MGH is offering new grad ICU internship for $11.44 an hour?

CranberryMuffin · Feb 16, 2011

Doing what, though? Jobs that wouldn't pay much more than $11.44 and don't provide any relevant experience? Not everyone has another career to fall back on. You can't even work as a CNA if you have an RN license.

Trust me, I've been there.

You can make more than that doing other things (as others have pointed out). Do I think you should have to resort to that? No. But I couldn't afford to live on $11.44/hour or do an unpaid internship - or I'd be faced at moving in with my parents - and as I graduated nursing school long after I was in my early 20s, it would have just been extremely awkward and probably not even an option.

I'm just trying to point out that some people really could not afford to do this at all. It really does favor those who have parents or spouses to fall back on, or other sources of income. I could not afford to pay my rent, bills, etc. with an unpaid internship or a low wage such as this.

Fortunately I'm not in this predicament. My heart really goes out to new grads who are faced with this tough economy.

April, RN, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2011

This residency isn't for everyone but for those interested, I think it's a good option. I actually know 2 people who were offered spots this week.

Chiggysmom · Feb 16, 2011

I would never even entertain for one second working as an RN for $11.44 an hr and especially in a busy ICU. As it is, I think nurses are underpaid for what we're expected to do, the patient assignments we carry @ times and the amount of liability and pressure we have on us constantly. I really could never even recommend nursing to a friend or someone I loved. There are better ways to make a living, not as stressfull. If I was only going to make $11.44 an hour, I would go and do something a whole lot less stressfull than nursing, like work in a grocery store or Walmart or something. At least that way, you're only dealing with money, not people's lives.

Chiggysmom · Feb 16, 2011

I disagree. It is their responsibility if they want you for the job. They are not training you to be a nurse, you are already a nurse. The applicant is a licensed professional and will be working a 40 hour week with rotating shifts(bad for your health), every other weekend and holidays. It is not out of the kindness of their heart that they are doing this. You will be working with your license on the line and being paid less than the CVA that is working beside you, yet you have way more responsibility and again risk losing your license with not even a permanent job after 6 months. You should be paid as an entry level nurse because that is what you are. Why should you make less than any other entry level nurse in the area, or probably in the United States for that matter. I thought MGH was a union hospital. If so, they are failing their members. Not to mention how are they gonna pay their union dues on that wage? No, I am sorry, this brings back nursing to the days of handmaidens to the physician. Now you are slave labor to the great big corporation and are thankful for it. No thank you. The fact that some people on here think that this is reasonable makes me question if nursing will ever gain the respect it deserves. We need to stand strong and realize the outrageousness of this. Praying on new grads anxiousness to start a career in a bad economy is not acceptable and completely demeaning. It is completely economically driven and nothing else. I am a new grad nurse without a job, but I will never practice nursing if I am not respected. There are hundreds of jobs in other companies that would appreciate my services and pay me a decent wage commiserate with my education. I left one to pursue nursing. If this is the trend in nursing, I question my decision. Respect yourself and stand strong!

I could not agree with you more and you said it perfectly. They are only proposing such an absurd rate because we are not in a nursing shortage situation any longer (or at present time) but they are definitely taking advantage of the situation big time in my estimation. I think you should hold to your higher standards even if you are out of work for a while. If you don't respect yourself first, how can you expect others to respect you? I cannot believe that there are actually nurses out there that will even consider this. I agree with you, there's something wrong with the nurses on here that think this is even a valid and fair offer! I m not from Massachusett's but what is so great about Massachusetts General Hospital that anyone would even consider working there for such a low wage just to be able to say they work at MGH? I live in Pittsburgh, PA and we have some world class hospitals here (people come from all over the world to UPMC) and they don't undercut their starting salaries like that. I don't know what the dealio is, but something is not right?

