Health care crisis......medical professional drive up wages

[ZZTopRN, BSN, RN]

I am so furious. I found this article in the San Diego Union Opinions page.

The artical was entitled "The Health care crisis," written by the President and Chief Executive officer of Scripps Hospital. Here is a paragraph that made my blood boil.

"The supply and demand pressures of our work force--we suffer from extreme shortages of skilled medical professionals such as specialty nurses, technicians, and therapists--drive up wages and thus our operating costs."

This article was written by President and Chief executive of this hospital corporation and is also chair of chamber of commerce's Health Care Committee.

mv

[live4today, RN]

Sad to say, but at least those two are FINALLY telling the public what we nurses have known for quite sometime now.

[Mithrah]

Why did it make your blood boil? I don't see anything wrong with his statement. Although I think he should accept a nurse's salary to help his company out.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

I'm confused too. What is making your blood boil?

steph

[ZZTopRN, BSN, RN]

I'm confused too. What is making your blood boil?

steph

When I said medical professionals, I was talking more to nurses. This is like saying, that the "demand pressures," nurses wanting to be paid a fair salary for their hard work is one of the reasons for the "crisis." It is justifying their reasons for paying us little and getting the most out of us. We are not to blame for the "crisis." It is trying to get public support that medical care professionals do not deserve a decent wage and making it appear that we are at fault because of our "high salaries." You know that the department in hospitals that are most severely cut money wise is in nursing.

mv

[cannoli]

Yeah. Like we're being overpaid. Right. (Not).

[ZZTopRN, BSN, RN]

When I said medical professionals, I was talking more to nurses. This is like saying, that the "demand pressures," nurses wanting to be paid a fair salary for their hard work is one of the reasons for the "crisis." It is justifying their reasons for paying us little and getting the most out of us. We are not to blame for the "crisis." It is trying to get public support that medical care professionals do not deserve a decent wage and making it appear that we are at fault because of our "high salaries." You know that the department in hospitals that are most severely cut money wise is in nursing.

mv

P.S.

Pay is a factor when nurses give so much and are not adequately comensated. Someone said something on this board about there not being a nursing shortage, the nurses are out there. They are out of nursing because of poor pay for what they do and working conditions, many of them going into more rewarding careers. We do not "drive up costs," how many hospitals do you know have a proper nurse/patient ratio? How many of you know of understaffing to save money?

mv

[LadyMadonna]

Yeah. Like we're being overpaid. Right. (Not).

I heard a woman in the store ranting to another woman because health care costs were so high. She blamed nurses, said she knew a nurse who made $35 an hour which was obscene for a nurse.

I don't know any nurses (including myself) who would feel like they would be overpaid to be making $35/hr..

[ZZTopRN, BSN, RN]

I heard a woman in the store ranting to another woman because health care costs were so high. She blamed nurses, said she knew a nurse who made $35 an hour which was obscene for a nurse.

I don't know any nurses (including myself) who would feel like they would be overpaid to be making $35/hr..

Lady Madonna:

You put it so well, so succinctly. We would not be "overpaid" for doing what we do at $35 an hour.

mv

[Headhurt, ADN]

I heard a woman in the store ranting to another woman because health care costs were so high. She blamed nurses, said she knew a nurse who made $35 an hour which was obscene for a nurse.

I don't know any nurses (including myself) who would feel like they would be overpaid to be making $35/hr..

Obviously this woman had a McJob...and had no clue as to what nursing was, and how challenging it can be. Someone once said "A fool will despise what he cannot get."

[ZZTopRN, BSN, RN]

Obviously this woman had a McJob...and had no clue as to what nursing was, and how challenging it can be. Someone once said "A fool will despise what he cannot get."

I made a mistake in my topic. I meant driving hospital costs up instead of driving up wages. Nurses (and other medical professionals) are not the ones that drive hospital costs up. Nurses are picked on the most when it comes time to "reduce costs."

mv