Governments need to learn our value

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2005

Last week in "Parade", the magazine in the Sunday paper, they listed salaries of different people and their locations in the US. I was amaazed at some of the information! One RN in Nebraska, I believe made $85,000, while other RN's in the country were listed in the $40-50K range (more in line I think). The thing than struck me though were the folks like the dog groomer who made $55 K, the crawfish processor who made $35 K, truck driver who made $100 K, etc. Not that I think that other folks don't earn what they make, I just find it interesting that we are expected to have a college degree, continuing education and licensing, contend with the whims of doctors, patient families and administrators and are in the same bracket with dog groomers and crawfish processors. I guess I didn't get the memo about this being a calling and not a profession.

MryRose · Mar 19, 2005

:confused:

Last week in "Parade", the magazine in the Sunday paper, they listed salaries of different people and their locations in the US. I was amaazed at some of the information! One RN in Nebraska, I believe made $85,000, while other RN's in the country were listed in the $40-50K range (more in line I think). The thing than struck me though were the folks like the dog groomer who made $55 K, the crawfish processor who made $35 K, truck driver who made $100 K, etc. Not that I think that other folks don't earn what they make, I just find it interesting that we are expected to have a college degree, continuing education and licensing, contend with the whims of doctors, patient families and administrators and are in the same bracket with dog groomers and crawfish processors. I guess I didn't get the memo about this being a calling and not a profession.

Dog grooming ????

Hmmmmmmmmmm...... makes ya wonder doesn't it.... we value paying a "hairdresser for dogs" the same rate as someone who has to have the knowledge to save our lives.

Maybe I should learn to do a poodle cut instead of pharmacology???? :confused:

LPNer · Mar 19, 2005

My niece dates a police officer (he's been on the force only a handful of years), he makes about the same I do, an LPN at the top of the pay scale.

I also know several truck drivers, the ones making 100,000 are owner ops, that is their gross income. From that they must pay for their truck, insurance, etc. They do not actually see that kind of money.

Often times, magazines will compare top of the pay scales for one professon, then to grab that punch, list the next at the bottom of the pay scale. They are not looking to provide reliable information, they are looking to sell magazines.

And the dog groomer? Top- of - line dog groomers are at the top of their money chian, staff nurses are at the bottom!

ERnurse07 · Mar 19, 2005

Really sad isn't it? To know that people do value us - but we do not see the monetary value - I think the same for police officers, paramedics and firefighters - honestly when you see the fat cats sitting in their offices - and who looks after them when they drop with a MI??? - arghhhhh :angryfire

LPNer · Mar 19, 2005

Really sad isn't it? To know that people do value us - but we do not see the monetary value - I think the same for police officers, paramedics and firefighters - honestly when you see the fat cats sitting in their offices - and who looks after them when they drop with a MI??? - arghhhhh :angryfire

Oh so true, but that's the way it is and always has been since the first recorded history. It's not going to change, no matter how much we rant and rave about it.

In my hospital the normal pt:nurse ratio is 5:1 (sometimes 4, sometimes 6) and not so long ago we had a real hurt with 7:1!

Now, I could easily handle 7 maybe even 8 pts all the time if I had a PCT at MY side. Now, wouldn't it be less expensive for them to pay 1 nurse and 1 PCT for 7 or 8 pts than to pay 2 nurses.

Sometimes we need to think outside the box to find a better way than to propose higher costs.

Just a thought, I really would have to think through it longer before I would be willing to approach management with the idea.

dynamiteRN · Mar 19, 2005

Oh so true, but that's the way it is and always has been since the first recorded history. It's not going to change, no matter how much we rant and rave about it.
In my hospital the normal pt:nurse ratio is 5:1 (sometimes 4, sometimes 6) and not so long ago we had a real hurt with 7:1!
Now, I could easily handle 7 maybe even 8 pts all the time if I had a PCT at MY side. Now, wouldn't it be less expensive for them to pay 1 nurse and 1 PCT for 7 or 8 pts than to pay 2 nurses.
Sometimes we need to think outside the box to find a better way than to propose higher costs.
Just a thought, I really would have to think through it longer before I would be willing to approach management with the idea.

While it is true that nurses like yourself do an exemplary job in the profession by doing all the best possible to alleviate some patient's sufferring, able to advocate for what is right for a person who is ill, able to initiate lifesaving measures to prevent death from a person's illness or injuries, our serious and important contribution for the health care delivery system remained underrecognized, underestimated, undercompensated , etc.

Nurses are the backbones for an effective and efficient health care system. Yet the public has stereotypified the image of our profession as simply workers who rely from a physician's knowledge and physician's orders inorder to function. Such is not the case as we all know. We need to let the public know of what we do. We need to educate them and let them realize the importance of our presence in cases where they become ill. Only when the public are able to regard the value of our profession as indidpensable will we be able to make an impact on what we want our profession to become. The cost of the services we render will follow the impact we make before the public's eye.

