It seems like everyone but nurses make more money

Nurses General Nursing

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I didn't become a nurse because I had a calling or anything. I was one of those few idiots in high school who had no dreams or aspiration, so my dad said "hey nursing sounds good" and I said "okay"...... mistake. Now, I am no Trevor the psychopath or Mary the maniac, but certainly not a bleeder of heart. I just did my job well and went home.

I got sick of humanity at ER, so now work at insurance donig medical reviews.

As I am at that weird age where people around you either make mediocre money vs tons of money, it's hard not to notice those that make a ton, and what irks me is that none of them work at healthcare field.

My brother who's been in workforce only few years already makes well over 120k, not mentioning bonuses, incentives, 5 star hotels and lux meals, my friend at airline industry living a nice, rich life, a regular marketer at company owning two expensive sports cars...

Where do these people get these jobs? It seems like unless you're running the corporate side of healthcare, you work your butt off and get few change and a key chain for Christmas.

Honestly any profession that requires a license and is regulated probably has a lot of potential to make money.

Doctors and surgeons don't do it by being hospitalists. They do it by contracting and private practice.

Lawyers don't do it by being prosecutors, they do it by being in private practice.

Nurses do it by travel nursing, staffing businesses, or advanced practice (nurse prac / CRNA) and contracting/private practice.

You have to be willing to do what it takes within a profession to make money. Usually that requires risk or self sufficiency. Working for someone else is equivalent to making someone elses dreams come true monetarily. Don't forget healthcare is a business whether its private or public. They have to break even or in the green. Handing RN's $100 an hour is not congruent with being profitable. Being in business for yourself is always a better option if money is your dream.

Agreed. There is a ton of money to be made in healthcare. You just have to be willing to pursue it.

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I've often thought of this and yes, there definitely is a huge disparity in professional salaries. As an example, an electrical engineer (also a 4 year degree) generally enjoys a higher salary than a nurse, better working conditions (usually), less weekends/nights/holidays! However, on the flip side, teachers, in my opinion, have one of society's most important jobs-molding and educating our young people-yet are grossly under compensated and appreciated. Doesn't make sense to me either!

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Specializes in Med Surg.

If money and lifestyle are you are main concerns then go get a job those ballers you mentioned have.

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Haha I'm sorry. I just have to laugh at your honesty. "I got sick of the humanity in the ER" at least you admitted it and left!

Maybe try a pharm job??

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Starting pay in California (at least near the bigger cities) is $40-70/hour. That is nothing to get upset about. I know it is different elsewhere, but one of the advantages, unfortunately, of having men in the workforce is that the pay is going up. I remember when I first started, RNs were making just a little above minimum wage. Shortly after I started, there was a massive strike by all nurses in the SF Bay Area. It lasted for several weeks. Nurses wages increased by over $5.00/hour with regular raises scheduled. The respect for nurses also increased at that time. I believe that was 1976. So, nurses, thank your older colleagues for giving us a wage we can actually live on and the respect we deserve.

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It doesn't matter how much money you make because it all comes down to perception. If you make 250k and you have a 300k mentality, you have nothing but debt! More importantly a 300k mentality involves Insecurity( spending to feel good, keeping up with the Joneses), Carelessness, Unhappiness, Low self esteem, think rappers and their penchant for bankruptcy and bling. Daedalus, anyone?Making 50k and having the right perception like good family, friends, living within your means, education and a job and mentality of helping others, makes you far wealthier with peace of mind which is the best kind of wealth I know!!

Wealth means possessions and responsibility and the more you have, the more you have to protect!

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It doesn't matter how much money you make because it all comes down to perception. If you make 250k and you have a 300k mentality, you have nothing but debt! More importantly a 300k mentality involves Insecurity( spending to feel good, keeping up with the Joneses), Carelessness, Unhappiness, Low self esteem, think rappers and their penchant for bankruptcy and bling. Daedalus, anyone?Making 50k and having the right perception like good family, friends, living within your means, education and a job and mentality of helping others, makes you far wealthier with peace of mind which is the best kind of wealth I know!!

Wealth means possessions and responsibility and the more you have, the more you have to protect!

This post and viewpoint, while absolutely true, is the reason nurses are underpaid.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I can't speak for everyone, but this is a little of what my husband's mid-six figures cost:

6+ years' education compared to my initial 2 yrs, between his BS in finance and his MBA.

Frequent travel which separates him from family -- and leaves me in charge largely by myself. He returns home exhausted because he never sleeps well in hotel beds, and occasionally returns with jetlag. He is quite frugal even with his company's money, so sometimes takes an overnight flight and drives straight to work in the a.m.