April, RN, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2011

I could not agree with you more and you said it perfectly. They are only proposing such an absurd rate because we are not in a nursing shortage situation any longer (or at present time) but they are definitely taking advantage of the situation big time in my estimation. I think you should hold to your higher standards even if you are out of work for a while. If you don't respect yourself first, how can you expect others to respect you? I cannot believe that there are actually nurses out there that will even consider this. I agree with you, there's something wrong with the nurses on here that think this is even a valid and fair offer! I m not from Massachusett's but what is so great about Massachusetts General Hospital that anyone would even consider working there for such a low wage just to be able to say they work at MGH? I live in Pittsburgh, PA and we have some world class hospitals here (people come from all over the world to UPMC) and they don't undercut their starting salaries like that. I don't know what the dealio is, but something is not right?

It's not a starting salary for an RN job... it's a 6 month internship. New grad RNs who are hired into permanent RN positions are paid the new grad rate which is around $30/hr.

Chiggysmom · Feb 16, 2011

OK. I am in the minority here. $11.44 is a reasonable starting wage for a new grad! I haven't seen wages that low for an R.N. anywhere else in the country, and I have looked. Experienced nurses are fine with that, I get it. I wonder how many of you began at the wage? There is supposedly a "predicted" nursing shortage and if this wage becomes the norm for new grads, experienced nurses don't believe that affects recruitment? You want more men in nursing? You want the brightest people to consider nursing? Not gonna happen if this becomes the norm. If nursing does not remain a competitive field, there will definitely be a crisis, yet experienced nurses don't think so. I personally think that you are wrong, but that is why they make chocolate and vanilla. I do not have to work anywhere for that low a wage, so it really doesn't affect me personally. Good Luck.

I agree with you DisneyBearRN. I think it's really sad that this is what they're offering and obviously by reading the posts on here there are plenty that don't see anything wrong with this and even some who say that sounds like a great offer considering the economy and glut of nurses that are out there looking for jobs. Very sad. If this is a turning point in nursing salaries and they are no longer going to be competitive then they are going to be in big trouble down the road. I feel sorry for all the people that have gone to school for nursing, gone into debt to pay for it and believed they were going to have a well paying job when they graduated only to find out that $11.44/hr is being offered and they shoud be darn grateful for that. Pathetic. I am shakng my head in utter disbelief.

Chiggysmom · Feb 16, 2011

I don't care how new a person is to any line of work, being offered an insulting wage is no way to build a solid employer-employee relationship.

Exactly! They need to get real!

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 16, 2011

Just out of curiosity... to all of those who believe that this is just as it *should* be:
Did you receive a paltry training wage when you obtained your first job?

I don't believe the pay is quite as high as it should be -- but I do believe in a "training wage" that is significantly lower than the starting wage for someone with even a little experience who will not need a lengthy orientation/transition period to be able to carry a "full assignment."

As for my history: My starting wage in 1977 was $4.51 per hour -- not enough to afford a local decent 1 bedroom apartment by myself. I HAD to get a roomate to share a 2 bedroom apt. just to make ends meet. We couldn't afford furniture and lived with "hand-me-downs" from family members.

In the 1990's, after I had 12 years of nursing experience and an MSN, I worked for $12.00 and NO benefits while I was in graduate school. That level of pay was less than 50% of what I had been making working for a hospital at the time. I was a research and teaching assistant -- and felt that the experience I gained was worth the investment. It was -- as that experience is what got me my first job after school was over -- and the skills I learned on that job are some of the most important skills I use in my job today.

But -- there was a big difference back then. There were very few special new grad programs back then. A new grad was expected to graduate with the skills necessary to succeed on the job. My orientation to a the highest level neonatal ICU was 5 weeks long and then I was expected to be able to handle a full patient assignment. I began orienting to Charge Nurse at 6 months and started doing neonatal transports at about 1 year in addition to my bedside staff nurse duties.

If a new grad expects to receive more than a basic orientation, they should expect to have to "pay something" for that extra education. A six month training program is expensive and no one should expect to receive that for free.

