A calling to help others but give me a good paycheck

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

I have the want to help my patients, and I respect their dignity. I don't like not having a raise in two years, and I don't like the shrinking bottom line of money. I have heard chatter of well I am not in this for the money, and I am only hear to help others.....

I call these statements drivel. Everyone needs to eat, pay mortgage, have gas money to get to work....so please don't devalue what you do by saying I don't need a good paycheck....

Decent pay for a day's work

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Specializes in Critical Care.

So why didn't you get a raise? Was it hospital wide? I would look for a new job that may be the only way you get a raise, esp if it's hospital wide. I think some hospitals are taking advantage of the bad economy as an excuse to not give out raises. We still get raises but they are piddly 2-3% nothing to write home about!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I feel the OP...however why is this in the "Nurses Rock" forum; the forum for feeling like the "rock star nurse", great kudos, etc.

Are you a rock star, OP? ?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I didn't notice this was in the "nurses rock" forum until LadyFree28 pointed it out, just clicked a link. So..maybe the wrong forum but I'll answer anyway.

I feel for you, no raises here either. This is not just facility wide but company wide. First raise in 4 years was certainly nothing to get excited about. As a matter a fact, I think I lost money as my insurance premiums went up as well. It stinks!

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Specializes in retired LTC.

To OP - AMEN!!!!

I'd bet the higher uppers received their increments and bonuses.

Also, I've accidently posted in the wrong forum. Easy to do.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

No raise here -- even if we were getting them hospital wide, I'm at the top of my pay scale. It's ageism, I say!

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Specializes in hospice.

I got a 2% raise that will be eaten up by the premium increase for my health insurance come October.

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Specializes in None yet..
duskyjewel said:
I got a 2% raise that will be eaten up by the premium increase for my health insurance come October.

Oh, that's soooo familiar from when I worked for the state. Tiny percentage increase in base pay and huge increase on health insurance costs. Premium and deductible.

Truth in advertising would call those a "lower", not a raise.

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Specializes in Emergency Department/Radiology.

Try being 61, and a nurse for 41 years, and not getting a raise for 5 years, because I am topped out. However, those new coming in still keep receiving raises...pretty soon we will be making the same. It appears that they may be forcing those of us more experienced nurses out the door, or if we get disastisfied, they wont be sad that we leave. I believe through my own experience that nurses usually do not leave for how they are paid but for how they are treated. However, being devalued on a continual basis cuts both ways.

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Your issue of not getting a raise is ubiquitous not just in nursing but across the board in corporate America. When it comes to government jobs, there's often just not enough money available. As for corporate jobs, the life blood of any company is squeezing as much as possible out of the employees for as low cost as possible. Tough break for us.

Fortunately, pioneering employers like Google have started to change this trend by offering the best work environments and pay to attract the top talent and as a result they have flourished. However, I'd say that it's unlikely that this will carry over to industries like ours any time soon.

As for people saying, "I'm in this to help people," I agree that helping people make our jobs more meaningful and satisfying, but you're absolutely right that a living wage is necessary. I find that often times people give this canned response because they are afraid that they must be consistent with the message they relayed in their job interview!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I beg to differ with Valerie99..... close family members in IT are definitely getting very nice annual raises (> 10%), project-related bonuses, $5k per year for continuing education, 100% tuition/certification reimbursement, & dynamite employee purchasing discounts -- like 10% off CARS!!!! All of that & no HCAHPS or Press-Ganey . . .

Yeppers - I'm in the wrong industry.

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Specializes in tele,med/surg.

I like everything OP said. HAND DOWN!:rolleyes:

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