Shifts? What are those? He works until the work is done. If he has a deadline coming up, he will stay at work until after the kids -- or even me -- are asleep. Years ago as a corporate auditor, during tax season the kids wouldn't see him for days at a time. He left the house at 0400 and came home at midnight.

Because he is the only one who does his job, he can't simply call in sick and know that he will be replaced for the day. If he takes a day off, he'll have double the work for the next day.

He brings work on vacation. He took the older kids skiing last spring, and our daughter took a picture of him with his laptop. (She apparently thought it was photo-worthy.)

Managing human life is clearly more important, but managing billions of dollars is pretty stressful.

Don't get me wrong, we are grateful to not have to worry about feeding our kids, to allow them to participate in sports and music, and even to support his missionary-sister and her family.

But I will gladly take my lower income just to be able to leave work at work, clock out and be done like I do! :up:

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I can't speak for everyone, but this is a little of what my husband's mid-six figures cost:

6+ years' education compared to my initial 2 yrs, between his BS in finance and his MBA.

Frequent travel which separates him from family -- and leaves me in charge largely by myself. He returns home exhausted because he never sleeps well in hotel beds, and occasionally returns with jetlag. He is quite frugal even with his company's money, so sometimes takes an overnight flight and drives straight to work in the a.m.

Shifts? What are those? He works until the work is done. If he has a deadline coming up, he will stay at work until after the kids -- or even me -- are asleep. Years ago as a corporate auditor, during tax season the kids wouldn't see him for days at a time. He left the house at 0400 and came home at midnight.

Because he is the only one who does his job, he can't simply call in sick and know that he will be replaced for the day. If he takes a day off, he'll have double the work for the next day.

He brings work on vacation. He took the older kids skiing last spring, and our daughter took a picture of him with his laptop. (She apparently thought it was photo-worthy.)

Managing human life is clearly more important, but managing billions of dollars is pretty stressful.

Don't get me wrong, we are grateful to not have to worry about feeding our kids, to allow them to participate in sports and music, and even to support his missionary-sister and her family.

But I will gladly take my lower income just to be able to leave work at work, clock out and be done like I do! :up:

mid-six figures? you mean like $500,000 or $150,000?

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Regular Nurse, you may have missed the point? Peace of mind generally means contentment! When one is content it means happy or gratified. At peace. Usually, not worried about money or pursuit of possessions etc. Now, that is what I call wealthy! Sorry about the patronizing tone but speak for yourself re being underpaid. I make low six figures and I would say, I'm quite unhappy. Always stressed and having to produce and cannot walk away because of responsibility and possessions! Everything has to be paid for!

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Specializes in Med/surg.

I remember twenty years ago when i first graduated college and was an RN, getting 15 or 16 dollars an hour, and thinking i was living large! I was used to making minimum wage, so that seemed like a fortune by comparison.

Idk, i am not really that upset about what i make nowadays. I mean, i only work 36 hours a week, and i make around $75k a year plus benefits, including pretty awesome insurance, and the hospital contributes 5% of my income to my retirement account, and i do, too. By the time you figure in all that, it is definitely up in the 90k range or so. It is not a bad gig for 4 years of college. Of course, i have been doing it awhile, so im sure 10k or more of that is due to experience. And i maintain ACLS, PALS, TNCC etc. But that is kind of standard i suppose.

That may sound like not alot if you are in California or New York, but here in a town where the average family income is 40k or less, an individual making twice that definitely isn't impoverished.

We are not "upper class" by any means, but we are quite comfortably middle class.

Nurses would make more if it wasn't a female dominated profession. Sad but true imo.

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Regular Nurse, you may have missed the point? Peace of mind generally means contentment! When one is content it means happy or gratified. At peace. Usually, not worried about money or pursuit of possessions etc. Now, that is what I call wealthy! Sorry about the patronizing tone but speak for yourself re being underpaid. I make low six figures and I would say, I'm quite unhappy. Always stressed and having to produce and cannot walk away because of responsibility and possessions! Everything has to be paid for!

I agree with everything you say, but this mentality is exactly why nurses are underpaid. They take what they can get bc they have no bargaining chips and often times don't ask for more money.

I am satisfied with my pay, but the original poster's thread asked why we don't get paid well enough. I answered it. I am sorry you are unhappy with your career, but that has nothing to do with why RNs don't make enough.

Regardless, Happy new Year

Over and out,

Regular RN

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