How much do YOU think nurses are worth?

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Personally, I think nurses are grossly underpaid. I am 10 years in and I think I should be earning a bare minimum of $150k/yr. I hear what my friends/relatives are making, who have degrees in business, human resources, communications, marketing, PR, etc. (I'm in NYC) and they make so much more than me. Additionally, they have cushy schedules which allow them a better work/life balance, and they generally talk favorably about their jobs and report manageable stress levels at work.

Are you satisfied with your pay? What do you think nurses are "worth" (in regards to salary)?

God knows my TA would confirm that I was not God's gift to economics when I skated through that semester in college, but one thing I have always remembered is that the value of something is precisely that which somebody is willing to pay for it.

If your nursing job isn't paying you what you think you're worth, 1) you're wrong, and 2) go make yourself qualified to do another one that pays more.

Your economics class apparently didn't cover perception and marketing as well as the sociopolitical nuances of labor. You may perceive yourself as a barely literate handmaiden to the almighty healer, in which your paltry $30.00 an hour is a gift that you should prostrate yourself for. Alternatively, you can choose to consider yourself a professional, augment your knowledge and critical thinking skills, join a union and educate the public about where their health dollars are going. The truth is that some nurses are concrete thinking, intellectually lazy and wallow in their own subjegation while others have the temerity to challenge a system that is based on exploitation.

If we determine that nursing is integral to human interest than perhaps we should support a higher education requirement such as those required by other professions and take responsibility for our own working conditions. This includes lower patient ratios but also empowering and supporting work environments that respect us. Chastising those who dare to aspire is a great example of how nurses continue the tradition of lateral violence. Eating your own young and working like a fieldhand just perpetuates a perception of us as waitresses in scrubs.

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In California $150k is easy to do but it is expensive to live. I live in Sacramento area and all nurses working for my employer make $150 or over thanks to the nurses union.

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See my previous post on this (page 3, I think)...I have a couple of British friends who are nurses here in the States...they feel they've won the lottery! Everything's relative, I guess!

Just read it. Excellent post ! I would love to move to the states but I'm aware that a nurse needs practice hours in mental health, paeds, maternity and adult. Something that our general nursing degree's don't always have, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to move to the U.S or Canada.

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I guess you should have gone to business, communications, HR, marketing, or PR school.

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Pediatricians often only make a little over $200k in some markets. $150k for an RN who is not an APRN is laughable.

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

We will be publishing the 2017 allnurses Nursing Salary Survey in just a few days on February 1. This will be your opportunity to share your salary information and be part of one of the largest nursing salary surveys. The last survey had more than 18,800 participants and yielded much valuable data. We hope there will be even more participants this year. This salary is only for licensed nurses in the United State, U.S. territories, and Canadian Provinces. Watch for the announcement. I hope you will participate in the survey.

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I am shocked at the answers here--PEOPLE!! These other jobs are NOT making more than we are!! A bachelors in nursing vs. a bachelors in PR or business is not even comparable...nurses make more, unless these other guys have a masters and fifteen years experience. Sure, a slim minority may make more than us but the vast majority absolutely do not. Instead of listening to your friends who are clearly embellishing the truth, go ahead and do a google search for the salaries of business and PR majors.

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Like any job in a capitalist economy you are worth what the market says you are. That's why a guy who can throw a ball 106mph has an 86 million dollar contract to work maybe a half hour a week. Benefit to society = 0.

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I believe we as nurses are valuable. However, as long as nurses continue to work for facilities that decide how much they are worth by the salary they decide to pay them, nurses will always be under paid.

We can determine our pay by the work we choose to do. We have many talents and skills that can be used outside of a hospital setting. We are about health promotion and disease prevention, educating patients about prescription medications with side effects.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I am shocked at the answers here--PEOPLE!! These other jobs are NOT making more than we are!!
Then again, we must take into consideration that the original poster is in NYC, which is a world of its own compared to the rest of the US. Living in the East Coast Megalopolis can affect a person's perceptions about pay rates.

Due to the astronomical expenses associated with living in the NYC metro area, many professionals there are paid six figure salaries for jobs that command substantially less pay in 'Flyover Land' cities and states.

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And you know what else I've found? A lot of people are jealous of nurses. So they feel the need to try to one up you by saying their salary is something it's definitely not. We worked our butts off in school, we continue working our butts off, and we now get to have an incredibly rewarding job that, despite some of the complaints I've seen, really has a great job market compared to other careers. On top of it, despite the blood and guts, nursing is a prestigious career. And we have so many options for where we can work and advancing our degrees!! PLUS great benefits and good pay for most hospitals. It's rare to find all of that in one job, so people try to convince you that what you have isn't as good as what they have. Please don't forget how amazing nursing is!! Again, I really suggest researching what these other jobs ACTUALLY make, in addition to their job markets, hours, STABILITY, benefits, and opportunities for career advancement.

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Then again, we must take into consideration that the original poster is in NYC, which is a world of its own compared to the rest of the US. Living in the East Coast Megalopolis can affect a person's perceptions about pay rates.

Due to the astronomical expenses associated with living in the NYC metro area, many professionals there are paid six figure salaries for jobs that command substantially less pay in 'Flyover Land' cities and states.

Yes, and again, the market for those jobs is awful--everyone in those majors dreams about working in NYC but how many actually get to?!

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