Nursing Salary Hall of Shame

nurseygrrl, LPN · Mar 21, 2004

I am an LPN in NY. I made almost $50,000 in 2003 with OT. Without it, I make about $45,000. My salary is lower than most in my area for an LPN because I work for a county facility but you can't beat the benefits and there is neverending OT. The cost of living here is VERY HIGH though.

grandma rn38 · Mar 21, 2004

hello

were i work now, i get 13.50 hr.

Audreyfay · Mar 21, 2004

My winner of a job was in Upper Michigan. I had 18 years of nursing experience and the job offer was $15/hour. Course, cost of living is low, but not that low. I went across town and got $23/hour.

eagleriver · Mar 21, 2004

thanks for your perspective. i do admire those who come from other countries, learn our language, listen to our crap (or remove it), care for our bedridden and are usually pleasant about it.

it's becoming quite a revalation, that most entries for the salary hall of shame are coming from florida! i thought there'd be a few other states out there competing!

i am thinking about sharing the percentage of salary hall of shame (shos) entries to lawmakers and other interested parties, but only as an "aggregate," so nobody can ever discover who individual respondents are.

somehow, i think florida institutions will come out the winner by a landslide!

what is the political implication in having the number one retirement state also be the one with the most embarrassing nursing salary statistics?

i love florida nurses because they do not allow oppressive wages or counterproductive leadership attitudes to influence the quality of care or compassion they express to their patients. what an elegant statement of character!

CCU NRS · Mar 21, 2004

ok, not a salary response, but what i've had trouble with since becoming an rn. still a new grad, but nevertheless.... do nurses all over really cower at the docs and have to put up with their crap all over? is it not our license? i work nights and see what the nurses i work with do and have done. and then, i see what the day nurses have to put up with. two questions: as long as i'm in the right, do i have to kiss axx? and if i do, and my fellow nurses do as well, are we getting paid for it? i make the minimum, have no idea what they make. but this doctor issue really gets under my skin.

noi show proper respect for doctors and i will answer direct questions and give a full report if they ask i will hand them the chart or the labs and explain any absence of same if asked. i do not kiss ass i don't take any abuse, it is life and we are all people i do not take anything from a doctor that i would not take from a person on the street. i have only had two occasions that doctors have spoken in what i would call disrespectful or angry manner to me and both times i reacted as i would to any bully anywhere. i return the exact attitude i am recieving. i have on one occasion also told a doctor to calm down and explained that this is not the proper place for his behavior. he was being very angry and abusive of my manager and i asked him what was the problem and suggested he calm down and she thanked me and asked him to come to her office to continue the discussion. i admit that as a male i am less of a target, i suggest an attitude of gruff humor with doctors that tend to be insulting or abusive in nature. do not take any guff and maker a joke of them by turning it on them and putting them in their place they will stop attempting to turn it on you. the type i beleive you are talking about are bullies and bullies are the same the world over you take the wind out of their sails and they settle down. i have been present on 2 occasions that a docotr has told a nurse she was stupid both however by phone, one cried the other said simply i do not have to take this kind of abuse, you need to come and write orders for your pt i will not take them over the phone and hung up. he called back and apologized. doctors understand that if nurses turn against them their life can be a living hell they can be called at all hours of the night for the most trivial thing say to report a temp of 99.9 and asked if they would like to order tylenol if it reaches 101.0 they can have labs called every am at 0400 even if they are normal, they can be called by accident and told that perhaps the service misunderstood you stated it was their pt but you were attempting to call the cardioligist, you see what i am saying? but i don't think any nurse should let any doctor mistreat them.

MsZurlo · Mar 21, 2004

I'm from CA also. The hospital where I do my clinicals starts their new grad RN's at 26-27/hr & LVN's at 16/hr. Cost of living here isn't too bad. Basic new house starts about $180's (about 1350-1400 square feet) New 2000-2100 square foot goes for about $235-240.

mandykatrn · Mar 21, 2004

I'm from CA also. The hospital where I do my clinicals starts their new grad RN's at 26-27/hr & LVN's at 16/hr. Cost of living here isn't too bad. Basic new house starts about $180's (about 1350-1400 square feet) New 2000-2100 square foot goes for about $235-240.

Where in California are you that houses are going for 235-240?

sjoe · Mar 21, 2004

Eagle writes: "I love Florida nurses because they do not allow oppressive wages or counterproductive leadership attitudes to influence the quality of care or compassion they express to their patients. What an elegant statement of character!"

Yeah, well, their "character" also keeps wages down for EVERYONE! They are undermining the profession.

sjoe · Mar 21, 2004

austin writes: "Where in California are you that houses are going for 235-240?"

Obviously WAY out in the boonies.

