Another question about nursing salaries

K O'Malley · Jan 18, 2003

Yeah, it would be nice to get raises based on performance. Its very depressing to get a good or excellent evaluation and then be told "unfortunately you don't get a raise because your salary has topped out."

baseline · Jan 18, 2003

Originally posted by imenid37
in awhile, you'll learn even if you made 75-10k it would not be enough to keep most people in this profession too long. it is very difficult. i am not whining but simply stating fact. after almost 16 yrs. i can truly say, it's no cake walk to be responsible for someone's life and to have to answer to management, pt, family, God,yourself (usually your own worst critic) and the drs. and pharmacy (who belive they are God). when you have been working for a couple of years and precept a new grad who has a several thousand dollar sign-on bonus and know your salary figures to less than theirs, you won't be so happy w/ your paycheck either my friend. good luck in your career. sorry to sound cynical, i really do wish you well.

30 years for me..........and I too wish you well. Its not a bad life......but not easy for sure. I am over cooked myself. Stick a fork in me........ I think you'll find Im done!

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2003

Let's see, my friends that got Bio/Chem degrees:

---- Get a set lunch hour, can leave their place of work to take it.

---- Work 8 to 5, no night shifts, no holidays - can take a sick day or vacation without major guilt trips, begging, finagling, or making up the time.

---- Are not forced to endure mandatory overtime.

---- Can leave early to make it to PTA meetings, etc., or at least count on leaving on time.

---- Are not expected to do educational/training meetings on their own time, because they have "a clinical ladder".

---- Are not responsible, as a general rule, for life and death decisions, and the resultant stress of possible errors. And even if they do have some health related professional, they will most likely not visualize the physical devastation and grief involved.

---- Get to wear clean nice clothes, have nice long nails, do their hair up - without the risk of being vomited on, peed on, pooped on, or violating some arcane hospital regulation.

---- They do not have to be always "on". The hospital environment requires us to be always helpful, always smiling, trains us like seals to answer the phone with the right tone/soothing words, etc. Everything is for the nurse to solve, or s/he has done wrong. How many of us can't even go to the bathroom, without being paged overhead for a call light, can't eat (on time automatically deducted from our check) without an MD barging in with some task or question, or have a concerned family member sneak into the dress out room with comments. This would not be tolerated in an office. But nurses have to put up with it.

---- We are exposed, frequently unnecessarily, to diseases, because visitors/MDs/family refuse to obey isolation, visit when ill, or don't want the pt on isolation because it's inconveniant. And of course the suits side with the family/visitors/MD.

---- We are exposed to many hazards: radiation, chemo, antibiotics (making nurses likely to develop resistant illness), antivirals, etc. as well as HIV, Hepatitis, etc.

There are many reasons, why nurses should be well paid, not the least of which, fewer people seek this job anymore.

Curlytop · Jan 19, 2003

Originally posted by On-z-go-nurse
Why is it when a nurse even mentions money we are made to feel like hookers but no one has a problem when they call their doctors office and the first question you are asked is not "what is wrong with you?" but "what insurace do you have?" And yet they get all the hero worship..excuse me, did I say hero...I meant to say GOD! There are things nurses do that people on FEAR FACTOR wouldnt even think of doing! Ok but that is another trend so Ill get off this one. No flames thrown here;-) [/quote
Wow, like "hookers"! I was once the newbie who obviously did not go into nursing to become rich. However, it is disconcerting after 11 years of ICU nursing to see new nurses paid was I was making just 4 years ago. I have received a pitiful 4-5% raise every year (5% being the max for the yearly evaluation). So much attention is spent on recruiting at my hospital- even recruiting new grads from other states- they pay moving expenses and provide tuition reimbursement, and reel them in like fish with "the highest starting hourly pay in the area". Yet, absolutely nothing is done to focus on retention which is so important and yet so overlooked. It's very frustrating and sad to see the number of nurses with even more than 5 years experience overwhelmingly outnumbered by brand new nurses that are in and out like a ever-revolving door every year. Yes, we deserve more and YES --experienced nurses who "stick it out" at their workplaces should be rewarded with bonuses and increased pay!!

Curlytop · Jan 19, 2003

Originally posted by altomga
Is money the root of all evil????? NOT! We have all worked hard, studied long hours, stressed over tests, lost out on a lot of "family time" and as registered nurses are expected to save lives................" NO, it's the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil...........

Curlytop · Jan 19, 2003

Originally posted by Hellllllo Nurse
Originally posted by Nikki:

"hospitals are starting to slowly realize that huge sign on bonuses don't really work, because nurses leave as soon as their committment is up."

