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)

Specializes in LTC.

Im a new grad lpn that makes 22.50 so in some instances lpns do make more then rns. depending on experience and locations. My mother took a 8 dollar paycut when she became a RN. She made more money as a lpn in ltc then a new grad rn in the hospital.

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Specializes in med-surg tele.

i think the question stemmed from a stereotypical knowledge that RN should be making more $$ than lpn which usually is, i am an lpn for over 5 yrs and recently got my RN license and my pay increase significantly so im finding it hard to believe that there's an lpn who makes more than an RN in terms of hourly rate in the same institution even a new grad RN makes more than what I get when i was an LPN so i think you should approach your manager or HR but don't mention about ur comparison to lpn rate better keep that to urself it would be better if u'll just say that other company with the same workload is giving higher pay to RN's so u'r inquiring if theres a possibility of them giving u an increase. just be polite and assertive im sure u'll get a good response

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How much money I make is no ones buisness but mine, so I never discuss my wages. I very nicely explain that to anyone who asks me. I worked at this one facility who hired 2 LPNs with a year or less experience. One of them told what her starting pay was, which was a $1 more an hour then the rest of us LPNs. Several of them went to the DON and Admin, stating how unfair that was. Instead of raising everyone elses pay rate the facility said that they made a mistake and took the $1 away from the new hires, who promptly quit. And I don't blame them, I think I would have quit also.

As to your question, I agree with everyone else keep the info to yourself. Hell, we all want more money :D and I know I'm not getting what I'm worth, because if I was the I'd be a millionaire 5x's over ;) ;)

Dee

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From experience with the employer in question, to the OP, I doubt that you will get an adequate response to your question. You would do better to start looking for a better employer. Now that you know that you are being treated unfairly, it would not even be the same if they made things right. If you never tell them, they will never see the need to treat you as you deserve will they? Just think about this. There is a computer window that lists all external employees with license and rate of pay that the staffing coordinators refer to on a daily basis. Every time they scroll past your name and the others, it shows that they are paying at least one LPN more than you. Someone should have noticed that and done something about it before you ever found out. There are employers out there that pay RNs better, you just have to find one. Good luck.

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Maybe she is a better nurse than you.Just because you are an rn doesn't mean you know any more than an lpn who has more than 20 yr. experience. In fact, I think all the programs have been dumbed down. Anyone can learn to work equipment, memorize information, and document. But lpn or rn, a good nurse needs to know how to assess, evaluate and make rational decisions about care. Rn's need to get over themselves!

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When I applied for the job I currently have, I was shown a list of nursing wages that included Lpns and Rns. I am an LPN. Because I had worked for the nurse who hired me at another facility, she started me at the top wage for Rns. & said that she wished she could pay me more. I have been a nurse for 35yrs and have had experience in MANY areas of nursing. I can also handle 52 patients (LTC). I mean meds, tx. care plans - all of it. AND I am not afraid to get my hands "dirty". The town I live in is not a small town but is still small enough that your reputation follows you. I am not speaking of ALL RNs but there are a lot of them floating around this town from facility to facility that don't want to come out from behind the desk. My sister has her BSN and is head of labor and delivery in a large hospital. She can't do what I do -and I can't do what she does. She would never apply to a LTC facility and expect to be paid what I am paid. I would never apply to L&D and expect to get paid what she does. When you USE the extra education - IN YOUR JOB - you should get paid ACCORDINGLY. If the extra education is uneccesary for the performance of the job, why SHOULD you get paid more? I have run into nurses for many years who have, what I call, RNitis. I had a charge nurse once who was upset with me for going over her head to the ADON to get permission to 911 a pt. out (of a LTC ) with a massive GI bleed. She told me " I think I know when I have time to call the MD before calling 911." The MD had previously assured me that if I thought someone need to go 911 - don't wait to call. Sometimes it takes 15-30min. before we get a return call from an MD. The very same nurse, less than 2 wks later gave a pt. 40mg of MSo4 IV push instead of 4mg. Thank god the pts. dgt was there and called for help. The MD was in the facility and gave the pt. Narcan and transfered her to the hospital. The Rn even had to get a bigger sryinge to give this dose, since it exceeded the 1cc. syringe normally used. Needless to say no one has seen her since that day! I have seen many kinds of these things over the years. I have run into many really bad Rns, that I wonder how they ever got a license, and some really great Rns that I LOVED working with. I have run into a lot of really bad Lpns, & a lot of Lpns I would put up against any Rn. Just because you have different initials after your name, doesn't make you a better nurse. I am so tired of hearing people say " Oh! are you a nurse or just an LPN. There is a lot of snobbery from Rns towards Lpns. It's usually from the younger Rns who haven't had an LPN bail their a-- out yet. And the reverse is also true. There are a lot of LPNs who are jealous of the prestige given to RNs. When I went to nursing school, we were required to take a course called Vocational Relations. I don't see this in any of the current nursing cirriculums. Maybe ALL nurses should have to go to sensitivity training. WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMIES! How do we stop this? Any suggestions?

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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.

Wow! I didn't take the original poster quite so critically. I think that as others have mentioned the level of experience, years at the job, and possibility that she is not getting benefits may have bumped her salary up. However, I really don't think it is unreasonable for an RN to expect to make more money per hour than an LPN given the fact that your responsibilities are greater as an RN and you had to go to school longer to become an RN. It stands to reason that the higher the education, the more you will make.:twocents::twocents:

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I am an LPN. I have worked in numerous settings doing the same exact job as an RN and have always made less. This has puzzled me for years. Same job, same pay you would think. So I would applaud a company that would have me make more based on the time I worked there (if it was the same job). If it was beyond the scope of an LPN I would not have the job, correct me if I am wrong?

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Specializes in MED-SURG, LTC.

I currently work as an LPN. I make $23.00 with two years experience. I DO make more than an RNnew grad. Don't say anything to your boss. You will make yourself look silly. And to answer your question it is possible for LPNs to make more money than RNs.

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I think we found the OPs co-worker.

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Specializes in Utilization Management, Informatics.

I am an LPN and I can recall making 35.00/hr if I worked on my days off. I was paid time and half plus 8/hr which amounted to 35.00/hr. My hospital gave this option to their staff nurses to discourage agency workers. They preferred there staff nurses working over agency so they offered lpns time and half plus 8.00/hr and RNs time and 1/2 plus 12/hr to come in and work on there days off the CNAs were also offered this.

So yes it is possible for an LPN to make more than a RN. I had only 3 yrs nursing experience when I was making this amount. It was nice but Uncle Sam was cutting me to bits making all this money with no dependents.

Mary

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Specializes in LTC, Neurology, Rehab, Pain Management,.

I know first hand that there are LPN's making more than RN's. It boils down to experience. I have more years and service at my facility than a newer RN. I make $7,000.00 plus differential more than she does. I earn it.

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