Is It Possible An LPN Can Make More Then An RN?

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I'm an RN. I work for a well known national home care agency. Somehow payroll mixed up our paychecks; I got her (she is an LPN ) hourly rate of pay on my paycheck and she got mine.

I found out she was making $23.00 an hour but I am making $21.00, and we both work on the same cases, so the acuity level of the clients is the same. She has been with this particular office for 2 years. I been with this office for 5 months. How do i approach the clinical manager about how unfair that is? (We also have the same level of experience)

Please go back and reread. I wrote we have the same level of experience and same cases. I really don't know why nurses seem so anti education. People just came out attacking me for no reason at all. Not anywhere in my posts,no not one single word did I say I were jealous or that I even had a problem with it. But heck,u know in a communist society everyone makes the same regardless of education. Is that what most of u want? Like some staed cooks are involved in patient care too. I noticed even working as soon as lpns find out I'm an rn some stop talking to me never do I flaunt anything but I guess being 27 and A nurse for 6 years angers many lpns. why? I don't know

Nobody said one bad thing about you but you are being rude and unkind and calling people names for no reason

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Its an adult client with a wound vac,trach,vent, suprapubic cath,and picc line.

Well, like I said, I don't really know the criteria, but in my mind the PICC line makes it RN level if anything does. LPNs have to be IV certified and I don't know if they can get PICC certified everywhere. I was told that the criteria has been changed recently for home care and that it is harder for the agencies to get RN level care approved for cases because the insurance companies and medicaid/medicare just don't have to pay it anymore. Might be worth investigating. But then the DOCS or business manager might have to do something to improve the contract if possible, and they wouldn't want to do that for just one employee. Oh well. Ask, just to satisfy your curiosity (and mine).

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This is funny. What a shame a little lowly LPN is making more than a great big RN. Never mind that she may be a valuable asset to the company. Have you ever thought maybe she is a GREAT nurse who has excellent skills and dependable? Maybe she is I don't know..........very good at her Job. Are you saying that just because she is an LPN she MUST be making less than that RN?Maybe when she was hired she was smart enough, even though she is an LPN, to make sure her pay equaled her value. I know it is hard for some people to process the words smart and LPN in the same sentence.

If that's not attacking me then what is it?

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Ok evei really didn't want to bring this up but I feel maybe u guys will see different. A friend says its because I am black and she is white but I honestly don't think that is it,and that's why I kept it out at first.

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Well, that could very well be true, but it would be hard to prove. I sure wouldn't bring that issue up with the employer though if I were you. That is sure to bring you grief. You are still within your rights to inquire as to the pay discrepancy since all things are equal except for the fact that you are an RN and she was there a little longer. And by the way, in all the years I've worked in home health, it may be different for others, the only employer who gave pay raises for longevity did so only because there was a union contract in place. Everyone else just paid around the market rate whatever they could get employees to work for.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

At my agency a number of RNs worked with me in a home doing shifts. They all told me they were being paid at the rate of an LPN. An RN hired by the agency would be doing admissions and periodic visits to homes every 30 days or whatever was specified on the 485 form. If they didn't want to do that, they took a cut in pay. The 485- I've never seen them divide skilled nursing hours into RN hours and LPN hours. Nor have I ever seen a home care patient who was sick enough to have their plan of care mandate that an RN must take care of the patient for 8-12 hours 24/7. To be in home care you have to be stable enough that a caregiver or family member takes care of the patient for the 8 hrs (as in this example) out of the 16 to make 24.

Lots of things affect people's wages- but to get to the bottom of it you'd have to be asking a lot of personal questions about that nurse's particular situation which is not appropriate because you inadvertently received her salary information without her consent.

Agencies do a lot of wacky things. Half the time I don't think they even know what's going on in their own agency. If this is that huge octopus of a company we all know and love (not!!)-they change managers every 3 months or so. It makes consistency a total moving target. One time I did talk to a manager about my wages compared to other people, but it was vaguely worded - no names or specifics- and he promptly on the spot gave me a dollar raise!! I may have fainted, I'm not sure. Never hurts to ask!!

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OP, I honestly don't blame you. You could say it's none of your business and move on, but that's hard to do. I was a LPN for a long time too, and I didn't go through all the extra schooling to make less money than other nurses with the same amount of experience.

Kajunnurse, you stated that it takes everyone on down to the cook to take care of the patient. Does that mean the cook in the cafeteria should also make as much as a nurse? Just checking.

Depends on the cooks experience, her work ethic, and her skill level. Hypothetically lets look at a cook employed with the same facility for 30 years and new grad LPN? Should the facility pay the new grad more just because she passed the LPN NCLEX and went to school? I agree in most circumstances RNs should get paid more. MY QUESTION IS WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR SOME RNS TO BELIEVE THAT A HARD WORKING, DEPENDABLE, COMPETENT , VERY EXPERIENCED LPN IS WORTH THE SAME OR MORE THAN A RN WITH LESS EXPERIENCE? Again, I do understand that many RNS simply have more training and skills, but I am talking about the RNs who are not specialized, who do NOT have BSN or Master level degrees. In those circumstances I personally do not think the pay gap should be so big.