DUH! :chuckle :chuckle You'd think they would wonder why so much money is being offered.

vettech · Jan 19, 2003

Originally posted by Liann
I understand nurses being dissatisfied with pay, but at least you GET raises annually. I am a medical technologist (which requires a BS degree) and work in a major trauma center laboratory. We make around 12-16 dollars an hour, work all those shifts and holidays etc and are told that only the nurses get a raise or signing bonus because they are hard to find these days. I am responsible for the blood bank testing and also do all blood gas work. Is my job any less important than the nurse?

By the way, our schools of Medical Technology are closing all over the country, so maybe we have a chance of being hard to replace too...I will be out of health care field by then. Hope someone invents a robot to do lab testing.

I really symapthize with you. My strongest area in my veterinary career was in the lab. I took a job paying $2/hr less just to I could do lab 30 of my 40hrs/week. I spent my day running Gram's, setting up and reading mycology, fecal exams, manual CBCs with diffs (no machines are worth a damn for herp or avian blood), blood chemistries, etc.

When I considerd leaving the veterinary profession, my first step was to look into your profession. Then I saw I'd have to get a 4yr degree to make, at best, a 30% raise. Thats riddiculous.

vettech · Jan 19, 2003

Originally posted by Hellllllo Nurse
When I graduated with an AAS/RN in 2000, I was offered $14.00/hr at a large, for profit hospital in Phoenix, AZ. I already had 7 years experience as an LPN.
Afew months ago, I moved to The Texas Panhandle area. New grads are being offered $14.-$15./ and hour. The cost of living is very high here.

I recetly took a job as the Supervisor of Nursing (just under ADON) for $22./hr. HOWEVER, this huge for-profit corporation does not have any medical ins. available to nurses. Only the DON and administrator get and insurance.

But, the working conditions, terrible morale, and the very abusive, incompetent 80 yr old medical director were to much for me I quit.
The CNAs who have 40 hrs of training ar started at $10./hr at this facility.

I recently applied for a job at a veterinary clinic, as a vet tech. The job pays $10./hr. I didn't get the job, but wanted a big change from what I have been through, and so was willing to take it.

The job, market, cost of living, and what the market will bear vary from area to area.

Of course nurses deserve tons of money for what we do and what we put up with. But, I don't give a crap about the money anymore. I just want to find a fullfilling job that I can feel good about, in an area/facility where I would not panic if someone I loved were going to be "cared" for there.

$10/hr for a non-RVT is good money, esp for the TX Panhandle area. That is, as long as you will be working small animal only.

I've been a tech since '93, RVT since '97. I work overnights doing critical care for a internal medicince/cardiology specialty and make $12/hr with 3-5% annual raises and a decent ($400-500) Xmas bonus but the other bennies suck. I'd estimate that only 10-15% of the techs in this area (RVT and non-registered) make as much or more than I, although I wouldn't be shocked if I was off a bit.

MrsK1223 · Jan 20, 2003

BEfore I started nursing school everyone I knew around me thought nurses made real good money as they put it. My mother is an RN and I thought she made good money then I realized why we haven't seen her much in the last 20 yrs...she's always working. I'm an RN now (sometimes I wonder why) and I'm only make 13.50/hr and I can barely pay my rent and car payment...good thing I'm married. The highest paid nursing job around my area is about 19$ starting out in a federal prison. If I was going to make so little compared to the work I should have done my passion and become a free lance artisit.

shrinkyrn · Jan 21, 2003

I have been in nursing for almost 30 years. I make less actual pay now than I did 15 years ago. I live in rural PA. 15 years ago I lived in CA. the disparity in wage between CA. and anywhere else skews all the averages. I have worked in management, and it is true, as previously noted in posts here, that management puts in more time and makes less actual money than hourly workers-- I am not in management now. I have also worked for both union and non-union hospitals, here in Pa., in metropolitan areas, money is not significantly better. I have been in situations where I was compensated based on merit raises and told, "you have reached the top of our scale we can't give you any more raises". I drive 30+ miles to work here in rural Pa. and although I wish that I made more money I wouldn't want to move back to any metropolitan area. It's not any cheaper to live in a rural area, sometimes due to the lack of competition in commodity we actually pay more. and the gas to travel back and forth in the snow in 4 wheel drive is a killer in gas. After 30 years I still care! I wish I made more money, I am the primary wage earner, but with the healthcare cost skyrocketing (certainly not because WE make that much more) that's unlikely to happen. My work hours SUCK, I don't feel like I have a life except for nursing, I can't get the time I need or want off because "we don't have anyone to work that day" , but then again after all this time that is all I know---career change now?? doubtful. and do what??? especially in this economy. ---- I wouldn't encouage anyone to persue nursing but that doesn't make anything better-- When I was younger I thought I'd change the world too, Emerald --maybe you will and we will all be better for it--- God Bless You and Good Luck.