Let us correct misconceptions about our profession. Let us promote what this wonderful profession really is all about. One very personal and productive way I found is by going to the website: www.nursingadvocacy.org ( center for nursing advocacy). In this website , you will be directed very easily and conveniently on how to educate the public about nursing. A very clear example is the popular TV show ER. Many times were the nurse's role protrayed so wrongly in this show. Yet you as a nurse watching from your TV set cannot correct such misconception. The public watching this show will then believe what is being shown. This will further weaken the already distorted public image of our profession. The center for nursing advocacy has a campaign for media releases such as ER. This is just one way of the many things you can do to make a difference for a brighter future of your profession.

Let us correct the public, let us promote our profession, let our voices be heard. Then we will be able to see the change that we have longed ever since .

For all the great nurses: more power to all of you!!!:rotfl:

LPNer · Mar 19, 2005

While it is true that nurses like yourself do an exemplary job in the profession by doing all the best possible to alleviate some patient's sufferring, able to advocate for what is right for a person who is ill, able to initiate lifesaving measures to prevent death from a person's illness or injuries, our serious and important contribution for the health care delivery system remained underrecognized, underestimated, undercompensated , etc.
Nurses are the backbones for an effective and efficient health care system. Yet the public has stereotypified the image of our profession as simply workers who rely from a physician's knowledge and physician's orders inorder to function. Such is not the case as we all know. We need to let the public know of what we do. We need to educate them and let them realize the importance of our presence in cases where they become ill. Only when the public are able to regard the value of our profession as indidpensable will we be able to make an impact on what we want our profession to become. The cost of the services we render will follow the impact we make before the public's eye.
Let us correct misconceptions about our profession. Let us promote what this wonderful profession really is all about. One very personal and productive way I found is by going to the website: nursingadvocacy. com ( center for nursing advocacy). In this website , you will be directed very easily and conveniently on how to educate the public about nursing. A very clear example is the popular TV show ER. Many times were the nurse's role protrayed so wrongly in this show. Yet you as a nurse watching from your TV set cannot correct such misconception. The public watching this show will then believe what is being shown. This will further weaken the already distorted public image of our profession. The center for nursing advocacy has a campaign for media releases such as ER. This is just one way of the many things you can do to make a difference for a brighter future of your profession.
Let us correct the public, let us promote our profession, let our voices be heard. Then we will be able to see the change that we have longed ever since .
For all the great nurses: more power to all of you!!!:rotfl:

I used to be active in nursingadvocacy.com however, it was painfully obvious that it is an RN oriented organization. I cancelled all contact with them because as long as any group of nurses do not see all nurses as important members of the team, no amount of ranting and raving will help our cause and I will not support any organization who does not see me as a nurse, valuable, educated and neccessary to the team for affordable, quality health care.

dynamiteRN · Mar 20, 2005

I used to be active in nursingadvocacy.com however, it was painfully obvious that it is an RN oriented organization. I cancelled all contact with them because as long as any group of nurses do not see all nurses as important members of the team, no amount of ranting and raving will help our cause and I will not support any organization who does not see me as a nurse, valuable, educated and neccessary to the team for affordable, quality health care.

LPNer: IF you would please let me know more of your own experience about this organization and would like to know about how you mean by RN oriented organization. Taken for granted that it is indeed an RN oriented organization, why would it not be of help for the LPN , aren't RN and LPNs share common goal which is to provide efficient care to the sick client? Furthermore would it not be beneficial for all groups of nurses ( advanced practice nurses , LPNs, RNs, etc. ) if the goal of this organization came to a full realization. In what way was it shown to you by this organization that you are not an important member of the health care team and moreso in what way has it been shown to you that this organization is not seeing you as a valuable, educated, and necessary to the health care team. Please PM me if you will. Thank You.

dynamiteRN · Mar 20, 2005

for those who are interested: the correct website is www.nursingadvocacy.org (instead of nursingadvocacy.com). I apologize for the mistake. LPNer I hope we are talking of the same website.

ERnurse07 · Mar 20, 2005

Thank-you for your suggestions dynamite :) I will have a look - does it apply to Canadian's as well? thanks!

ERtraumanurse

for those who are interested: the correct website is www.nursingadvocacy.org (instead of nursingadvocacy.com). I apologize for the mistake. LPNer I hope we are talking of the same website.

LPNer · Mar 20, 2005

for those who are interested: the correct website is www.nursingadvocacy.org (instead of nursingadvocacy.com). I apologize for the mistake. LPNer I hope we are talking of the same website.

Yes, I went to check to make sure we are talking about the same site. My IE shortcut took me to .org and .com, when typed in went to a leach site.