RN told she will now get LPN wages

[Blackcat99]

I am an LPN and I take care of a child in his home. The other nurse who works with this child is an RN. Mom said that the agency told the RN that if she wanted to continue with this child that she would now only get LPN wages. It's a shame to lose this good nurse. She is not going to accept LPN wages so is going to get a new case. Does this kind of thing happen very often in home care? I feel sorry for the nurse because I am sure she is very attached to this child like I am.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Medicaid establishes their reimbursement rate. It is up to the agency to decide wages for their employees. The medicaid people do not care (one exception, that I am aware of, but that was an individual) what the agency pays their employees. A good example of this is overtime. Required by labor laws, but medicaid pays a set rate, they do not pay overtime rates. It is up to the agency to avoid paying nurses overtime. They can pay more, less, or equal to what the reimbursement rate would justify. Their call, and the call of the employed nurse to decide whether s/he is being paid enough.

Good points but a small discrepancy. Per federal policies, I believe that RNs can fall in a class that actually exempts them from legally having to be paid OT. This may be stricter on the state level, but there was a big hoopla over this a few years ago. People went on and on about how it would eliminate OT pay.

That said, because of the way most RNs employed (hourly) and the policies of most facilities, RNs do get OT pay. Most places would have difficulty gettings RNs to work otherwise. But federal labor laws do not necessarily require it due to job classification.

[Kyasi]

Where I am, we have no choice. Labor laws require we pay overtime to all employees. I have employees who beg to work extra hours but not for overtime and I can't do it because of the Labor laws. They end up going to other agencies to get extra hours. I would love to be able to let them work extra without the overtime pay if they want to.

Kyasi

[smartnurse1982]

Smartnurse1982. So this has happened to you too!!!! Please tell us exactly what happened to you. I am very curious as to what lies your agency told you. Thanks.

It seems with private duty issues I should start posting in the pdn forum because I had posted something similiar in the general discussion board and they thought that I was attacking the lpn. They also were saying since its lpn work and I as an rn wasn't doing anything special it was ok for my agency to pay me less than the lpn,and all the yada about maybe she was a better nurse and deserved it. It was never about that but I was trying to see how I could appraoch the agency

About it.

Here is the story briefly:

I got the lpn's paycheck by mistake and found she was making 2 dollars more than me. The agency told me my wages were the going rate for rns. Since that time I had found most lpns within the same agency were getting paid 2 to3 dollars more than I. At least they could have made the pay equal.

[Blackcat99]

OMG!!!!! The LPN was making $2 an hour more than you the RN!!!!! Unbelievable!!!!!! Good grief, I've never heard of such a thing. What was that agency thinking?????? Just when I think I have heard it all, I hear something else that totally blows my mind.

[smartnurse1982]

Well from the responses I got from the general forum,well I will just tell you some of the answers I got when I ask if I should approach the agency about finding out:

1. Someone said ill just make myself look silly because she just might be a better nurse.

2 it was my fault because I didn't negotiate my wages when I got hired.

3 because I and the lpn were doing the same work,if I wasn't doing rn work,why should I expect to get more.?

4.why should iyou get paid more? You only have a adn and you don't specialize.

[Kyasi]

Unreal! I can't believe this! The fact that you were paid less than a LPN and that others thought that was ok. Are you still working there???

Kyasi

[pyrettablazed]

I am an LPN and make more $$ than several RNs that I work with (I know this because one aspect of my job is to evaluate performance and help determine pay raises). My job is in management and I applied along with other RNs, but ultimately was hired over them. The highest paid nurse for our company is an LPN, she has been one for 33 years, but worked for us for only 4. She makes $37/ hr, and this is not agency pay. I felt the need to post because it always seems as if LPNs get no respect, as if what we do is not equal to what an RN does (not pointing fingers, I'm just saying). I am the boss of several LPNs and RNs - believe me, we all have the same exact job. Our staff educator is an LPN, she could answer ANY nursing question you can think of and teaches LPNs AND RNs things every day they never knew. I feel fortunate that I work for an outfit that does not share this line of thinking, and have just as much advancement opportunity as any nurse there. RN is not short for real nurse, nor is LPN short for low priority or low pay nurse, nor is LVN short for low validity nurse.

[Blackcat99]

I was just talking about private duty nursing here. I think management jobs are hellish and are a whole different story. I think that LPN's who are in management should definately be paid well.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

I remember that thread. Can't remember if I posted on it or what my opinion at the time was. Naturally opinions change as situations change.

However for both LVN's and RN's in not good practice for Rn's to be forced to take LVN wages. Not only does it dilute the value of an RN but it does the same for a LVN. If they can pay an RN LVN's wages well Lvn's wont seem much of a bargain and LVn's wages will go down

Lose Lose

[Kyasi]

Most states require that an RN be in management positions in Home Health Agencies. So an LPN as a nursing supervisor isn't even an option.

I think most people here are talking about field staff positions. I for one would be angry to find out that I was making less than LPN's working the same private duty case. In our state, although the work load is the same, there are still some things that an LPN can't do, that a RN can. I respect the fact that LPN's are quite able and proficient at what they do but that doesn't take away from the fact that RN's went to school longer and have had more education. I'm sorry if that ticks off some LPN'sl

[Kyasi]

And the main point here is that the agency does get more Medicaid reimbursement for an RN than an LPN so they are choosing to keep that for themselves. That is dirty business!

Kyasi

[fkpecina]

As an Lvn I would never expect to get paid more than an RN. I mean, RNs do have more education than and LVN. More education should equal more pay.

My brother in law just recently moved to Arkansas and finished his CNA school. But because he is bilinigual, they are paying him more. He called the other day and told me they were offering him 20/hr!!!!! HEEEELLLLOOO!! I worked so hard for my LVN and my BIL is working as a C.N.A and getting paid more than I am?? I was really upset. Not at him, at the situation. I'm very happy for him, but disappointed in my pay. I was tempted to relocate to arkansas myself!!! Heck, if he's getting paid that as a cna, what would my pay be as a bilingual LVN??

So i understand the frustration from the RN's.