Extra pay for certification or degrees?

The Bear · Mar 23, 2004

When I completed my BSN, I asked if I would recieve a increase in pay. I was told that my job did not require a BSN, therefor I was not intitled to one?????????
Moho
Good Luck

My institution paid for my BS and working fulltime and school parttime, it took me 6 1/2 yrs to complete it. I got only 12 cents more for my BS and when I got certification, I got 25 cents!!!

purplemania, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2004

our facility pays $1hr more for BSN. Certs are $0.35 hr more and must be on an HR approved list for your unit. However, most units have at least two and EVERYBODY is required to have ACLS or PALS or NALS (depending on area), so that is an automatic raise. A BSN with 2 certs gets an $3700 or more per year (2080 hrs FTE). We are non-union.

The Bear · Mar 23, 2004

our facility pays $1hr more for BSN. Certs are $0.35 hr more and must be on an HR approved list for your unit. However, most units have at least two and EVERYBODY is required to have ACLS or PALS or NALS (depending on area), so that is an automatic raise. A BSN with 2 certs gets an $3700 or more per year (2080 hrs FTE). We are non-union.

It sounds like that it is more than being warm in Texas, it sounds like you guys are compensated well for degrees and certification. So I stepped out this morning to 27 F degrees with a wind chill of 12 degrees hitting my face and now I hear that you guys in Texas have more than warmth, just another day at the hospital.

mattsmom81 · Mar 23, 2004

Why should Bsn or Msn get higher pay. If they sre staff nursing they are doing nothing different from those with ADs

Other than it makes the institution look good to have higher degreed/credentialed employees, so they perhaps SHOULD compensate, I also tend to agree we should be paid for the JOB we do, not the alphabet soup on our nametag.

With more certs, CEN, CCRN,etc, we may be incurring a higher liability, another thing to consider in whether we should be compensated, IMO.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2004

It sounds like that it is more than being warm in Texas, it sounds like you guys are compensated well for degrees and certification. So I stepped out this morning to 27 F degrees with a wind chill of 12 degrees hitting my face and now I hear that you guys in Texas have more than warmth, just another day at the hospital.

Warmer weather

warmer people

golfing year round

better salsa

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2004

Other than it makes the institution look good to have higher degreed/credentialed employees, so they perhaps SHOULD compensate, I also tend to agree we should be paid for the JOB we do, not the alphabet soup on our nametag.
With more certs, CEN, CCRN,etc, we may be incurring a higher liability, another thing to consider in whether we should be compensated, IMO.

Just a simple old AD type person

just a simple old coutry boy

and I still hit 6 figures every year

maybe its because I am so darned cute

sugarnurse · Apr 5, 2004

I worked for 13 years in ER and relief in ICU. I am an LVN, we had a choice to get certified in ACLS, PALS, and Advanced Tramua, if we did so we were paid more, and could assist with more procedures. So, it was our choice, and some of the nurses decided not to do this, so they could not fuss if I was paid more, I worked for it.:)

ellencrn · Apr 5, 2004

at our hospital we are paid on years of service, not on degree status. if we chose to take the CEN CCRN, etc. they will re-imburse us for the fee of the test. we don't receive any extra for bls,acls,tncc,enpc or other certifications.

our contract does allow for $75 per nurse a year for continuing education.

cinrn68 · Apr 5, 2004

In Quebec (Canada), we have two pay scales. One is for college graduate nurses and the other for Baccalaureate nurses. There are 12 levels on the college grad scale, and 18 levels on the Bacc scale.

Not only does our hospital pay for our BSN courses, we also get a pay increase (up 1 level of the college grad scale) after every 15 credits earned toward our degree, and when we complete our degree, we go up 2 more levels and switch over to the same level of the Bacc scale. For example, it has taken me 2.5 years to finish my bacc, and I have gone up almost $5.00/hour, and I'm not at the top pay scale yet (I still have 7 levels to go). It definitely makes it worth our while to earn our degrees, as the top salary difference is about $14,000.00/year. :confused:

JWaldron · Apr 22, 2004

At my hospital, we are reimbursed for the certification exam if we pass it, but not always for the certification. I have a Med/Surg certification from AMSN, but I am not reimbured for it, because I work on a RHB unit (even tho our patients are acutely ill, and are certainly M/S patients!). If I had a CRRN and work a M/S unit, I would not get paid for that certification. Our union contract stipulates that the hospital must pay us back for the passed exam, or I'm sue they would not. BTW, charge pay is $2 per hour. Don't know what the BSN/MSN diff. is. My Master's is in health care administration, and I am not reimbursed for that. We do not have weekend differentials either.

Savvy

JWaldron · Apr 22, 2004

I realy wasn't even thinking of other ED benefits. If you are FT (.7 and up) you qualify for full tuition reimbursement, up to 12 credits a semester plus books, if it is an approved degree. Approved degrees are usually something already done at the hospital. I got my MA and then my ADN that way, altho I occassionally took more credits than they covered. The catch is, you have to continue working that FT to get the benefit. And you have to pony up the $ up front, of course, as you only get reimbursed if your grades warrent it - a C or better for undergraduate and a B or better for grad school. I'm interested in getting a degree in nursing informatics, but that's not a job title we already have, so, too bad. How foreward thinking of them! I keep saying that I know we have corporate council, so I could insist they send me to law school, but I couldn't do that and work FT. The union, does however, have a free program (including books) for going from an ADN to a BSN and an MSN program. Until recently the only site was several hundred miles away, but they are developing a satellite (?sp) campus about 50 miles away. I suspect the hospital will not have their generous Ed. benefit too much longer.

Savvy

zacarias, ASN, RN · Apr 23, 2004

Does your facillity pay extra if you have higher education or certification? Examples would be BSN, MSN, ACLS,NRP, ANCC certification etc. Our contract is up soon and we would like to get a differential for these things. If so how much does your hospital pay?
Thanks for any info

This is about going to an RN-BSN program so it's sorta on topic :). Anyway, I work at a large university hospital and am starting the RN-BSN program at the university this June which will last a year.

My hospital offers a tuition exemption program where the first six credits of every quarter are paid in full. You either attend school Tue or Thu once a week.

I talked to an advisor at the school to find out how I can pick a day so I can start preparing my work schedule accordingly. They said that using the tuition exemption program, I basically get last pick at days and registering. Also, she said that it's rare that these people get all their classes done in a year because we get last pick.

While I understand I'm a state employee, I am frustrated that while they offer this tuition benefit to its employees, I am at the bottom of the barrell so-to-speak with regarding to preferences.

It's not that I don't have the money to pay full tuition; I just think that since we get this tuition "benefit", we should be treated like the other people who pay full.