I am taking prerequisites to go to nursing school and I was wondering if nurses feel they are adequately compensated for the job they do. Some of the reasons I was drawn to nursing was for the nature of the job, the tasks involved in being a nurse as well as the salary. With different sources stating that nursing is a high demand field and high job satisfaction (US News & World Report and CNNMoney) are nurses paid enough to do the jobs they do? I have read some comments on the forums and from other sources stating that some nurses feel that they are not and I would really like to get a glimpse of what nurses really think. Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks.
I feel the pay is ok, not saying much I guess. I more resent having no pension other than what one puts into a 401k, or 403b plan. Once retired, it will certainly be poverty. Advice to anyone in their early career or lets just say their 20's put as much as you can into your retirement , make yourself a priority. There is nothing once you quit working.Beyond what you have put in, and medicare, hopefully social security.Course one can always go work for the VA system I understand they have a pension system.
I'm pretty happy with what I'm paid. My base salary is higher than the regional average, and I receive a decent yearly bonus based on performance. Down side? The benefits suck, specifically the medical insurance. Cigna--arrggghhh. The previous poster was right--better start saving for retirement right away, because getting a matching contribution to a 401K is nigh impossible.
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
I have been nursing for 30 years and am pain pretty well at my current job. I have good vacation and education benefits but I get my insurance coverage through my husband's job. He is also a nurse and works via the state system. They have wonderful insurance benefits. I would like to make a bit more, but I have only been at this hospital for 3 years. Still, I make more here than I did in Texas at the director level, and I am the charge nurse here. We live in Seattle now and my hospital is union.
1. An associates degree nurse needs more credits than any other major, and makes less money,
2. most facilities don't compensate for a BSN, let alone a MSN, unless you're in management,
3. new grads make almost as much as an experienced nurse.
Canadian picture is much different
There is only one route to Registered nursing now and that is with a degree.
Top salary in Canada will be over $80,000per annum ( Alberta) when their collective agreement expires in 2010.
This is for a bedside nurse with no specialty.( this is the lowest level of responsibility for the union job classifications)
Salary scales are from 6 to nine years and range from about $23hr to start to well over $35hr.
I believe because of unionization that nurses wages do not vary as much across the country as in the US. Also nurses are not paid for the area they work. Anurse is paid for the level of responsibility and span of control and years of experience.
A nurse at the lowest level of responsibility and span of control (direct care) in extended care gets paid the same as a nurse in ICU or acute surgery or dialysis.
other compensation includes
--paid vacation - many provinces have 4 weeks to start
--paid ed leave
--paid shift differentials
--paid overtime for working on Stat holidays ( and another paid day off as well)
--paid medical insurance (both basic and extended which includes dental and drug doverage)
--pension plan (employee and employer contributions)
--life insurance (paid by employer)
Of course it is never enough, people always want more but when you list it all out like this it looks pretty good.
At this point on my life, I am reasonably happy with my salary. I had planned on working for another year, but with some of my retirement coming from a 401k, my plans have changed. I will have Social Security, and a retirement plan from the hospital, but it's not the best time to use my 401k.
The problem with working in a hospital means that when you retire, you have to start paying a lot more for medical care. Yes, there is Medicare-and Part B costs as much as I pay for my husband and myself. Then there are prescriptions, and Medicare Prescription Plans aren't cheap. Dental and Vision coverage is another expense. Now, my son is a police officer, my daughter-in-law is a school administrator. Both will retire with medical insurance. Why don't we have that same benefit? The only way to get it around here is to work at the prison, and that's not on my list.
Anyway, I'm glad I went into nursing. My husband has been retired for several years, and we can afford to take trips. We self-schedule, so I can usually get time off as needed. I just hope I can stay healthy and retire in the next couple of years!
As a new grad, I think it's relative. Just got my W-2 and in a little under 5 months made over 17K, plus good benefits, retirement, etc. Considering that amount is about the most I've ever made in a full year until now, I'm thrilled. I'm just not sure any amount of money can compensate for the stress, disrespect, various grumpy people, schedule nightmares, and everything else negative I've seen in my job so far.
But sometimes the good things that happen help things along quite a bit!
I am not a nurse yet, so I can't answer the question. And I agree that nurses should be paid more. For the type of work they do. The long hours, having a life (several lives) in their hands, how little respect they get. Especially compared to doctors, they make too little.
But I know I will be happy with the money. This past year, I made $17,000 for the whole year! I have an associates degree as well, but it is in veterinary technology. I work in a CCU for animals. So I do gross things too, I help to save lives, I get bit and scratched all the time. Hurt my back and knees. I have to deal with nasty clients and get little respect from some doctors. I have long shifts where I don't eat and hardly use the bathroom. So I understand that. But I started 8 years ago, and make $2 more an hour than when I started. There is no room for advancement, I can't go on with my degree. I can't pay all my bills, and I have kids to support.
My mother, however, has more money than she needs. She is an LPN, and last year made over $65,000 a year. I see RN listings for $24 to over $35 an hour. I do see some for more, but they aren't bedside nursing and usually require a BSN or MSN. (which I might get one day).
So even though they might not get paid enough, nurses do get paid well compared to a lot of us. The average salary right now is I think $28,000 a year.
I have traveled for over 2 years and have worked 2 full time jobs. We are paid a fraction of what we should be paid. In addition we are frequently not valued by the hospitals that we work for, Sorry but Its a fact. Working in the ER, assignment of 5-6 patients, no ancillary support, and then I have a patient with a strange diagnosis and go to look it up on google and find out the nurses are no longer allowed internet access. So the only option for me to access information is to ask one of the doctors. But i hate to bother them when they're busy shopping on Ebay or checking the latest sports scores. Sorry but it happens because WE ALLOW IT. One more year till my car is paid off and bye bye nursing.
Specializes in ICU, School Nurse, Med/Surg, Psych.
I work in the community setting (low pay) with mental health clients (low pay) for a facility located in Iowa (low pay). Put all those things together and you get a RN with an MSN (BSN required for the job) with 16 years of experience getting paid less than 40K a year in one of the highest taxed states in the union. Good think I like my job and the people I work with and for.
I think I get recompensed very well. But I am young and single. Life is really very good for me. I live well. I live large. I love to take vacations.I think nursing is taking excellent care of me. I might feel different if I had to support children and a husband like some of the nurses I know. But for me, its very good.
Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care, OB/GYN, Peds,.
Don't even get me started on this. I have been a nurse for over 40 years and though I make much more than when I first started, my son made more than me when he first graduated college. Now I have a 4 year degree as he did, so why after 40+ years ???? And what about football and baseball players and rock stars who make much more than we do because they entertain people and not save their lives as we do. No one gripes about the cost of tickets to the game or how much these guys get paid, but let us make money like that and we would never hear the end of it. I think I am worth much more than I get, I usually counsel the docs on what to do te relieve the patients' symptoms. We work hard and are sometimes in dangerous situations, especially in the home care setting. Our work is also physically hard and we have to make quick decisions at times. People will pay to be entertained but gripe at the cost of health care. Pardon me for rambling, but this is a very sore subject for me, trying to support my family and when I see the money these sports guys make it makes me POed. Thanks for listening.:angryfire
lpnflorida, LPN
1,304 Posts
I feel the pay is ok, not saying much I guess. I more resent having no pension other than what one puts into a 401k, or 403b plan. Once retired, it will certainly be poverty. Advice to anyone in their early career or lets just say their 20's put as much as you can into your retirement , make yourself a priority. There is nothing once you quit working.Beyond what you have put in, and medicare, hopefully social security.Course one can always go work for the VA system I understand they have a pension system.