Nurses salary vrs teacher's salary

Nurses General Nursing

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There was an article in our local paper about a teacher who just lost his job for "fratanizing" with a senior student. The paper states that his base salary was $67,000 a year. My reaction was:idea: I started to do some math. Based on 185 day/year school year that is $362.16/day. OR 45.27/hour. No weekends, no holidays and summers off. Hmmm, maybe I am the stupid one.

I am honestly not surprised. My friend and I just graduated, she took a teaching job at an elementary school. I took a job as a staff RN at a hospital. She makes ~$15k more per year than I do.

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I teach in one of the nations largest school districts. I have 5 years of experience. Here are my numbers:

I work 196 days per year. I'm paid for 7.5 hours per day.

Base salary: $39,000

With Incentives: $41,000 ($28/hr)

If I obtain a master's degree, additional incentives, and national board certification (a very difficult process), I could earn up to $50,000 annually ($37.41/hour).

I pay $8 bi-weekly for my health, dental, and vision insurance. Sounds good so far, but wait there's more...

If I had children, my ins would cost about $400 bi-weekly. Many of my co-workers' children are uninsured. Some teachers have to lie and manipulate the system to gain coverage for their children under a government subsidized program.

Average cost for a 2BR apartment in a decent neighborhood: $1200/month.

Average cost for a 3BR home in a decent area: $300,000

Home owner's insurance: $5000-$8000 annually

Taxes: $5000 annually

Plus the additional expenses of buying classroom supplies out of pocket. We receive a small supplement for this but it isn't enough.

This year another teacher and I bought clothes and shoes for a student. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.

Yes, you cannot forge the out of pocket expenses teachers incur. It is not an insignificant amount.

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Specializes in Peds.

I've always wanted to be an elementary education teacher. I took 2 years of basic classes, and was talked into going into nursing. Now that I'm here, I would like to go back and get my teaching degree.

One question I had is in my area, most teachers are only contracted for august-may. So would it be "possible" to work flex or part-time in the months you are "off" as a nurse?

What do you think

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My daughter started her first teaching job this september. She makes 32 thous a year. Her cap is well...... above that. If you divide how many hours she works with the pay, it's not bad at all. She will be working on her masters but the school district will pay for it. She very seldom takes work home with her. She says if you prioratize well you don't have to take much home. In the summer she can teach music or do many other odd jobs it she wishes to. Once she has childeren she will be on their same schedule. She will aboid most day care costs because of her hours. She also has a week vacation time during the year. Don't forget all of the education days that she has a sub. In critical care, I have spent endless hours studing for ACLS, CCRN, CEN and have taken ACLS on my own time. Don't forget the endless unit meetings so on and so on that is required. I sometimes wish I would have choosen teaching. I'm happy for her, she loves to go to school for her job.(she teaches elementry music in Ohio)

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All nurses teach. Not all teachers can start an IV.

I know that the above is a bit caustic, but I'm sick of the teacher's using us to get even more benefits and pay. If teachers don't like their job, let them become nurses. Hospitals in my area have want ads for nurses that run on for pages. Meanwhile, every teacher position receives over 50 applications.

The two professions are not the same. Teachers don't work as hard as nurses. They don't have the same level of responsibility. They don't take the same risks. If they slack off for a day, nobody dies.

I saw the same thing in the military. The civilians on base were constantly comparing themselves to the military members so they could get better benefits, without taking the same risks.

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I think teaching and nursing are similar professions and tend to attract similar types of people.

1) Do WAY more work than they are ever paid for

2) Feel like the general public has no idea what goes into it

3) Professions overtly regulated by administration

4) Have a hard time retaining newbies b/c of working conditions

5) Spend a lot of time dealing with students/patients and their families

6) Talk about being rewarded by making a difference

and the list goes on. There are a lot of former teachers in nursing (usually English teachers... I wonder why?) and I imagine, former nurses in teaching.

Teachers should be paid more. The amount of work they do is tremendous. It takes a lot of skill to manage 30 rowdy kids and get them to actually learn something. $30,000/yr for someone with a 4 year degree? How is that allowed?

As they say...

Do you remember who won the Oscar for best actor in 1985?

Do you remember the name of your 2nd grade teacher?

Who's more valuable in your life?

You have to wonder what is wrong with a society, supposedly capitalist (payment equal to value of service), where sports stars make millions and teachers/nurses are left wanting. Why do we allocate salary like that?

Ok, think I'm done now. ;)

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I'm sick of the teacher's using us to get even more benefits and pay. If teachers don't like their job, let them become nurses. Hospitals in my area have want ads for nurses that run on for pages. Meanwhile, every teacher position receives over 50 applications.

The two professions are not the same. Teachers don't work as hard as nurses. They don't have the same level of responsibility. They don't take the same risks. If they slack off for a day, nobody dies.

I don't understand what you mean by this. The OP was comparing teachers' salaries to nurses' salaries. It wasn't the other way around. Can you clarify? How are teachers using nurses' pay to get "even more" benefits and pay?

I certainly agree with this post on one point: The two professions are not the same, at least in terms of preparation. A teacher has to have at least a bachelor's degree and, as another poster has noted, more and more states are requiring master's degrees. I've seen veteran teachers in my home state let go because they've failed to obtain master's degrees (at taxpayer expense, no less) within five to 10-year windows.

So what's behind the difference in pay? Do you think it could reflect the more advanced education required for becoming a teacher? Or do you think that teachers are perhaps better organized and have more powerful unions? Do you think nurses would come closer to commanding the pay earned by teachers if they had uniform requirements for education (i.e., BSN) instead of ASN, BSN or diploma?

