How much do YOU think nurses are worth?

Nurses General Nursing

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Personally, I think nurses are grossly underpaid. I am 10 years in and I think I should be earning a bare minimum of $150k/yr. I hear what my friends/relatives are making, who have degrees in business, human resources, communications, marketing, PR, etc. (I'm in NYC) and they make so much more than me. Additionally, they have cushy schedules which allow them a better work/life balance, and they generally talk favorably about their jobs and report manageable stress levels at work.

Are you satisfied with your pay? What do you think nurses are "worth" (in regards to salary)?

Yes- these are both professions dominated by women. Supply and demand? Women accept the low wages.

Everyone should be negotiating pay. This is the only way to improve our situation.

I just put out my rate sheets for this year. I got a $25/hr raise. Yep, I sure did.

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I just put out my rate sheets for this year. I got a $25/hr raise. Yep, I sure did.

Thank you!

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Specializes in Healthcare risk management and liability.
Yes- these are both professions dominated by women. Supply and demand? Women accept the low wages.

Everyone should be negotiating pay. This is the only way to improve our situation.

Mr. RiskManager works in a profession dominated by women, and my salary no doubt reflects that. Given the relatively few jobs in my profession, the ability to negotiate pay is somewhat limited.

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I just put out my rate sheets for this year. I got a $25/hr raise. Yep, I sure did.

NICE! :D

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https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/upshot/as-women-take-over-a-male-dominated-field-the-pay-drops.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com/

We should all keep pushing for more. When the hospital tells you they pay based on years- ask for more. When they say no, explain why you are worth more. Don't accept the offer. I have gotten more money every time.

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Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/upshot/as-women-take-over-a-male-dominated-field-the-pay-drops.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com/

We should all keep pushing for more. When the hospital tells you they pay based on years- ask for more. When they say no, explain why you are worth more. Don't accept the offer. I have gotten more money every time.

"I studied CBA in grad school, and understand the cost to replace me. I'm happy to take half that, which equates to an $8/hour raise."

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NICE! :D

Yeah, well, when you work for yourself you can set your own pay scale. I really did let my clients know that as of 1/1/17 I was raising my hourly rate by $25. Nobody blinked.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
People commonly gripe about astronomical salaries that celebrities (actors, pro athletes, singers) receive. Celebrities' pay rates are regularly compared to those earned by nurses, teachers, police officers, military servicemen and women, firefighters, social workers, and so on.

Here is my controversial view. The vast majority of people in American society are not overly preoccupied with their health, safety or welfare, which are the very facets addressed by nurses, police, soldiers, and social workers.

Many of these same people in society bicker about taxes, yet it is tax revenue that pays for public school teachers, cops, military, social services, and the nurses who work in city, county, state and federal government.

On the other hand, most Americans love to be entertained. The American public places an enormously high value on an optional part of life such as entertainment. The American public places a lower value on mandatory aspects of society such as public safety, healthcare, and education.

This is evidenced by the quadrillions of dollars people collectively spend on movie theater visits, Broadway shows, cable/satellite TV, live sporting events, music, live concerts, Netflix/Hulu, and other forms of entertainment.

Some people are so dedicated to celebrities that they know their dates of birth, filmography of film actors, discography of singers, and statistics of players on their favorite professional athletic team by pure memory. They pay big bucks to join fan clubs, obtain autographed memorabilia, and buy replica sports jerseys.

A harsh truth is this: if the majority of people are passionate about something, that is where the money goes. Will Smith and Johnny Depp receive multimillion dollar paychecks because people willingly empty their pockets to be entertained by them. Nonetheless, people will not readily pay good money to observe a nurse conduct an assessment, or a police officer issue a citation, or a teacher prepare a lesson plan.

Again, why do celebrities receive higher pay than nurses, cops, social workers, military, and teachers? It is because we get what we pay for. It is because the public has shown time and time again that they prefer entertainment over health and safety, as evidenced by the massive amount of money they spend on movies, music, and professional sports.

Nobody in this questionable society of ours would spend $100 million on tickets, food, beverages, parking, and souvenirs to watch nurses or enlisted sailors at Yankee Stadium. They would, however, spend that money to watch professional ball players, or Beyonce at the concert hall, or the A-list actor at the movie theater.

So, how much are nurses worth? Per the American public, we are worth a heck of a lot less than the quarterbacks on their favorite NFL teams.

Sooooooooo well said! And I totally agree.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
Wage/salary-wise, I can't give a number because the cost of living is so vastly different all over the US. I make peanuts compared to what other states pay their RNs, but I feel like I have a ton of monetary cushion because I live in a cheap area and I budget around my relatively manageable debts.

What I think I'm worth as an RN, though... I think I'm worth adequate staffing ratios, I think I'm worth listening to when administrators want to make changes that make my job harder, I think I'm worth acknowledging when patient outcomes are improving... I think I'm worth at least that. ;)

Agree. This.

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Specializes in Neurosurgery, Neurology.
Personally, I think nurses are grossly underpaid. I am 10 years in and I think I should be earning a bare minimum of $150k/yr. I hear what my friends/relatives are making, who have degrees in business, human resources, communications, marketing, PR, etc. (I'm in NYC) and they make so much more than me. Additionally, they have cushy schedules which allow them a better work/life balance, and they generally talk favorably about their jobs and report manageable stress levels at work.

Are you satisfied with your pay? What do you think nurses are "worth" (in regards to salary)?

Really? I'm also in NYC, and as a new grad, I make as much, if not more, than friends in business/HR/finance, etc, who have been in those positions for years. And with all the horror stories I hear about "busy season", I'm very happy with my salary and schedule.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
More like the CEO's wouldn't live in their big fancy houses and drive their big fancy cars. I work for a VERY large, nation wide corporation. My opinion...$75 K for 5 years exp. as staff nurse in post acute rehab.

I agree that CEOs and their salaries are so obscene, it is sickening. However...

Economics doesn't work that way, unfortunately. It is all about supply and demand. Nursing shot itself in the foot by not staying with the times. While other, higher paying professions such as Engineering, Pharmacy, Medicine, etc have demanded higher educational standards, nursing has dug its heels in. Higher barriers to entry in the other fore-mentioned fields have kept their wages much higher and their number of workers lower.

Meanwhile, the proliferation of these for-profit nursing schools that will admit anyone with a pulse has harmed our profession on multiple levels. It is an unpopular opinion, but I believe that had nursing kept up with trends and raised the entry standards, there would be fewer nurses. Fewer nurses would mean more unfilled jobs and more room for salary negotiation.

While my baby brother, who will graduate college this year, has received a job offer as an Engineer making almost 25k more than the average household income, my base pay is almost half that saving sick babies, carrying for confused elderly, protecting the mentally ill from harming themselves, etc. There is no doubt in my mind that my job carries more weight because there is nothing more important than human life....

But very few Americans are pursuing STEM majors either due to lack of intelligence or interest, and we have seen an influx of Asian and Middle-Eastern immigrants take on these jobs and make more money for doing so.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Meanwhile, the proliferation of these for-profit nursing schools that will admit anyone with a pulse has harmed our profession on multiple levels. It is an unpopular opinion, but I believe that had nursing kept up with trends and raised the entry standards, there would be fewer nurses. Fewer nurses would mean more unfilled jobs and more room for salary negotiation.

To be honest, I'm with you on the supply and demand issue, that dangling of the "nursing shortage" carrot continues to drive nursing school admissions today.

I also do think it is as simple as increasing the degree requirement though. Physicians, pharmacists, PTs, lawyers, are all revenue generators with billable hours: the more a company hires within the demand threshold the more money the company makes. Bedside nurses do not (themselves) generate money, rather, they are often one of the largest expenses, thus employers will do everything in their power to hold wages low.

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