Nursing in the U.S. and in Europe

[socal1]

I was curious, in Germany the RN is paid much less than us here in the states. Do you ever think that nurses in the U.S. will see wages decrease to more of a level like that in Germany? Also, is there a reason why Germany nurses paid much less?

[nutella, MSN, RN]

I was curious, in Germany the RN is paid much less than us here in the states. Do you ever think that nurses in the U.S. will see wages decrease to more of a level like that in Germany? Also, is there a reason why Germany nurses paid much less?

The whole system is very different, which includes reimbursement as well as scope and status within society. Nursing is not highly regarded in German society unless you work in critical care/OR/ ER and such. It is one of those choices that are often questioned.

You get paid in Euro and a big part of your reimbursement is something you do not see cash because you have to pay for health insurance, retirement, unemployment insurance and some more. Of course you also pay taxes and if you belong to a religion they also deduct a tax for them. There is no opting out and all insurances including retirement is split between you and the employer and is a certain percentage of your income, meaning the more you make the more you pay.

Having said that - there are other "perks" like a lot of vacation, sick time, maternity leave. The government pays you a little bit of money if you have kids and you may qualify for additional help for housing and such. Most cities , even smaller ones, have good public transportation. Some university hospitals offer cheaper apartments for their employees - I had such an apartment in one city and saved some money.

If your children go to university in germany, it is much cheaper....

Oh and the work can be very different. Most floors did not have any nursing assistants - nurses do it all including washing up. There are usually students on the floors to help and learn but it is very hands on.