Are newgrad nurses underpaid?

ChristyBug · Feb 18, 2009

I think you are absolutely right! I am a CNA, and I know I am underpaid, as are the nurses! But I really don't think pay rate would change the quality of care, mostly because the type of people who choose this field aren't in it for the money; we are in it because we care about people. Sure, if I was paid $15/hour like you suggested I'd sure be a happy camper, but my patients receive excellent care because I love what I do, and I'll love what I do even more when I'm a nurse, no matter what the pay. I think in this economy it is difficult to pay us what we deserve because (at least in my area) there is a much lower patient census due to people being unable to pay for medical care, and patients opting to wait for surgeries that are not immediately neccessary. I think though that hospitals invest in things that they don't need to (for instance mine is laying off people and our Rn and Cna to patient ratio is taking a hit, while they are still donating to charities!), and if they didn't do that they could pay their employees what they deserve. But I think for the most part hospitals across the country pay what their states' averages are and it would take an act of congress to get paid what is deserved. My concern is right now, the new grad positions for RNs and LPNs are dwindling, and I know a few nursing students that are looking for employment out of state! I know our patients need those new grads, the hospitals just dont want to pay to have them around. Anyways, to answer your question about pay, around in Medford Oregon, with 8 years of CNA experience, I get paid about 12/hour, and that's with a recent $1 raise for getting my CNA II Acute Care licensure. I can't speak for the nurses because I don't go around asking what they make, but if they are like me they probably don't get paid what they should. Are you a nurse, and what is it like in your area?

stasis_DC5 · Feb 19, 2009

i think the pay scales are fine the way they are except that hospitals need to pay lpn/lvn's more like how nursing homes do. that and i think that cna's need to be paid a little more than what they're getting right now 'cause i've seen all the things they've done. they put in work.

Rhone · Feb 23, 2009

What do you think about the pay for new and seasoned nurses, including the aides? What is the average pay in your area? Would increasing pay really improve quality of care? Does that even matter?

I believe CNAs do a serious amount of work for the pay they get, but it's not a bad deal considering it takes what, about 6 weeks of education to become a CNA and no effort to land a job, with an employer that will most likely pay your tuition for nursing school? I spent four years on a BA that got me little more than CNA pay (at jobs that were at least as stressful).

But nurses overpaid? The median household income in the U.S. in 2007 was $50,233. New grad RNs easily get more than that with an associate degree. Median RN pay is $61,743.

Your suggestion of $40/hr for a ADN-RN computes to a salary of $83,200; $45/hr for a BSN-RN is a salary of $93,600. What other careers/professions (and I mean ones with plenty of jobs, not ones where you have to have "connections" to get in) can get you that kind of salary with that level of education?

There are certainly problems with nursing (and health care in general), but salary isn't one of them. A hospital (or nursing home) that wants to spend money on improving quality of care would get better results from hiring MORE nurses so their nurses aren't overworked. Increasing salaries wouldn't solve the problem (it would, if anything, be used to justify it--"you can handle all those patients, that's why we pay you so much... hey, don't forget to pay back that nice bonus we gave you if you jump ship.")