Nursing Salaries

[kindredspirit2021]

Is it me, or is there an inverse relationship between nursing payrates and responsibilities? It seems to me that the pay rate for nurses is on a steady decline, while patient loads and nursing responsibilities continue to increase. What gives???!!!

[KSjo88, BSN]

I think you are right. In the past two years my hospital eliminated shift differentials while at the same time requiring all new hires and nurses with less than so many years of experience to rotate. They also “updated” their staffing grid- so now just one aide on nights and 1:5 patient ratio on a PCU. I rarely am able to take a break. I also continue to make less the past two years... we will see how this year turns out. All I ever hear is the budget or profit margin- makes me cringe. The longer I stay in nursing the more and more I want to become a hippie, run away and live on a little plot of land. Once my student loans are paid off I’ll be hangin up the stethoscope. Rather make a little less money doing work that doesn’t require as much responsibility. Hospitals across the country are being bought out by big corporations looking to make a profit.... the hospital I’m at implemented a new lower pay scale when they were bought out.... the nurses who have been there 20 years are making more than what our new PayScale max. Our starting rate is also $1 higher than the starting rating in 1995.

The average RN hourly pay in my area is $26/hour — the average home price in $250,000... you literally can’t find anything that isn’t falling apart and needs 50+ thousand $$$ of work for less than $180-$190