Why not satisfy with the pay?

Jenny P · Apr 27, 2001

Why am I not satisfied with my pay? Because I've been working as an RN for 32 years and am tired of being treated like a peon. I'm tired of the disrespect from my employer- the lack of autonomy in my schedule and vacation (I have to ask 6 months ahead of time TO THE DAY to make sure I get the vacation time off I want- what other professional is treated like that?).

My education and certifications are not valued in my workplace. I have worked long and hard to remain knowledgeable in a rapidly changing technological environment. I am expected to know not only the meds and their side effects that I give my patients, but also the procedures and complications each patient is going through, plus keep track of vital lab reports and their implications, and also provide emotional support and education to the patients and their families.

And our job exposes us to many life threatening diseases and hazards- I have inoperable TMJ from being punched in the jaw at work by a confused patient 20 years ago. Look at the nurses who have contracted Hepatitis or HIV (or both, such as Karen Daley from Massachusetts) from needle sticks and other blood and body fluid exposures. Far more common are the back injuries that plague a huge percentage of nurses who have injured themselves moving patients.

Then there is the shift work and the short staffing and the mandatory overtime. The lack of time to take a break at work to have a meal or coffee break without interruption; or sose nights there may not be time to even go to the bathroom in 8 hours!

Or this week at work there is a sign posted about some sort of national health week. There are classes offered for Tai Chi (from 7A to 7:50), also a bus that will take employees to a local park for walks (from 12- 1 PM), plus an aerobic class (offered from 11:30- 12:30). This is a HOSPITAL-- and these classes they are offering are for EMPLOYEES; but what staff NURSE can even THINK about attending them? That's why I'm not satisfied with my pay!

fergus51 · Apr 27, 2001

I don't just complain about my wages. I am doing something about it. All nurses in this province are in the process of a job action which could escalate to a strike. It IS important to inform people about our wages because they have no idea what we do or what we are worth. Nursing needs higher wages to attract new people into the proffession.

Yes, it DOES matter that I can't buy a house or a new car. I am not depressed about this or anything, but it does matter. I would like to have a big dog, maybe even some kids one day and I couldn't do that on my salary. I live on what I have and don't live beyond my means, but there isn't a lot left over for investments. I remember laughing when my mother suggested I put away "only" a few hundred a month. I complain because I am not happy with what I am being paid. I firmly believe employers will pay the minimum they can get away with and while I don't expect life to be perfectly fair, I expect a fair wage... Or my employer can expect my resignation.

Originally posted by hanginginthere:
Hi Fergus51,

I understand that we worth more than what we're getting. No doubt about that.
And it is certainly ok to feel that way. However, complaining about it isn't the way to get a better pay either. Does it matter if you will ever be able to buy a house or a new? Even though you should have been able to do all those things but since you can't why not make the best of what you have. Either way you look at life, it's not fair anyway. I'm sure you love your job and don't want to quit at this point. Consequently, why don't you try to invest the little that you have. Someday, you might be able to do all that. Don't expect your degree to do it all for you because there is a lot of other way out there to reach your goal.

Mijourney · Apr 27, 2001

Originally posted by fulwood:
I am a secretary and earn $41K per year. Good company, great benefits but work is totally unchallenging and unrewarding. Wrapping up my all my prereqs and coreqs so I can sttart Nursing program in Jan '02.

Hi fulwood. Tell me that you did not give up a pleasant job making 41K because of unchallenging and unrewarding work? Did you consider volunteering for worthwhile causes before you gave your job up? How long have you been a secretary?

It's not that I don't welcome you to nursing, but I've got to write that if I was where you are now, and was satisfied that I had a good balance between my professional and personal life, I would not disrupt that for the world. If you read this bb board, you'll find that many nurses are searching for that good balance of personal, professional living which includes a good income. Unfortunately, there are many that have given up trying.

It is vitally important to gain new knowledge, skills, and experiences, because you never know when you will need to fall back on them. But, in my neck of the woods, it is rare for a hospital bedside nurse to start out at $41K. In fact, those I know at the bedside making that amount have been with the same employer for a while and/or are on night shift.

We nurses don't get financially compensated near enough for all the responsibilities and accountabilities that we have and increasingly receive. Yet we keep getting asked or made to settle for less or we go along with the flow. It's not just simply about having the middle class lifestyle as outline in a previous topic of mine. It's about justice.

fergus51 · Apr 27, 2001

You know what is always funny to me: in the news and on websites they always list the "average nurse's" salary as 40 000 a year, but they never mention that the average nurse is over 40 years old. New grads don't usually get that much.

fergus51 · Apr 27, 2001

I am not satisfied with my pay because it doesn't reflect the amount of education I had to get or the responsibilities I have. It also doesn't compensate for the INSANE hours I work and the amount of work I have to fit into my shifts.

Here in BC the nurses wages go from 20-26$ an hour (canadian $ so the top wage is about 18$ american even after 30 years as a RN). I was making 22$ an hour at a public library. I got the job when I was in high school and stayed until I finished university. I worked 7.5 hour shifts. I got breaks. I had basically no responsibilities. God knows I wasn't going to ever get sued at the library! My friend works as a cashier at a liquor store and makes 18$ an hour. Care aides take a four month course and start at 19$ an hour. LPNs take a one year course and are making almost the same as RNs. I am not saying the care aides and LPNs don't deserve their wage, they DO!!! All I am saying is the level of education and responsibility for an RN is much higher and we should be paid for that.

I don't live beyond my means. I have a little townhouse (about 50K american) and my dog only weighs about 4 pounds so she isn't eating me out of house and home. But, I will never be able to buy a house or a new car, and with the work I am expected to do I bloody well should be able to.

ps

PLEASE don't think I am an RN snob, the role of LPNs and care aides is very different here than in the US.