Though, as I have said before ... I think they should be paid at least as much as CNA's, if not more. It's just that I think a "training wage" is a reasonable idea.

coffeegirl7 · Feb 16, 2011

Exactly! They need to get real!

Bottom line-don't apply for the job if you are insulted by the wage. Period. End of story. As a previous poster said, this wouldnt even be an issue if they weren't paying at all.

Show me where, you can walk into a hospital and get a job as a critical care nurse, making 35$ an hour with no critical care experience?? 25$ with no critical care experience. This internship offers a great opportunity to the right person. Someone who can afford to accept the wage for 6 months of experience. The best part, after 6 months they might be offered a job there (with a raise to go along with it, no doubt). Otherwise, they can go somewhere else, and get hired into a critical care area, if they so choose.

Money for nothing doesn't happen anymore, in any position. Employers want people with experience and proven work ability.

The internship at MGH is a great way to continue educating yourself. All of the new grads who are insulted by this-what did you do for work while in nursing school? what was your wage? Because if you say you weren't working, then this would be a bonus to your bank account to get accepted to the program for 6 months. I don't get all the complaining. The wage is low, I admitted that earlier, but the experience offered by the internship is priceless.

CranberryMuffin · Feb 16, 2011

Bottom line-don't apply for the job if you are insulted by the wage. Period. End of story. As a previous poster said, this wouldnt even be an issue if they weren't paying at all.
Show me where, you can walk into a hospital and get a job as a critical care nurse, making 35$ an hour with no critical care experience?? 25$ with no critical care experience. This internship offers a great opportunity to the right person. Someone who can afford to accept the wage for 6 months of experience. The best part, after 6 months they might be offered a job there (with a raise to go along with it, no doubt). Otherwise, they can go somewhere else, and get hired into a critical care area, if they so choose.
Money for nothing doesn't happen anymore, in any position. Employers want people with experience and proven work ability.
The internship at MGH is a great way to continue educating yourself. All of the new grads who are insulted by this-what did you do for work while in nursing school? what was your wage? Because if you say you weren't working, then this would be a bonus to your bank account to get accepted to the program for 6 months. I don't get all the complaining. The wage is low, I admitted that earlier, but the experience offered by the internship is priceless.

I know people hired into critical care with no experience, being offered in the mid $20s.

I was a CNA in nursing school where I was paid $15/hour.

In all of my stints as a CNA (which I did for some years prior to nursing school) I never made less than $12/hour.

coffeegirl7 · Feb 16, 2011

I know people hired into critical care with no experience, being offered in the mid $20s.
I was a CNA in nursing school where I was paid $15/hour.
In all of my stints as a CNA (which I did for some years prior to nursing school) I never made less than $12/hour.

Wow...facilities hiring with no experience for mid 20$'s is low. Med surg nurses in my area, with no experience are being hired around 23$.

15 as a CNA??? LNA's as we refer to them in this area, start at $12 without experience.

So, in your case, I would continue to work as an LNA (CNA) until I found a position with a salary I felt suitable. I worked as an LNA, taught preschool and worked per diem as an RN my first year out of school to make ends meet. It wasn't optimal but it was what I had to do before the right position came along

April, RN, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2011

I know people hired into critical care with no experience, being offered in the mid $20s.
I was a CNA in nursing school where I was paid $15/hour.
In all of my stints as a CNA (which I did for some years prior to nursing school) I never made less than $12/hour.

ICUs here aren't hiring new grads. In fact, most departments aren't hiring new grads and not everyone can relocate. We all got paid more than $11 an hour before getting our licenses and MGH knows this... but this is what they are offering and they are having no problems filling the spots. The ones who are hired will likely be offered permanent positions with $30 starting rates in 6 months and will have 6 months of hands-on training under their belt. I really wouldn't be surprised if the other hospitals in the area follow suit.