would you be a RN for $11.00/hr?

Nurses General Nursing

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Just for fun lets just pretend the starting wage for an RN (regardless of education just RN) started at $11.00 hr. Would you still be a nurse? Also, what would be an acceptable starting pay for you to consider the field?. Ill start it off by saying no I would not at $11 hr (to much risk, slave wage for the type of job it is etc) and even though our starting pay around here is $27 hr for new grads I would work for about $20 hr. Be honest with you answers :)

Definately I would, no question. I started at $12 an hour 15 years ago. It was not about the money when I started, it was the fact it was in my heart to become a nurse. Yes, I too needed the money, but it was a small part of why I became a nurse. { it might have been less than $12/hr, but it was'nt more}. I live in a small community, and have to travel for work, so what I make now, is below what other nurses make. But there is nothing greater than what you recieve in life, if you are not happy with what you do. :kiss

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Specializes in med/surg, ortho, dialysis, corrections.

2 Words: Hell NO. There is no way I would go to college, get a higher education, pay tuition, get student loans, and work in a place where I could loose everything if I screw up, have the enormous responsibilty of people's lives....for $11.00 hr! If I were a new grad, I wouldn't work anywhere for less than $20.00 hr and even then I would look around for a better rate. When you can make more money as a waitress, and have to put up with the same demanding, unappreciative, demeaning crap as we have to put up with as nurses, without the overwhelming responsibility.

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Specializes in Mixed Level-1 ICU.

Why do we continue to respond to this foolish question?

Smacks of an executive or human resource surreptitious inquiry into what the minimum nurses will work for.

How about if we pay the hospital for the honor of working there?

Ask any of the executives--who've never gotten the blood, bile, feces, urine, vomit, and/or phlegm of a stranger on their skin if he/she will work for less?

And you're asking me if I will!!!!

No blue collar worker--yep, that's you--has gotten a pay raise in two decades.

Don't believe me, check out what the cost of living (the real cost of living) not what the government's inflation figures are (they never add the "volatile" food and energy sector, or health care premiums) in their annual inflation rate.

Sounds like I must be mistaken, right???

Go check it out yourself. Listen next time and you'll hear them excluding,"... the volatile energy and food sector..." when they report the figures.

Since when have stopped needing to heat our homes, eat or have insurance

So, not only have your salaries stagnated for 20 years, but some yahoo wants to know if we will accept fewer dollars to risk our lives and save others?

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Absolutely not, way too much stress and responsiblity for that kind of pay. My son is a senior in high school. He works at a local garage performing oil changes and inspection stickers, makes $10.00/hr. He loves his job, no stress, and his boss treats them to lunch every Saturday.

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Specializes in L&D/MotherBaby/Plastic Surgery.

Absolutely not! I make $19 now as a CMA! I'd never take that kind of a pay cut for such a demanding job. I made the decision to become an RN because I love it, but also because its something I'll ove that comes with a decent salary.....we don't go throught the struggle of Nursing school to earn $11/hr!!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, MS, ICU.

WOW!!! $11.00/HR.....N-O F-R-E-A-K-I-N-G W-A-Y!!!!!! Are you kidding me? The last time I made that much money an hour was when I was in my early 20's....and that was over 15 years ago. How is asking an educated person to work for

The hospital I work in skates around the raise thing a lot...Our administrators all have nursing back grounds but from what I understand they were not very good nurses...and unfortunately they were nurses long ago...which means they think we make enough money!!!! One of the administrators called another nurse I know at home last week to see if she could come in to cover on her day off! When she said she could not the administrator became pissy with her...They expect us to come in on our days off and only pay us straight time. They offer us a paid day off sometimes...but try and take it!!! So, working for $11.....GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Not even an option!

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

Are we talking about in America? In 2007? You're kidding, right?

I'd make more money as a hit man for hospital employees fed up with hospital adminstration that makes changes just to prove they can! Or the people who come up with all the catch phrases we must endure but never change anything.

"Work smarter, not harder."

"Treat all other staff and patients as customers."

and my favorite here in Maine "Give them the pickle." (honest!)

For $11.00/hr I'd never be able to pay off my school loans!

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gee and to think i was making alittle over $11 dollars in my last job as an assistant manager for a fast food restaurant.

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That's a hard question for me to answer. I really want to be a nurse and would almost say that I would do it without pay if I could work at a good facility. Some of the clinicals I have done at some facilities have not been a good experience and they couldn't pay me enough to ever work for them. Another facility I did clinicals at, I loved and would work for them for next to nothing if I didn't have to have a paycheck to live off of.

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(We all know that we could make more money that $11)

Since this thread started as "just for fun, would you be a nurse for $11 an hour". If I had the choice of doing a job that I had no interest in, such as being a waitress, I would pick the job that I was passionate for.

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Specializes in MS/Med/OB/Peds/Psych/HH/Hospice/ER/ICU.

I have been a nurse since 1963.My best times in my career was when I was making $4/hour. Yes, that was top pay back then.Guess what?We didn't have all the rules/regs/JCAHO standards,IDPH rules,CMS rules,DRGs. It was pure, unadulterated nursing care. I'd go back there in a minute!

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Specializes in Range of paediatric specialties.

Emotionally and spiritually I could nurse for nothing. I am drawn to nursing because of my need to care. Yes, I am aware this can be seen in negative terms or positive terms and I won't go into the psychology of Martyr Vs Saint delusions. I get the greatest personal satisfacion when I nurse for nothing when I look after friends and family 24/7 when they have babies or are sick or dying. I take time off from paid employment and move in with them. Today is my day off and I'm off to do the housework for a friend who's exhausted from Chemo. This is what drives me and is part of my personal makeup, criticise it if you like but I am comfortable in my own skin. I would love to spend some time working for a charity nursing children affected by war or natural disaster.

However, politically and economically I am driven by market forces to sell my desire to help people. My nursing skills are a marketable commodity. I had no compunction about being a "mercenary" nurse. When I bought my first house in NZ and needed to make more money I travelled to the US and earned more, was frugal, and with the then exchange rate, paid off my house loan. I ratify and support our Nursing unions pay rise deals with the government . I believe in pay parity and believe that the job we do is on par with other social professions such as police, fire, teaching. I don't believe that as a predominantly female profession we deserve less. I have children to educate, a household to run and ongoing education to fund. Realistically nursing is my source of revenue .

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