I was cruising the hospital websites as I do everyday as a new grad and came across this:
The Department of Nursing at Massachusetts General Hospital is running a New Graduate RN ICU Residency Program for six months from April 2011 to September 2011. RN residents will be hired and trained to work successfully in an intensive care setting.
Qualified applicants MUST have:
- a Baccalaureate of Science Degree in Nursing
- a current MA RN license
- less than 10 months of professional RN experience in a healthcare setting
- completed a clinical practicum in an ICU or experience in a patient assistive role in an ICU.
RN Residents will be eligible for benefits and paid a salary of $11.44 per hour. The schedule will be 40 hours per week with five 8-hour shifts. Day/Night rotation with weekends and holidays required.
11.44 an hour? They can't be serious...can they? They pay their CNAs more!
Hey, congrats on the new job! You have one at least one more employment opportunity lined up than I do. And thanks for launching a fascinating discussion.
pexx (will work for pennies)
Thanks Pexx. I know how lucky I am. I don't think I would have a shot if I wasn't already working at my hospital. It has become a real "who you know" game out there which is really tough. Keep the faith!
I couldn't say whether this will set a precedent or not; I do think it's a reflection of the current economic times, though. It's my understanding that there is often either a nursing shortage or a glut of nurses, and right now in Boston, the excess is in new nursing grads, not in job openings. When there was a nursing shortage, people had a choice of jobs, could get a great salary right off the bat, and even a nice sign-on bonus. It looks like things are in the other direction around here, though I'm hopeful it's better now than it was 2-3 years ago, and will be even better by the time I graduate.
I'm really encouraged to hear of new nurses in this area who do find employment right out of school, and I sincerely hope I can also find myself employed right away as well. Congrats, Disneybear, that you have a job lined up! I'm just worried because of the stories I've heard of perfectly qualified new nurses who are desperately searching for jobs and not finding anything. For me, personally, there are a number of things I find worse than starting with an internship at a low salary -- like unemployment, working any non-nursing job at a low wage, or even working any non-nursing job at a good wage.
I want to be a nurse. It's a career, a vocation, not just a paycheck, though yes, I do hope to be making good money down the line. If there's an opportunity here to gain excellent experience and a foot in the door, I'd take it. Of course, if I had the same opportunity plus good pay up front, I'd take that one first. :)
Hang in there, things are bound to change. It is just awful out here right now. And remember there is no shame in working at something else to pay the bills!
$11/hour? are they serious? i graduated in may & fortunately just got a new grad position in home care. i worked as a student nurse/nursing assistant at another boston hospital during nursing school and for a few months after and was making $14.50/hr. i would have never applied to that program knowing what they paid, simply bc i am not in a position to take such a low paying position. i don't live at home with my parents so i would have been homeless by the end. for those that live at home, this is a great opportunity if they're interested in icu nursing. but i do feel like mgh is slapping all new grads in the face and basically saying they are worth less than they pay their own cna's. this economy is ridiculous. i just don't get it, no one with experience is leaving their job so the only people out there are new grads, so why not hire a few and train them? it's all about money, unfortunately.
For any students or new grads here looking for work, the best thing to do is to try to make contacts with friends and working nurses, in order to get work. That's how many of us found positions. It truly is who you know these days. Also, you need to make every effort to try to stand out at school. Join committees, and find people willing to write you references. Just going to school isn't enough anymore. Good luck :)
I remember MGH from a long time ago. They go through periods of this rubbish, thinking nurses can live on air and warm fuzzies. Or that if we're not all married and childless and married to investment bankers who can afford to support us, we should be, what the hell is the matter with us?
I was pre scheduled on one of their floors as an agency nurse for over a year in the 80s because they simply would not pay nurses a living wage. Once a new CEO came in, realized the place was bleeding money on agency fees and hiked wages to a more reasonable level, all the agency jobs evaporated. Apparently the CEOs who have followed are back to their standard operating procedure of stiffing nurses.
I can tell you some of who's signing up--Canadian nurses. They have to pay for advanced education in Canada instead of learning on the job here in order to work in specialty units. They'll live four to a room and eat beans for 6 months of training and 6 months of work and then go home and make a living wage there. I would imagine most of the rest are still living with parents in the Boston area and will continue to do so while being paid less than starvation wages.
I have no idea whose big, bright idea this was. I just know it's shameful and seems to be part of a pattern there.
Not to mention, I read part of one of their articles (from one of the links posted here). In said article, it discussed how the experience of working in their ICU was great...etc. And, how many of their senior nurses make 100 grand per year. Now, this figure is not unreasonable for a senior level nurse, and many facilities would probably be on par. And, they deserve every cent. They work hard, and have acquired the experience.
However, I could not help but wonder why a figure such as this would be mentioned, when MGH is trying to promote paying peanuts?
This pay is only for this 6 month residency for ICU training. The pay scale for staff nurses, including new grads, has not changed and is not changing. They would not be able to just start cutting pay rates unless other hospitals did the same. Obviously they have to keep their wages competitive to hire and retain their nurses.
Great opportunity? Yes! But that pay is just insulting!! I'm in an internship program at another hospital in New England and I get paid what any other new nurse would get paid. I don't think I could take a job as an RN making less than I made as a tech....that's just insane!!
What do newly graduated med students get as interns? Residents? This would be guiding nursing toward becoming a true Professional feld!
I am always amazed every RN who graduates and passes NCLEX thinks they deserve the World. Think of other careers,, they fight for jobs, they accept lower pay just to get experience.
So maybe that is why nurses tend to get money at beginning then never get much more after 20 years!! Maybe we are doing it backwards?
What do newly graduated med students get as interns? Residents? This would be guiding nursing toward becoming a true Professional feld!
I am always amazed every RN who graduates and passes NCLEX thinks they deserve the World. Think of other careers,, they fight for jobs, they accept lower pay just to get experience.
So maybe that is why nurses tend to get money at beginning then never get much more after 20 years!! Maybe we are doing it backwards?
So, the World evidently = getting paid a living wage. OK.....
I could not get by on being paid that paltry salary for 6 months. I do not demand nor do I think I deserve 'the World,' but I do think it's fair to pay people something they can actually live off of.
Secondly, we are not doctors. It saddens me at times to see nurses always comparing our profession to that of physicians. We don't need to model our professional practice after that of physicians just to legitimize we are.
I don't think every new grad believes they deserve the world. I certainly do not. But I do expect to at least make a livable wage, otherwise the loans would never be paid. Furthermore, I'm surprised how negative some people are towards new grads. You were once new as well. Keep in mind also please, that we are not all 22 years old. Some of us have previous professional experiences, which would warrant more than 11 dollars an hour. Furthermore, where I live, you cannot even rent a room for less than 500 a month anymore.
If nursing decided to switch gears and opt for mandatory internships, that would be different, and more acceptable, because people would be aware that they are going to be dirt poor for a while after completing their degree. However, when there are a handful of facilities opting to pay poverty wages due to a bad economy, while most other facilities opt to pay decent wages, many people will take issue with this. Finally, to the people advocating for this low wage, I ask you, would you be able to survive on 11 dollars an hour, even for 6 months? Probably not. The idea of internships and residency is not what anyone has an issue with. I think it's a great idea. However, MGH could and should offer a few dollars more to be reasonable. FYI; CNA's here make 17 to 21 dollars. I hardly think it's fair that an RN at any level should make less.
DisneybearRN
85 Posts
Thanks Pexx. I know how lucky I am. I don't think I would have a shot if I wasn't already working at my hospital. It has become a real "who you know" game out there which is really tough. Keep the faith!