and everyone's... OK with this?

Published

lots of hospitals are paying like this:

http://www.mercysiouxcity.com/rn-wages Strangely, people want to either deny that this is the state of things, or say "we should be grateful." No we shouldn't... not for what we do

*edit: sioux city has a cost of living index of 87.5 compared to a national average of 100

Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I've been an RN for 3 years and I make more than the top of that pay scale. I did start out as a new grad in PA making $19/hr, and despite the low cost of living there I still felt like nurses should have been making more.

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ugh... I make $19 an hour before nursing school in healthcare support. Nurses start at 30 here and make more then 40 with a couple of years and some shift diff's. I would not work as a nurses for 20 bucks an hour. I do not think that is "good money" for an educated proffessional.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

wow! our top pay CNA's make 17 per hour! If I were a RN I would be insulted. My years of being an LPN are more than this so called pay scale... wow...

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Nineteen dollars an hour is a good wage for a CNA. There are CNAs who earn more.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Seniority is Definitely a factor! You can not put a price on experience...although the new nurses have no idea about that!

??? Is this seriously the attitude you think new nurses have? That is sad.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

The new grad rate has the same buying power as just under $26 per hour in Chicago. Not top dollar, not bad though. Since they accept ADN, that's a pretty good salary for someone with an associates degree. Many folks with bachelors in other fields would love to make that much straight out of school. And don't forget, the added value of the benefits package can be significant.

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Some of the people here are not getting why you are upset because the pay scale shown is not unlike many of the pay scales they have seen. It would be nice to see a merit based pay scale, but to me they seem very subjective and it allows for only the "favorites" to get ahead and not allowing the rest to progress. If you were upset about the pay, it seems in line with what I am seeing for pay where I live. Your cost of living also seemed like it is comparable to where I live even if it was a little less than my area's cost of living. What I would like to see is fair patient/nurse ratios and better work conditions. Better wages can be dealt with by not accepting a position at that hospital or leaving the job ASAP when you have some experience for better wages. Their competition will force them to offer a better wage over time. For now I don't see anything that is different from what is being offered in my area. It's not great, but not bad either.

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Specializes in FNP.

Hey, I'd have gotten a $3 an hour raise if I worked there. Actually more relatively speaking, since the COL is significantly higher where I live.

I left bedside nursing this year after 25 years, with a MSN, a CCRN and CEN, Clinical Ladder III. I was the highest paid nurse at that hospital, and they told me it would be years before I ever got another raise b/c I made disproportionately more than everyone else. I made $27.45/hour, prn, no benefits.

New registered nurses there start around $17-18, new LPNs about $12 (A good friend of mine is a LPN and after 16 years with the same company is now their highest paid LPN, at $14 and change). CNAs make minimum wage or close to it.

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Not great, but not terrible for these parts...

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Holy cow, I'd have to work for 25 years to make what I make now!

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Sadly, the new grad salary is the same that I made as a CNA in CT many moons ago. It is a very expensive place to live, but I was saving half of my salary per month.

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Specializes in ER.

So, I make close to top of scale where I work, this would be about where I'd be in Sioux City with my current years of experience.

The only difference is, housing is 66% cheaper in Iowa. The wage difference between here and there is less than 35%. So, all in all, I would be better housed there, even making much less.

A salary of $82,000 in Portland, Oregon could decrease to $53,781 in Sioux City, Iowa

Sioux City is

31%

cheaper than Portland.

Housing

is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference.

Housing is

66%

cheaper in Sioux City.

Cost of Living IndexesPortlandSioux City

Overall 11982

Food 108 91

Housing 152 51

Utilities 92 87

Transportation 113107

Health 11599

Miscellaneous 10491

100=national aver

ETA- I think I've seen even lower wages in Florida?? Maybe Az. or New Mexico??

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