I know we are "not supposed to talk about pay"... but we all do. That being said, my hospital recently did a market analysis and raised base pay for all hospital employees. I got a small increase (50 cents I think)... However- the base pay for new grads (BSN) was also raised.
I have been at the hospital for 6 years, 3 of those an a BSN prepared nurse. I have med surg and peds experience, and currently work in ICU as charge nurse/preceptor (and have done extensive training since I started there 2 years ago). I am also pursuing my master's degree. I've always rated the highest level on my yearly evals, have never been wrote up and have called off 4 times in six years.
I recently found out that new grads are now starting out making a wage that is only 50 cents less than what I make per hour.
The big question: Am I wrong for being slightly upset about this?
I realize I will be done with school in a few years and be making double what I make now anyways.. But I cannot help but to feel like I'm getting jipped. Don't get me wrong- I do not think the new grads should be making less.. but I also have a hard time justifying that I have all this experience and am basically getting the same wage as someone who doesn't even know how to start an IV or complete an admission history assessment.
Thoughts on this? Am I just being a negative Nancy? Should I just suck it up? Or do I have a valid point here?
Even assuming that HR will agree with you presenting facts about other's salary without their politically correct BS ("we do not discuss others"), why do you think they will tell you the truth? Just wondering, because from all my contacts with HR I got that in general used car salesmen are way more thrustworthy.
I believe HR is scared of lawsuits so are wary of what they say. I have learned not to expect an annual raise and to do what is needed to get high on the payscale or seek employment elsewhere.
Not really. My school didn't teach us this either, and when I asked why I was told that the hospitals have no problem teaching IV basics to a new grad/new hire, then taking them through ambulatory until they get enough "good sticks" to qualify to be let loose on the floor. If they don't get enough good sticks in ambulatory after a day, they do them on the floor with a preceptor watching until they can be signed off as competent.
My CI told me, too, that with the amount of "stuff" they have to teach us for clinical check offs, if there's anything the hospital is willing to do, they're just as happy to skip it. And for us, this meant exactly one skill, LOL....IVs!
FWIW, out of the new grads that came from my school (and started with me in the same hospital) all of us got "passed" anywhere from one day to one week in :)
Specializes in Neuro/NSGY, critical care, med/stroke/tele.
Not really. My school didn't teach us this either, and when I asked why I was told that the hospitals have no problem teaching IV basics to a new grad/new hire, then taking them through ambulatory until they get enough "good sticks" to qualify to be let loose on the floor. If they don't get enough good sticks in ambulatory after a day, they do them on the floor with a preceptor watching until they can be signed off as competent.
My CI told me, too, that with the amount of "stuff" they have to teach us for clinical check offs, if there's anything the hospital is willing to do, they're just as happy to skip it. And for us, this meant exactly one skill, LOL....IVs!
FWIW, out of the new grads that came from my school (and started with me in the same hospital) all of us got "passed" anywhere from one day to one week in :)
Agreed, my school specifically told us they wouldn't train us on IV starts, as our facility (when we start working) would. Though I did have a floor nurse on one of my clinicals offer to let me start one.. ummm..!!! haha - I did everything but the actual stick. But seriously, in lab we never even tied a tourniquet and felt for veins. THAT I think we should at least do. :)
The grad school I will start soon for my NP ( can't wait!!) has only two "fluff" courses not counting research. One is "practice management" and when I asked an NP who graduated from there why they couldn't get rid of it too, I've got a responce: "Sweet, you WILL need that, mark my words".
P.S. in my school days we once just asked for a couple of sets each and said that it was for the lab. Nobody opposed the idea. Then those who wanted shot each other in some free room in school couple of times. We did not tell anybody, of course.
I am curious to hear pay scales. Nurses start off at 24-25 per hour and the top of the pay scale is 44-45 per hour after twenty years. A six-year nurse would be earning about 29-30.
I would be ticked if I were you as well. Go to HR and get this sorted.
Why does your hospital hire nurses that don't know how to start an IV?
