. But it does kind of tick me off at times thinking about my husband who never went to college makes $20,000 dollars more than me and I've been to votech and college once for my LPN then once for my RN.

Sadly, this is very true.

nurse4theplanet, RN · Oct 2, 2006

One of my instructors once said if this was a male dominated profession it would be paid higher.

We discussed this in my sociology class last semester, and on average for every $1 that a man makes a women is earning 70 cents...very sad

CHATSDALE · Oct 2, 2006

if a person educates themself to the point tha they are worth X$ to an employer i don't think that it belittles nures in any way i know a lot of people who have gone to trade schools and developed skills where they ALSO deserve good pay...milk and bread cost them the same as it does a nurse don't begrudge the plumber just be glad that they are here

just as a nurse deserves pay that reflects the amount of time put into education, the 24/7 hours that have to worked, the importance of the care of human life, the skills of observation and critical thinking that have to be developed [a sixth sense]

you really have to have a calling to do the job as it should be done not in a mechanical way .

kukukajoo, LPN · Oct 3, 2006

lol, I never had a mortgage on my house until I decided to spend all my money becoming a Nurse! Something better be helping get back out of debt on the other side!

I wish I could say I hope he gets stuck at some real bad facility but I really can't even wish that on this ignoramus.

buddiage · Oct 3, 2006

We discussed this in my sociology class last semester, and on average for every $1 that a man makes a women is earning 70 cents...very sad

Then give men everywhere raises!

nurse4theplanet, RN · Oct 3, 2006

It also bothers me that the writer seems to label nursing still as more of a vocation and not necessarily a profession, therefore not worthy of higher pay. Did anyone else get that impression or was it just me?

tddowney · Oct 3, 2006

Pfft most people smart enough to become nurses aren't dumb enough to be doormats and masochists!

Bingo.

Talented people have options, and most will not go to where lousy pay is the norm.

There are, after all, other professions where one can make a real difference in people's lives.

People who will show up for nursing based on a $10/hour pay rate are NOT going to be good nurses, not as the job requirements are set today.

NurseCherlove · Oct 5, 2007

I can honestly say that when I decided to become a nurse, I did not really know the details about the wages. That being said, let me be the devil's advocate here....Even if a nurse got into this profession "just for the money", if he/she is good at what they do and takes good care of patients (you technically don't have to care to do that), then what does it matter? And with all the hyper-focus on customer service, these people wouldn't last anyway b/c either A: they would receive too many bad comments or B: they would be so miserable they would leave the profession on their own. Heck, even us caring nurses have a very hard time with the miserable working conditions. My patients are sometimes the only thing that keeps me coming back!

The whole lousy system needs someone to shoulder the burden of our struggling healthcare system - look to the nurses as always! Let's milk them for every last ounce of physical and mental energy they have, demand that they completely deny their own human needs, and pay them as little as possible while doing it!! Sounds like a plan! Sometimes I think we are such suckers.

When I browsed this thread initially, one of the first things that came to mind was that movie "Meet the Parents"...the scene where Robert DeNiro tells PamCake's ex-boyfriend, "Greg's a male nurse." And then the ex says, "Wow, that's great. Giving back like that, taking the time to volunteer...". Then Greg says, "Yeah, it feels good, but I get paid for it." HAHAHAHA!

NurseCherlove · Oct 5, 2007

Oh yeah, I forgot to add....what about the likely huge percentage of second career nurses Mr. Friggin Heyes?!?!?! Many of whom have actually left successful, well-paying careers for nursing. There may be a whole lot more of corporate burn-outs who'd love to join the ranks of nursing to "make a difference", but will not simply because of the pay! Does that make them bad, "uncaring" people, b/c they want to maintain a lifestyle they are accustomed to??

This is not missionary work. It is a livelihood. And there are MANY non-bedside avenues for those who hold licensure. I admit, I have yet to read the article, but have read similar ones (likely just recycled mess), so I don't know if he is just talking about bedside nurses or all nurses. Regardless, this cockamaney idea of this idiot has way too many holes in it!

EmmaG, RN · Oct 5, 2007

it's unfortunate that when it comes to nursing, we are made to feel ashamed when it comes to wages. in fact we are made to feel ashamed when it comes to basic needs and rights that other workers enjoy in this country.
good nurses are not in it for the money
good nurses don't take breaks/lunches
good nurses never call in sick
good nurses always put the job ahead of their own personal needs/lives

sorry, but i'm fed-up with the guilt-trips constantly being fed to the nursing profession, especially when it comes to wages and work place issues. we as professionals need to stop feeding into this. think about it, what is a good nurse worth to you as a patient? the word priceless should come to mind.

damn. you nailed it!

Sassybottom · Oct 5, 2007

I don't have access to the article but I can tell you that one of the things a poor wage will do for a nurse is create resentment towards his/her job. Nursing can be a physically and emotionally demanding job - we (and the public) need to acknowledge this and be compensated appropriately.

$ attracts talent and with a competitive wage you will be expected to perform to a certain standard.

A low nursing wage does nothing to contribute to the professional image of nursing.

EmmaG, RN · Oct 5, 2007

I don't have access to the article but I can tell you that one of the things a poor wage will do for a nurse is create resentment towards his/her job. Nursing can be a physically and emotionally demanding job - we (and the public) need to acknowledge this and be compensated appropriately.
$ attracts talent and with a competitive wage you will be expected to perform to a certain standard.
A low nursing wage does nothing to contribute to the professional image of nursing.

Medscape has free registration; good site for CE's too :)

The beginning of the article:

In a recent article titled "The Economics of Vocation or 'Why Is a Badly Paid Nurse a Good Nurse?'" economist Anthony Heyes (2005) argues that a willingness to accept a lower wage, all else equal, distinguishes a "good" nurse from the "wrong sort." Therefore, he argues, raising nurses' pay would reduce the proportion of nurses who have a vocation for it and result in a decrease in the quality of care. Lest such work be taken seriously-or tarnish the reputation of all economists in the eyes of serious scholars of health care-this article, written by two economists who have studied the economics of occupations with a "care" component (Folbre & Nelson, 2000), rebuts Heyes' argument.