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.
I completely agree. Our world is based on supply-and-demand, and nurses are a dime a dozen. Not that I'm downplaying our profession, but it's true. We often complain how professional athletes make millions of dollars for "throwing a ball," but how many people can throw a baseball at 90 mph? That's a unique talent most people don't have, nor could you ever train someone to have. Especially myself, ha. Plus, those athletes have trained and worked very hard to get to where they are. I may not bring home a six figure salary, but my job gives my life purpose and I would much rather come home and say I made a difference in someone's life than scoring a touchdown.
Please don't take any of the following statement as argumentative but more constructive.
How much did you expect to make in nursing? When you compare yourself to the other people your age making 120k annually have you considered how many hours they put in, weekly/monthly/annually, are they compensated based on performance? What have you done within the profession to grow your wage? Have you obtained any certification or earned any special designation? What do you believe your work is worth? Have you decided how much you want to make per year and made the investment into yourself to get there? I actually do very well; In 10yrs time my salary has risen well over the expected 3% of annual inflation actually much closer to 5%. I have however moved up the ranks, set myself apart as a leader, accepted more responsibility at work and progressed from an ASN to a BSN that my employer paid 50% of. I have been offered lesser paying jobs and along the way made a bad decision (financially) to move to another position, however professionally and clinically it propelled me farther then had I stayed in my old role. My take away from this adventure is that I set my worth. My expectations are realistic for my setting. What I make and do for today is fine but if I want to advance my salary I know that I need to make that investment into myself first. I encourage you whatever you do in life to decide what you want and strive for it, but understand that no one will invest in you until after you have done so in yourself.
Am I the only one who thinks nurses make decent money? I agree that the salary doesn't increase with experience as much as in some other professions, but it's still a comfortable salary. Now, what does tick me off, and others already discussed this, is the gender difference. Females make less than males on average, and the RN profession being considered a 'feminine' one is thus negatively skewed. Do I wish nurses made more? Of course! Do I wish the gender wage gap would disappear? Absolutely. However, I still think the salary we make, on average, allows for a comfortable lifestyle.
I think the reason we are seeing such different opinions on this thread is just a matter of values and perspective. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family and I'm happy to live a middle-class life. If I can make enough to pay for a reliable car, decent wine/food (on occasion), a yearly vacation (doesn't have to be fancy), Netflix, and of course my lovely student loan payments (which I wish I never took out but that's another discussion), then I'm happy! But then again, the only one I have to put food on the table for is my cat. She's a fatty but her food doesn't cost much so that's no big deal.
Wow - this is a great thread. I am really interested in all of the viewpoints represented.... and KUDOS to everyone for maintaining such a respectful discourse. No name calling or insulting. Such a nice change, amiright?
I am pointing all the younguns toward STEM... that's the way to go. A young lady in my chromonet is a software engineer, currently raking in >$150k (with added bonuses for all sorts of things) only 7 years after graduation... and a plethora of benefits including pet insurance and 100% tuition reimbursement for relevant advanced degrees. Of course, all of those career paths require fairly rigorous education and workforce commitment that is at least commensurate with health professions. Another well-paid career is Biomedical Engineering or any branch of engineering.
The common element to STEM careers with consistently high income is EFFORT... not a good fit for anyone who is happy with an "8 hour loaf". And since it seems society is becoming less inclined to make the effort, these careers will continue to remain in the "highly rewarded" realm.
IMO, Service professions are always going to be under-rewarded - & not just because they are are more likely to be filled with females. It's because of what I call the 'vocational bias'.... the recipients sincerely believe that they (services) should be provided to everyone because education and health/spiritual/emotional care are a basic human right. They believe that providers entered their professions because they were 'called' to do so. Yeppers, we should all be content in the fact that we're "doing good" and "helping"... even if we can't afford a decent car.
Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.
As everyone else has stated, nursing income is variable. I have been a nurse for 3 years and I'm currently working as a Public Health Nurse making almost 100k in California. My friends who work in San Francisco (20 minutes away) are making $60-70/hour not including overtime and differential. However, I'm also paying $2100 a month to rent a two-bedroom condo and I have a friend paying $4500 for a studio in SF.
Regardless, I'm happy. I make good money, I have better benefits than my friends on the floor, and I work a simple M-F 8-5.
Am I the only one who thinks nurses make decent money? I agree that the salary doesn't increase with experience as much as in some other professions, but it's still a comfortable salary. Now, what does tick me off, and others already discussed this, is the gender difference. Females make less than males on average, and the RN profession being considered a 'feminine' one is thus negatively skewed. Do I wish nurses made more? Of course! Do I wish the gender wage gap would disappear? Absolutely. However, I still think the salary we make, on average, allows for a comfortable lifestyle.
