Nurse pay in France equivalent to CNA pay here

Published

Specializes in ER.

I work with a young French gal who immigrated to the United States. She was a nurse there. She hasn't gotten her license here yet and is working as a CNA. She says that nurses are paid poorly in France and her wages here are as a CNA are equivalent to what she was making there as a nurse. She also says that there is no differentiation between RN and LPN there.

She says in the United States there is much more freedom to advance economically.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

The average monthly nurse salary in France is $2786 USD compared to $3168 in the US. Nurses in France on average work 5 hours less per week than Nurses in the US, which brings the average Nursing hourly pay in France to 38 cents more per hour than what US nurses make.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Many countries only have 1 level of nurse. Also what is the cost of living like in France compared to the area of the US you are in?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I work with a young French gal who immigrated to the United States. She was a nurse there. She hasn't gotten her license here yet and is working as a CNA. She says that nurses are paid poorly in France and her wages here are as a CNA are equivalent to what she was making there as a nurse. She also says that there is no differentiation between RN and LPN there.

She says in the United States there is much more freedom to advance economically.

The same argument could be made for nurse wages in Alabama vs. San Francisco.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Don't get me started on the French with their NHS, cheap college, six weeks MINIMUM of vacation, wine, and their eternal disgruntlement in general.

They may make less but they are getting much more than their U.S. counterparts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

And according to Google, French nurses make about 2800.

Average CNA is lucky to make 11 per hour. Which equates to under 1800 per month on a forty-hour work week.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

Maybe this gal is figuring in the taxes taken out and basing it on take home pay. She's from Brittany by the way. Not sure if France has different pay in different regions or not.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
Not sure if France has different pay in different regions or not.

It has indeed. It is just like comparing rural Alabama with NYC here - apples vs spinach.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Not sure about France, but staff nurses in England and Ireland make much less than the U.S., and the patient ratios are generally worse, so 14-15 pounds/hr for an experienced nurse was the typical "local hospital wage." If you worked in a bigger city you might make up to 20-25 pounds an hour, but that was if you were working agency or in some kind of float pool, which demanded you were flexible to float around to different NHS hospitals and/or to different units that needed you. The cost of living is higher, so top agency pay was about like a new nurse here. I have no idea what the wage is in France. Europe and the UK tend to view nursing as altruistic, almost charity vs. a career to make decent money in. Surprisingly, nursing isn't as respected in the UK as the U.S. A British friend of mine told me that years ago and I didn't really believe her, but then after I lived there a few years I found that to be true. It's almost as though people look down on you for nursing (not sure if they feel sorry, are indifferent, or actually look down on you. Once someone told me "It's different over here than the U.S. Here, when you aren't smart enough to do anything else you become a nurse." Just their opinion of course, but I heard similar commentary a few times). I also knew more people that quit nursing than actual nurses. Not ragging on UK nurses or the UK, but there is a palpable difference as far how nursing as a profession is viewed. A staff nurse working 36-40 hours a week anywhere in England, from London to the rural Cotswolds, will have a hard time making rent on a very regular/just decent place to live...They do get a week or two more vacation a year, but at some point day to day money to spend matters, and it's not good. I read in some of the responses that France pays better. If that's true that would be surprising, and a good thing for sure.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yep economically a single payor can set the market for wages & typically they will try to set them low. The French also pay more taxes. However, they have healthcare provided by the state, free or almost free educational opportunities (no student loans) and a gigantic social welfare net (vacation, sick time, maternity leave, child care ....). In reality the French may keep more of their take home pay when we do when you take all of this into account. The French tax dollars go to taking care of the French. A heck of a lot of ours go to an antiquated (my simple opinion) go to maintaining our role as world policeman and nation building that honestly doesn't seem to be working out so great.

Oh yeah the French have a higher rated healthcare system then ours at less then 1/2 the cost.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You are comparing Wonder Bread, vs a Croissant.

Too many things are different.

My question. Would 2 married nurses in France approach the upper income quintiles, ie 150-200k, as they probably would in the US?

There are NP couples who bring home 400k in the US. Not quite the 1%, but definitely the 5%.

As I understand it, there is no NP role in Europe.

For the US RN or NP, after subtracting loans, and health insurance in the US, the picture is very different.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

and vacation time might be longer European style.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment