Lots of new grades = decreasing salary?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I hear about how nursing wages have been raising over the years, some argue in part to the nursing shortage. I am also hearing that is some areas there are not enough jobs to go around for all the new grads...do you think that this will cause nursing wages to go down? I know people say that you have to negotiate your salary, but if there are only a few jobs open and a lot of nurses apply...negotiating for a higher salary could end you up replaced for some one that is willing to work for less because it means a job...do you think this will be an issue?

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Supply and demand. Yes, if they start hiring more grads, it'll mean lower salaries and less overtime. Some jobs like lawyers and financial analysts don't go by supply and demand because the smarter the person, the more money the company will receive. They're willing to keep those salaries high even if those grads are a dime a dozen while nursing salaries would go down.

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Specializes in Government.

Nursing has a rather fierce wage compression problem (starting salaries and salaries of long timers being pretty close together) so factor that in as well.

I know you always hear about people who negotiate this and that with salary and benefits....I just haven't found that to work too well in hospitals and health care. And forget that if looking at government jobs....rarely any room to negotiate at all. I actually got my community health job because the person they wanted to hire held out for more money. They just went to the next person on the list (me).

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Nursing has a rather fierce wage compression problem (starting salaries and salaries of long timers being pretty close together) so factor that in as well.

I've seen lots of places that are $20-$40 /hour. A traveler makes even more and gets free housing. Nurses also have management options and could get a masters for $70000-$160000 for 40 hours. That's pretty good. Compare that to accounting. Entry level accounting jobs are $20000-$55000 (Big 4 with no overtime pay although work more than 40). Getting a masters doesn't mean you'll get a job higher than 'senior accountant' or 'accounting manager' or 'controller' or 'financial manager' so overall accountants make less if you're not top dog.

And forget that if looking at government jobs....rarely any room to negotiate at all. I actually got my community health job because the person they wanted to hire held out for more money. They just went to the next person on the list (me).

What's bad about an officer nurse in the Air Force? Btw, the highest pay for nurses are government jobs in California.

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Specializes in Government.

Read my post again. I was referring to negotiating salary with government jobs. I have a government job myself, I'm not talking them down.

There is significant wage compression in nursing. I'm not saying other career paths don't have it. And I wasn't referring to being a traveling nurse, just routine permanent positions over a long time frame.

I'm a 21+ year nurse. This is just what I have seen.

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Read my post again. I was referring to negotiating salary with government jobs. I have a government job myself, I'm not talking them down.

I don't know much about other government positions, but military nurses have reasonable increases in pay.

There is significant wage compression in nursing. I'm not saying other career paths don't have it. And I wasn't referring to being a traveling nurse, just routine permanent positions over a long time frame.

I'm a 21+ year nurse. This is just what I have seen.

No argument there. Some states are abysmal when it comes to pay.

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Specializes in Government.

Last post: I was talking about NEGOTIATING a starting salary. I didn't say you didn't get raises in a government job, just that you essentially do not get to haggle over what you will start at.

I have often seen people read business columns in the paper about haggling for a starting salary and then they don't understand why they can't get hired for a government job. It does not work that way.

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Last post: I was talking about NEGOTIATING a starting salary. I didn't say you didn't get raises in a government job, just that you essentially do not get to haggle over what you will start at.

I see what you're saying. My point is that the raises mean you shouldn't need to negotiate higher pay if you've already worked there. Obviously, some government jobs blow, but it should have been known before working there.

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Specializes in telemetry, psych, LTC.

And then there is the issue of even getting a new grad job - there is another thread going on about this.

It is all about supply and demand.

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Military and Gov jobs may give regular increases but the low starting salaries are horrible to begin with in most states. My mom has been a nurse longer that Ive been alive and an RN for 29 years of my life and I have been earning more than her since I got my LPN at 20yo. Why? She chose the low pay but GREAT BENEFITS state job. Now that shes retiring she finds her insurance will be cut off or $400/mo to keep and her retirement check a whopping $1100/mo after 25 years of service. Seasoned nurses are often replaced by new grads to save money and that is why so many nurses have become business minded. Why pay 28 an hour when you can pay 20?

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