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I've found this thread very interesting. I worked for the public school system in Louisiana... not as a teacher, but as a school psychologist. I have to say that teachers (at least in Louisiana!) are terribly underpaid! I had a Master's degree and my starting salary was $28,000. And the teachers made less than me. And yes, the benefits were good and retirement is good... but a huge chunk of my paycheck went to paying for those benefits/retirement. I also had my checks spread out so that I would be paid over the two months of the year that I didn't work. My take home pay ended up being around $750 twice a month. My pay did increase over the years and when I finally left in 2001 my annual salary had risen to $38,000. But again, my salary was higher than what the classroom teachers were making.

And then I would watch what those teachers did (and had to put up with) every single day... all day long. I remember thinking that I just couldn't do it! I do think that teaching must be a calling and there are some wonderful teachers out there who do a great job! Like nurses would say about nursing... until you have actually worked in the system, you have no idea how hard a teacher's job can be. I know that my job as a school psychologist got harder and harder every year as new procedures and paperwork would be mandated. And I took work home constantly.

When I moved to the pacific northwest, I didn't even bother to get licensed... I stayed home to be a mom. And now that my baby is almost ready to start preschool, I'm going to school to become a nurse! Hmmm... maybe the grass is always greener on the other side?

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All nurses teach. Not all teachers can start an IV.

I know that the above is a bit caustic, but I'm sick of the teacher's using us to get even more benefits and pay. If teachers don't like their job, let them become nurses. Hospitals in my area have want ads for nurses that run on for pages. Meanwhile, every teacher position receives over 50 applications.

The two professions are not the same. Teachers don't work as hard as nurses. They don't have the same level of responsibility. They don't take the same risks. If they slack off for a day, nobody dies.

I saw the same thing in the military. The civilians on base were constantly comparing themselves to the military members so they could get better benefits, without taking the same risks.

I am a future high school biology teacher and this post just made my blood boil. I start college this June as a Biology major....

Last year I had the opportunity to be a teachers aid for 5th grade and 6th grade science classes. So, I saw the majority of the "behind the scenes" work of a teacher...and I now see why teachers complain about salary, because the work they put in after hours are extreme.

And, it is true that if a teacher slacks off for a day, no one dies, your right. But its often the teachers that "slack off" that shouldn't be teachers anyways and thus jepardizing the education of 150 students a year. And while no one is killed by those mistakes, the education of a student does come into play....and that to me is very critical.

Teachers don't work as hard as nurses? Have you personally been a teacher? Have you got to see the behind the scene jobs that a teacher must complete day in and day out, while getting paid absolutely no overtime, and it often goes unappreciated. Umtil you have, you may want to lay off that little opinion.

Teachers, from what I've seen and helped with personally, put in at least a 60 hour work week....getting paid for only 7.5 hours a day for 5 days.

Is either profession paid what their worth? Heavens no! Not by any stretch of the imagination. But to say pretty bluntly that one has a more difficult job than the other without personally experiencing that for yourself? You must be kidding me...

And the summer vacations? Those are typically spent making sure ones degree is current, taking classes to earn a higher degree (often out of pocket), or just prepping for the year ahead. So technically, while they do have those months "off", they are still working...

I was absolutely floored by your post....very appalled. I can just about bet you that that statement concerning job difficulty just insulted every former teacher, current teacher, and future teacher on this board.

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Specializes in icu/er.

you can't compare the 2 fields, they are apples and oranges. both hard work or as hard as you let it be. but i make way more than my sister inlaw who teaches highschool science classes in medium size public school in north ms, and you know what, i don't feel the least bit upset about it. she is always complaining about how much more i make with my asn degree than her undergrad in education. but once i start laying out my daily responsibilities compared to hers, she shuts her mouth. really the only other proffession you can compare a nurses job to is another nurse...

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I don't understand what you mean by this. The OP was comparing teachers' salaries to nurses' salaries. It wasn't the other way around. Can you clarify? How are teachers using nurses' pay to get "even more" benefits and pay?

I certainly agree with this post on one point: The two professions are not the same, at least in terms of preparation. A teacher has to have at least a bachelor's degree and, as another poster has noted, more and more states are requiring master's degrees. I've seen veteran teachers in my home state let go because they've failed to obtain master's degrees (at taxpayer expense, no less) within five to 10-year windows.

So what's behind the difference in pay? Do you think it could reflect the more advanced education required for becoming a teacher? Or do you think that teachers are perhaps better organized and have more powerful unions? Do you think nurses would come closer to commanding the pay earned by teachers if they had uniform requirements for education (i.e., BSN) instead of ASN, BSN or diploma?

AMEN!!

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

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it's not about who does what. i wouldn't want try to teach a 4th grader how to paly music, or much less try to keep control of a class room of 28 first graders. i do nursing because it is what i like. teachers have many rules , regulations and there are so many chances for law suites just like nurses. trying to keep children safe, making sure all of the cirriculum is appropritate, that not one group is offended because of one statement that may be said in a class room, making sure there are no nuts, sugar, heaven knows what else , around incase a child may be allergic etc... etc... the list goes on and on just like it does for nursing. i love teachers, thank god for them. we choose nursing because we like the type of work. teachers are the same. i think when you look at pay you have to compair apples to apples. why are we sooo upset at teachers, arn't we all just trying to improve society and care for someone. how about other professions out there that have four year degrees but get paid outragous anounts of money. heck, how a bout the music and etertainment industry. sure they've worked hard to get where they are but millions of dollars for a movie, come on .and to top it all off the actors and actresses think we care about their political views. maybe i can't act, but they can't keep an open heart pt that's going bad, alive until the dr gets there. if a loved one is dying, i have yet to hear a family member say, "oh god , please help my dad watch a good movie".

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