Nursing Salary Facts - You need to know!

OC_An Khe · Dec 29, 2002

There are two issues in this thread, the first is real wages and the second is wage compression (difference between beginning pay rates and expirienced pay rates.) Both are serious problems that need to be rectified if we are to attract and retain people to our profession.

Both problems need the reallocation of enormous amounts of capital and a shift in national priorities.

Nurses must become knowledgeable regarding the ecnomics of health care and be able to prove their economic worth not only to the administrators but to the American public as a whole.

Some of the recent JAMA studies on nurse/patient ratios and the impact that this has on morbidity and mortality are important and are useful. You need to understand the impact that this has on the finances and economy as a whole.

Unions have helped in this area but even they won't be fully successful unless we as RNs convince the nation of our economic value.

emily_mom · Dec 29, 2002

The only teachers I know of that make over $50,000 have been teaching for many many years. My SIL taught for 5 years and with her summer contract, she made less than $30,000. She no longer teaches and makes more money.

Sekar · Jan 19, 2003

Part of the issue is that Medical re-imbursements to hospitals and private clinics are limited by both the government and the private insurance. I currently work in an Internal Medicine Clinic. Yes I work for less hourly wages, but I balance that by having the luxury of working M-F, straight days, with weekends and holidays off. The problem in our clinic lies with the very nature of our patients, most of them are on medicare. Medicare has CUT re-imbursements to our clinic for the second year in a row. The cost of doing our business goes steadily up, but our income goes steadily down. Now I've run a business in the past and that sort of cash flow is not conducive to high pay for personnel, to include the one lone Nurse who works there as well as the Medical Assitants, Administrators, etc.... I don't recall negative cash flow of that sort being an indemic problem in the public school system. That could have an impact on why Teachers are better paid than Nurses.

RN2B · Jan 19, 2003

I have been reading the post on this teacher vs. nurse salary debate and I am just curious... I would like to know where in the world these teachers are living that make $54,000.00 a year? I live in Texas and the starting teacher for Texas in $24,500.00 a year. The nurses in my area (RN) start out at $20.00 an hour!! Which is much more than $24,500.00 a year!! I have a friend in Houston and she has taught school for 12 years and she makes $36,000.00 a year (that sucks) That is just my two cents about the issue!! :confused:

char_future_RN · Jan 19, 2003

I wasn't surprised by the annual earnings, but the "real" earnings did surprise me. I actually haven't thought about that fact before, interesting point tho. :eek:

Granted Fal · Jan 19, 2003

i don't know any elementary teachers that make 54K in a year.

hmmmmmmmmm

LouisianaNurse2006 · Jul 26, 2004

The only "teachers" around here that would make that much money would be college professors! New ADNs make more money than experienced teachers here.

uk_nurse · Jul 26, 2004

here in uk the top professions are teachers, nurses, police and firemen and guess what nurses are the lowest paid of all the professions. We all have our own jobs to do but in my opinion nurses are not as appreciated compared to others, also im sure others would not do a 14hr shift with only 2 drinks and no break! Many of us nurses have and had no choice in the matter.

nycegyrl · Jul 26, 2004

So would you agree or disagree with the wages that are stated? Do you make 25,000 a year or do you make more? This article could be rebuked if everyone compared right here online.

princess_j · Jul 26, 2004

Whoever wrote this article was full of it. I am a nurse and my husband is an elementary teacher. He makes nearly $17k less than I do a year. I do not work overtime either. I am a 8-5 home care nurse who works in an office as a clinical supervisor and my husband has been teaching for 5 years - he also teaches summer school which affords him $2000 extra for the year. This leaves him with a whole 4 weeks off every summer. He does not work from 7-3 - he works from 7-5 or later every day. He is paid peanuts to teach the future of america, be a "strong male role mode" to all of the kids who have no dad, babysit, be a nurse & handle cranky parents. Whoever said teachers make more than nurses need to know some teachers before they write something as ridiculous as that.

Altra, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2004

I didn't quite understand the "real" income reference in the original post - seems like it had something to do with income after taxes? Or was it "dollars adjusted for inflation"?

There are a million variables to how much of your gross salary gets withheld for income taxes - almost impossible to compare one person's individual taxation with another's.

uk_nurse · Jul 26, 2004

[Whoever said teachers make more than nurses need to know some teachers before they write something as ridiculous as that.

well my best friend is a teacher she qualified the same time as i did as a nurse. Her wages as a newly qualified teacher were more than mine as a newly qualified nurse.So im sorry to say i disagree with u. Yes she does work till 4 ish but does get paid extra and yes she does have to prepare her work for the class and deal with 'cranky' parents as u put it. But hey us nurses have to study inorder to keep up with the changes and i deal with many cranky parents, children, doctors etc etc

My friend said no way would she work a 14hr shift with no break. They have their breaks and she said she would not work in the conditions we do as nurses and she could not take on the responsibilities we have, she also said our wages are really bad too, as so are hers. Now that has come from a teacher herself.

I'm not saying teachers are lower than us or anything like that they all do a marvelous job. i was going to do teaching or nursing but chose nursing. Teachers are stressed as they have targets to meet as so do many other jobs. It is her choice if she wants to do summer clubs, but it not compulsory. At the end of the day i have had children's lives in my hands. Everything we do is legal and if something goes wrong we can end up in court and have to explain our actions.............i was over worked, no break etc etc is not justifiable.

Sorry but i have strong opinions on nurses duties and responsibilities and yes i chose to go into this profession knowing all that but I just think nurses need more recognition and more pay and better conditions.