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Specializes in Family Practice.
Depends on the cooks experience, her work ethic, and her skill level. Hypothetically lets look at a cook employed with the same facility for 30 years and new grad LPN? Should the facility pay the new grad more just because she passed the LPN NCLEX and went to school? I agree in most circumstances RNs should get paid more. MY QUESTION IS WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR SOME RNS TO BELIEVE THAT A HARD WORKING, DEPENDABLE, COMPETENT , VERY EXPERIENCED LPN IS WORTH THE SAME OR MORE THAN A RN WITH LESS EXPERIENCE? Again, I do understand that many RNS simply have more training and skills, but I am talking about the RNs who are not specialized, who do NOT have BSN or Master level degrees. In those circumstances I personally do not think the pay gap should be so big.

Touche'......Well stated.

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:yeah:Of course an LPN can make more than an RN, as you have found out.

What to do about it is the issue.

Lots of people make more than RN's. Police, firefighters, physical therapists, occ therapists, business managers and others in business, lawyers START at an amount I will never reach. There are many more workers who are not as responsible for lives as we are, yet make lots more money.

Just because we are there 24/7 and knock ourselves out to give the best care under some very difficult circumstances doesn't mean that society values what we do enough to pay us more, or that we have organized ourselves as well as we should.

We need a guild (like the AMA is for physicians). We need to set limits on how many RN's there can be (like medical schools do). We need to have laws passed that require that only RN's are allowed to do certain tasks. But we get "mushy" and care too much about people to fight for ourselves and for what would benefit us.

In your particular case, the LPN might have more experience and has been there longer. Maybe she knows someone, maybe she doesn't get benefits, maybe there was a pay cut before you came in, and maybe there are numerous other possibilities, none of which would be happy for you.

I'm sorry you learned this information, as it has upset you. Please take time to calm down before you take any action, if you ever do. You might be well-advised not to, as many here have already stated.

Maybe after you've been there longer, you can approach your boss about a raise. But you probably should not mention that you know the LPN's salary.

How exactly did you know you were paid at her wages? Did they hand you a check with her name on it? And hand your check to her?

If it's any comfort, I make more than my bosses. I've got way more years of experience, so even though they outrank me, I make more. does it make up for all the heartache I've had through these many long years on the job? No. But it is a small comfort. :yeah:

Hey, good luck.

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Depends on the cooks experience, her work ethic, and her skill level. Hypothetically lets look at a cook employed with the same facility for 30 years and new grad LPN? Should the facility pay the new grad more just because she passed the LPN NCLEX and went to school? I agree in most circumstances RNs should get paid more. MY QUESTION IS WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR SOME RNS TO BELIEVE THAT A HARD WORKING, DEPENDABLE, COMPETENT , VERY EXPERIENCED LPN IS WORTH THE SAME OR MORE THAN A RN WITH LESS EXPERIENCE? Again, I do understand that many RNS simply have more training and skills, but I am talking about the RNs who are not specialized, who do NOT have BSN or Master level degrees. In those circumstances I personally do not think the pay gap should be so big.

But as I wrote numerous times, we have the same level of experience. Now, u do know if you become an rn you start at new grad rn wages even if u were an lpn before that. A lot of employers do ignore any lpn experience you had or its reduced. Some states the pay gap is big. As I wote in nj there is a $8 pay difference between the two,and I think the whole northeast is like that but I guess the south is different and I'm guessing its because the lack of unions. (Which is why I guess the south has a severe shortage). So if u accidently got a males nurses paycheck(with all things being equal) would u just suck it up and be happy for him?

I specialize in peds. But,don't rns still have to pass nclex rn,which is a harder test? They do go to school a year longer. I'm my situation I feel what was the point of doing extra schooling,and taking on more responsibilities,to get paid less?

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please go back and reread. i wrote we have the same level of experience and same cases. i really don't know why nurses seem so anti education. people just came out attacking me for no reason at all. not anywhere in my posts,no not one single word did i say i were jealous or that i even had a problem with it. but heck,u know in a communist society everyone makes the same regardless of education. is that what most of u want? like some staed cooks are involved in patient care too. i noticed even working as soon as lpns find out i'm an rn some stop talking to me never do i flaunt anything but i guess being 27 and a nurse for 6 years angers many lpns. why? i don't know

maybe they are envious. lots of people have had a really hard road to travel in order to survive. and they envy others who they probably assume had it easier. maybe they see that you are young and beautiful and they no longer are and they long for their lost youth. they forget that everybody has trouble, if not today then tomorrow. try to be kind to them, try to do little things and say things that encourage them and that build them up.

i never share much at work about happy times in my life. it would anger some people. i do sometimes tell some minor aggravations, just so they know i have pain, like they do. sad but, i have found, realistic. :uhoh3: cuckoo.

in communism, those in the party get better housing, better rations. don't believe for a second that everyone gets the same money or car or whatever. it's still all in who you know, how well you are connected.

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.
Ok evei really didn't want to bring this up but I feel maybe u guys will see different. A friend says its because I am black and she is white but I honestly don't think that is it,and that's why I kept it out at first.

oh give me a break:rolleyes:

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