I think the reason we are seeing such different opinions on this thread is just a matter of values and perspective. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family and I'm happy to live a middle-class life. If I can make enough to pay for a reliable car, decent wine/food (on occasion), a yearly vacation (doesn't have to be fancy), Netflix, and of course my lovely student loan payments (which I wish I never took out but that's another discussion), then I'm happy! But then again, the only one I have to put food on the table for is my cat. She's a fatty but her food doesn't cost much so that's no big deal.
If you had a few children, your perspective might change considerably. Think about all the costs associated with children, from child care to medical to putting clothes on their backs, grocery bills to sports gear or scouts or music lessons, etc., and hopefully, savings for college. The nursing salary shrinks considerably at that point.
If you had a few children, your perspective might change considerably. Think about all the costs associated with children, from child care to medical to putting clothes on their backs, grocery bills to sports gear or scouts or music lessons, etc., and hopefully, savings for college. The nursing salary shrinks considerably at that point.
I agree with you! That's why I said "but then again the only one I have to put food on the table for is my cat". Income satisfaction is all relative, which is the point I was trying to make (though maybe not so clearly!) For a person without children, I think a nurses salary is pretty good. However, I can appreciate that this changes considerably when the costs associated with children are factored in... one of the reasons I'm just sticking to fur-babies for now
Specializes in Healthcare risk management and liability.
@HouTx, my belief and reading on STEM occupations in demand these days is they are pretty much limited to various computer and some types of engineering fields. Science per se, not so much in demand. I was originally trained as a graduate analytical chemist, still keep up on chemistry and have many friends in science settings. It can be difficult these days with an undergrad physical or biological science degree and find gainful employment in your field. Up here in Seattle, you can be a new grad of computer science or other software occupation and probably find a job paying in the high five figures or low six figures to start, if you want to work for Amazon, Google or Microsoft. Boeing is laying off aerospace engineers due to outsourcing to other countries and Big Pharma and biotech in this area have largely closed up shop, outsourced research to SE Asia, or slashed research staff to the bone, putting lots of scientists with advanced degrees out of work. Someone with a new BS in chemistry in this area, if they can find a lab tech job, will probably start around $ 17-19 per hour, which is less than I pay a medical assistant with five years of experience.
I agree with you! That's why I said "but then again the only one I have to put food on the table for is my cat". Income satisfaction is all relative, which is the point I was trying to make (though maybe not so clearly!) For a person without children, I think a nurses salary is pretty good. However, I can appreciate that this changes considerably when the costs associated with children are factored in... one of the reasons I'm just sticking to fur-babies for now
Please don't take any of the following statement as argumentative but more constructive.
How much did you expect to make in nursing? When you compare yourself to the other people your age making 120k annually have you considered how many hours they put in, weekly/monthly/annually, are they compensated based on performance? What have you done within the profession to grow your wage? Have you obtained any certification or earned any special designation? What do you believe your work is worth? Have you decided how much you want to make per year and made the investment into yourself to get there? I actually do very well; In 10yrs time my salary has risen well over the expected 3% of annual inflation actually much closer to 5%. I have however moved up the ranks, set myself apart as a leader, accepted more responsibility at work and progressed from an ASN to a BSN that my employer paid 50% of. I have been offered lesser paying jobs and along the way made a bad decision (financially) to move to another position, however professionally and clinically it propelled me farther then had I stayed in my old role. My take away from this adventure is that I set my worth. My expectations are realistic for my setting. What I make and do for today is fine but if I want to advance my salary I know that I need to make that investment into myself first. I encourage you whatever you do in life to decide what you want and strive for it, but understand that no one will invest in you until after you have done so in yourself.
Well Said
People lose sight of why a job pays good. High earners get paid well for bringing money INTO a business. Nurses do quite well considering that we are very skilled workers, but do not actively generate revenue.
I don't believe this is the real reason for nurses seemingly low pay, which actually isn't, considering around $72,000 annual income for a Rhode Island RN is fairly high for anyone. Secondly, nurses are in high demand! After a 45 year career as a Master's level prepared RN--yes, I did the 3 year diploma RN program, then the BSN finally the Master of Science by age 40--I retired for about 8 months. The pasts few weeks I went online, typed in RN per diem jobs Rhode Island, and a slew of them came rolling up. Here I am, 67 yo, and have had 2 job offers already with fairly decent wages. NOw if you would like to make 6-figures/year, be prepared for a 12-16 hour/day, 5 days a week or greater, work week. Those employees work hard. I know. No one gets paid for doin' nothin', as my mother used to say!!
amycjo
1 Post
I completely agree. Our world is based on supply-and-demand, and nurses are a dime a dozen. Not that I'm downplaying our profession, but it's true. We often complain how professional athletes make millions of dollars for "throwing a ball," but how many people can throw a baseball at 90 mph? That's a unique talent most people don't have, nor could you ever train someone to have. Especially myself, ha. Plus, those athletes have trained and worked very hard to get to where they are. I may not bring home a six figure salary, but my job gives my life purpose and I would much rather come home and say I made a difference in someone's life than scoring a touchdown.