TIFFANYLEE · Mar 21, 2004

I belong in the nursing salary hall of shame for sure!
I'm an RN, with 15 years experience, working in, SURPRISE, Florida.
I work 7-3 and last years W2 showed that I made a whopping $28,400 for the entire year of 2003. I work FT, 5d/w.
If I did not LOVE my job, I'd be gone. I make less now than I did as a first year RN, less than I have ever made. Before I took this job, I made $58,000/yr. In the same city. I'll be getting a new job soon b/c after 3 years of this salary, I'm broke.
Do I win????

do you think all the responds for low wage in nursing can be sent to Jeb Bush and the florida board of nurisng , It is a election year !!!

George was just in florida he needs the state I say lets get old geoge to looka the salaies of nursing in Florida and push old brother Jeb in a better direction to help us out !!:rotfl:

flowerchild · Mar 21, 2004

do you think all the responds for low wage in nursing can be sent to Jeb Bush and the florida board of nurisng , It is a election year !!!
George was just in florida he needs the state I say lets get old geoge to looka the salaies of nursing in Florida and push old brother Jeb in a better direction to help us out !!:rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I don't think Bush cares about what I make! I work for a government entity. I am under the Florida Retirement System. The local government dictates my salary and is funded through the state and federal programs. We have unionized, which was not easy. So far, we have gotten no where with salary issues, there is not enough money to fund us properly. The Bush administration is behind our funding. THEY KNOW WHAT WE MAKE. We have already sent our info to the state and have lobbied the officials without success. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE $$$ THEY SPEND, NOT WHAT WE MAKE.

To sjoe,

I know you did not respond to me directly. I thought you should know that

I agree with your statement but for my situation you have to understand the whole picture. I run my own clinic. No Docs around. Total autonomy. It is a Nursing clinic for the underserved. I work M-F, no holidays, etc. I am my own boss. I find it to be a very low stress job compared to those I have had in the past.

I took the low pay job for many reasons.

After all my years as a nurse, I had burnout, I needed a change, and this job is just what I needed to continue my nursing career. IMO, better to stay a nurse than to leave the profession all together. At the time I seriously considered a job sweeping the walks at McD's. LOL.

I am now refreshed and ready to take on a RN position with pay that I deserve. I will not settle for less than 65,000/yr in my new position and will push for 70, with benefits or I will go someplace else until I find a job that will pay me for my vast and lengthy experience.

BTW, My house cost close to $200,000. It is in a middle class nieghborhood in a fairly decent part of the city. A trip to the grocery for my family costs about $200 per week, my electric bill is about $180 per month. I have traveled to other parts of the country and have noticed that prices are usually higher at home, for food and gas. There IS NOT A LOWER COST OF LIVING in the major cities of Florida. Used to be lower, but not anymore. OK, less than So. Cal and NYC but they are in a league of thier own.

TIFFANYLEE · Mar 21, 2004

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
I don't think Bush cares about what I make! I work for a government entity. I am under the Florida Retirement System. The local government dictates my salary and is funded through the state and federal programs. We have unionized, which was not easy. So far, we have gotten no where with salary issues, there is not enough money to fund us properly. The Bush administration is behind our funding. THEY KNOW WHAT WE MAKE. We have already sent our info to the state and have lobbied the officials without success. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE $$$ THEY SPEND, NOT WHAT WE MAKE.
To sjoe,
I know you did not respond to me directly. I thought you should know that
I agree with your statement but for my situation you have to understand the whole picture. I run my own clinic. No Docs around. Total autonomy. It is a Nursing clinic for the underserved. I work M-F, no holidays, etc. I am my own boss. I find it to be a very low stress job compared to those I have had in the past.
I took the low pay job for many reasons.
After all my years as a nurse, I had burnout, I needed a change, and this job is just what I needed to continue my nursing career. IMO, better to stay a nurse than to leave the profession all together. At the time I seriously considered a job sweeping the walks at McD's. LOL.
I am now refreshed and ready to take on a RN position with pay that I deserve. I will not settle for less than 65,000/yr in my new position and will push for 70, with benefits or I will go someplace else until I find a job that will pay me for my vast and lengthy experience.
BTW, My house cost close to $200,000. It is in a middle class nieghborhood in a fairly decent part of the city. A trip to the grocery for my family costs about $200 per week, my electric bill is about $180 per month. I have traveled to other parts of the country and have noticed that prices are usually higher at home, for food and gas. There IS NOT A LOWER COST OF LIVING in the major cities of Florida. Used to be lower, but not anymore. OK, less than So. Cal and NYC but they are in a league of thier own.

What a shame for us !! I guess when nurse's stop caring there will be CHANGE !! I don't see that happening too soon from some of the sorry saps of nurse's that have replied " I am in nursing to help " statement I have gotten .

Take care !