My school doesn't allow us to do IVs, and if I work at the hospital system where I trained, I'll probably never do one. They have an "IV team" and floor nurses aren't allowed to insert them.
Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
Guys & Gals...
I know we are "not supposed to talk about pay"... but we all do. That being said, my hospital recently did a market analysis and raised base pay for all hospital employees. I got a small increase (50 cents I think)... However- the base pay for new grads (BSN) was also raised.
I have been at the hospital for 6 years, 3 of those an a BSN prepared nurse. I have med surg and peds experience, and currently work in ICU as charge nurse/preceptor (and have done extensive training since I started there 2 years ago). I am also pursuing my master's degree. I've always rated the highest level on my yearly evals, have never been wrote up and have called off 4 times in six years.
I recently found out that new grads are now starting out making a wage that is only 50 cents less than what I make per hour.
The big question: Am I wrong for being slightly upset about this?
I realize I will be done with school in a few years and be making double what I make now anyways.. But I cannot help but to feel like I'm getting jipped. Don't get me wrong- I do not think the new grads should be making less.. but I also have a hard time justifying that I have all this experience and am basically getting the same wage as someone who doesn't even know how to start an IV or complete an admission history assessment.
Thoughts on this? Am I just being a negative Nancy? Should I just suck it up? Or do I have a valid point here?
no you are not being overtly concerned
my 43 yr +experience is significantly worth more than a new grad :)
Back ~2003 I worked for a large tertiary hospital ICU. There was one nurse on the unit who well, just seemed always angry at me. One day, on break I cornered her and said: "Did I accidentally do something to you?"
She thought a moment and said: "No, I'm sorry, it's just that I've been here for many years and you just started and you make $2+ more per hour than I do."
I really did not know what to say--I think I said, really?
Today I think I'd say: "Quit and if necessary come back next year at $4 more than you make now.
Pay scales are not necessarily equitable of fair and I believe that long-timers get shafted sometimes. The answer really is: Quit and get paid what you're worth elsewhere and if you want, come back in a year or to and from what I've seen that pumps the pay scale back to where it should be.
My school doesn't allow us to do IVs, and if I work at the hospital system where I trained, I'll probably never do one. They have an "IV team" and floor nurses aren't allowed to insert them.
Yup that's the way my ICU was. No IV, no would care, all specialized. I begged, "I'll come in and work for free for a few afternoons" Nope. Thus my recommendation for those interested in ICU is to start at a small hospital ICU then work up.
There is a bigger difference between levels on our clinical ladder (CNI vs CNII vs CNIII vs CNIV) than there is for working as charge. It's something like $1 more an hour as charge.
I can't really say I'm unfairly compensated for my time. Our benefits are much better than other hospitals I've worked in. Our pay rate for nursing overall is MUCH better than other hospitals I've worked in. When I was hired I was quoted the CNI starting pay in my offer letter - they adjusted it up for the fact I had experience and then adjusted it again for the department I work in. It was adjusted at 12 months of employment when I became a CNII. We've had market and/or merit increases each year.
I work in the OR - our pay is significantly more than other departments in the hospital. Job grade pay rates (minimum and maximum) are published, there is a table on our HR's intranet page that you can look it up under. Last I looked all of our pay grades were $5/hour higher than floor/ICU/ED nurses in the same level (example CNII in the OR to CNII in those other areas). The folks in our "Main OR" make more than the staff at our outpatient surgery center - there is a differential because we're a Level 1 trauma center.
haha - I did everything but the actual stick. But seriously, in lab we never even tied a tourniquet and felt for veins. THAT I think we should at least do. :)
.thumb.jpg.32153ff3eaff9886e5b70223acf10ffa.jpg){kind=small}
KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN
1 Article; 2,675 Posts
Classicdame,
Even assuming that HR will agree with you presenting facts about other's salary without their politically correct BS ("we do not discuss others"), why do you think they will tell you the truth? Just wondering, because from all my contacts with HR I got that in general used car salesmen are way more thrustworthy.