New Grad Pay in Union Shop really low!

wjf00 · Mar 26, 2004

I don't know what the situation is like where you work. But a nonunion hospital where I live pays more than the Union hospital does to new grads. However the nonunion hospital has a very weak orientation and throws the new grads to the wolves when they are ill prepared. Sometimes pay is over-rated, and especially when you are a new grad, pay is WAY OVER-RATED!

jemb · Mar 27, 2004

Some hospitals will offer higher new grad pay for the same reasons many offer sign on bonuses. They have high staff turnover due to poor conditions and lack of raises.

One place I know of gave raises after six months (from 'new grad' to 'experienced RN' status, but then only promises based on annual evals -- which, from what I've head, were never good enough. So the nurses leave, and are replaced by new grads. Only a handful of experienced nurses remain among the high percentage of newly licensed, making for a poor learning environment for the new nurses, and scary patient care. (Who do you ask if the most senior nurse has only been licensed two years and never encountered the situation either?

And from experience, one of my former employers (a hospital, but before I was a nurse), routinely let employees go at the end of their probation periods if the employee brought up said promised raise. I was only there 3 months myself. Think of all the money they saved by never having anyone stay long enough to qualify for any benefits!

bluesky, BSN, RN · Mar 27, 2004

Some hospitals will offer higher new grad pay for the same reasons many offer sign on bonuses. They have high staff turnover due to poor conditions and lack of raises.
One place I know of gave raises after six months (from 'new grad' to 'experienced RN' status, but then only promises based on annual evals -- which, from what I've head, were never good enough. So the nurses leave, and are replaced by new grads. Only a handful of experienced nurses remain among the high percentage of newly licensed, making for a poor learning environment for the new nurses, and scary patient care. (Who do you ask if the most senior nurse has only been licensed two years and never encountered the situation either?
And from experience, one of my former employers (a hospital, but before I was a nurse), routinely let employees go at the end of their probation periods if the employee brought up said promised raise. I was only there 3 months myself. Think of all the money they saved by never having anyone stay long enough to qualify for any benefits!

Boy that sounds scary! Thank you for this insight, I now understand the situation better. :)

fiestynurse · Apr 5, 2004

You have to look at more than hourly wage. What are the other benefits that are provided and what are the working conditions?