Raises

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

So I just got my raise. I knew what it was going to be. It ended up being a hair under 3% ... 71 cents more per hour.

I know I should be grateful, but this hospital that I work at pays so low. New grads at other hospitals are making more than nurses with two years of experience at my facility. I am tempted to jump ship but would most likely have to go back to nights and possibly working every other weekend versus every third.

How about you? Have you gotten a raise? Does mine suck as much as I think it does? For what it's worth, health insurance only increased by a buck more.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

It is well known in nursing that the only way to get a decent raise is to change jobs every couple of years. Whether or not we think it is a "fair" raise for you really doesn't matter. We don't have to live on it. You do. Right?

Don't count out changing employers on assumptions. Look at the openings on websites and apply to any that appeal to you.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
It is well known in nursing that the only way to get a decent raise is to change jobs every couple of years. Whether or not we think it is a "fair" raise for you really doesn't matter. We don't have to live on it. You do. Right?

Don't count out changing employers on assumptions. Look at the openings on websites and apply to any that appeal to you.

That is true though I did job hop into this job and took a small pay cut (to work in my specialty).

I just don't know where I would go...whether to stay in NICU, go back to med-surg or try something else. The other hospitals in my area (from what I know) are pretty stringent on their pay scales, but I know I would get at least a couple bucks more an hour than what I am making now.

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I'm union. We just negotiated and got back pay and are in the last year of a contract.

I make pennies, anyway, so every bit counts.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Go agency or short-term travel contracts. Or pick something you're good at and needed as a skill and throw nets around skilled facilities. SNFs pay good money for sticking IVs or changing wound vacs. You

Waiting for your employer to get your "compensation" where it rightfully should be will take till you retire and then infinity. So, if you like the place you work in otherwise and $$$ is only one question, get creative with your spare time.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Go agency or short-term travel contracts. Or pick something you're good at and needed as a skill and throw nets around skilled facilities. SNFs pay good money for sticking IVs or changing wound vacs. You

Waiting for your employer to get your "compensation" where it rightfully should be will take till you retire and then infinity. So, if you like the place you work in otherwise and $$$ is only one question, get creative with your spare time.

I have a contingent job that currently pays 11 dollars more per hour than my FT job, and I try to pick up shifts that give me the night shift differential (slightly under five bucks/hr).

I definitely need to find a way to get more skills. I hope to go back to grad school in the fall, but if that doesn't pan out, I do like the idea of joining a float pool. That will automatically bring my pay up at least another three dollars more per hour.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
I'm union. We just negotiated and got back pay and are in the last year of a contract.

I make pennies, anyway, so every bit counts.

Ah unions...would love to start one at my hospital.

It is good that they back-paid you!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I've been in this business for 40 years ... and my opinion is that work environment, work happiness, good co-workers, good schedule, etc. ... outweigh small-to-moderate pay differences. If I am generally satisfied with my job, I will sacrifice a bit in pay. Being miserable is just not worth a few bucks to me. I have learned to let that principle guide my decisions on such things. At this point in life, you couldn't pay me enough to be willing to miserable all the time.

I haven't gotten a raise in 5 or 6 years because I am at the top of the payscale for my job -- and my employer never gives a "cost-of-living" raise. They usually give yearly raises for seniority though -- until you reach the top. So essentially, my buying power has decreased steadily over the past few years. I stay because I am reasonably happy in my work, my schedule, and with my co-workers. I might make more money elsewhere, but I would not be as happy in my job. And I am too close to retirement to want to start over somewhere else.

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Go per diem and buy private insurance if you are single and no dependents.

I did that this year and make significantly more than when I was full time. I paid off all my student and car loans with the extra $.

I work 2 per diem gigs equaling near full time hours.

You'll just have to decide if it's worth it to lose 401k benefits, PTO, etc.

But on the plus side, complete shedule felxibilty, and very minimal holiday requirements. Just an idea.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Go per diem and buy private insurance if you are single and no dependents.

I did that this year and make significantly more than when I was full time. I paid off all my student and car loans with the extra $.

I work 2 per diem gigs equaling near full time hours.

You'll just have to decide if it's worth it to lose 401k benefits, PTO, etc.

But on the plus side, complete shedule felxibilty, and very minimal holiday requirements. Just an idea.

What's funny is that if I went per diem at my first job, I would still be making the exact same wages as I do now with the same holiday requirements. Contingents don't receive pay increases for being contingent. There is absolutely no incentive to going casual other than for more flexible scheduling. Now, my current contingent job, I get a state pension and sick time, and my hourly rate is much higher than my FT staff wages.

How much does private insurance cost you, if I may ask? Is it ridiculously expensive?

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care-Family Medicine.

3-5% is pretty standard annual raise for my area. Only time anyone got more than that was when they were re-evaluating everyone's pay to be more competitive and we all got a good chunk that year but really it just brought us up to what the competing employers pay their employees across town.

Don't focus so much on the lack of increase unless you are in dire need and need a large increase in pay. A better work environment and schedule is worth not making the job jump in my eyes but that's just my priorities. You have to decide what your own priorities are.

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How much does private insurance cost you, if I may ask? Is it ridiculously expensive?

That's a bummer. Maybe you could switch to a different hosoital, in the same specialty, as a per diem making a higher hourly rate.

My monthly premium for insurance is about $350. I make $600 each per diem shift I work so it's easily affordable. That includes medical, dental, and vision.

I asked the insurance rep. what most young, healthy mid twenties age groups choose, and was informed- minimal coverage, totaling about $225/month. But I wanted better coverage with a lower deductible so I chose a different plan.

You should investigate and see if it's a good fit for you!

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