Pay grade: experienced nurse vs new grad

Idaho_nurse · Aug 31, 2015

Seems like "back in the day", you were hired on and paid based upon your experience. My first job out of nursing school, I did make more than a starting nurse who had no medical background. I started out (eons ago, or as it seems) as a CNA, then went to become an MA, Scrub tech, ER tech, then on to nursing. But I will say, at that time, I was hired by an older nurse who valued experience as opposed to book smarts only and I could demonstrate that. unfortunately, the company I worked for sold out and I was laid off because the new corporation decided we had too many nurses on staff and I was the last to be hired. Now after 7 years of being an actual nurse, I have not been able to be hired at the rate I was hired at that first place.

I dont blame you for being angry and I stand right there next to you in that regard. Here where I live, there are sooo many nursing "technical" schools and only a few 4 year degree schools for nursing which are VERY hard to get into. I went through the Hard one, or better known as the "nazi school of nursing" and I do feel that the training was vastly superior to those who went to others or didnt have the years of pre req's to get through. The problem though, is that there are so many nurses flooding the markets right out of all these schools, and the competition is crazy. There is so much turn over in the area I live in, because these nurses are coming into the workforce with vastly sub par skills to make it in this crazy profession. So wages go up to try to reel in better skill sets, but those nurses who already are established, are sorta left behind and get stuck at a wage level and get told things like... "The company cannot afford to pay a higher wage" blah blah blah. I have found that going to a different corporation does give you a bit more leeway in asking for what you feel you may be worth, since someone with vast experience in a sea of inexperience, usually gets picked for the team.

I am not saying it is right, but from experience, longevity is not rewarded anymore. Restarting though also has its drawbacks. Guess it is a catch 22, and balancing the pro's and con's of both is important.

Brandi_Mills · Aug 31, 2015

Using "never been wrote up" versus written up might be part of the problem.

Kansas Nurse · Aug 31, 2015

Well I would say where ever you work is a great employer!! 21 years in and I make $28/hr

sailornurse · Aug 31, 2015

Around 1986/7, I had a roommate who was a new grad, One day we picked up our paychecks and she asked what I made with 7 years experience so she could look forward to more $$$ in 7 years. I made- ten cents more per hour! One reason I went to agency nursing while pursuing BSN.

Was hired at local facility. Had interviewed with interim manager. Met with new manager who offered $3.00 less, I had slip of paper from interim manager with the salary on it. Had new manager call HR which is what interim manager had done. Well turns out I was hired in at max salary (BSN plus 15 years experience though they only recognize 5 years experience but that's another story & they had salary caps, so I was not eligible for merit raises.

Then they introduce clinical ladder. Brought me in as CNIV. I didn't understand the clinical ladder, so new oriented asks her preceptor to explain it again & I ask to listen in. RNs with

CNIII 5+/& BSN, so I ask how do I get to CN V?

"No such thing, you can only go as high as a level 4 & there aren't any CN IV's."

(How would she know? There are about 200 RNs at this hospital)

UMMM, yeah there's one on this floor. (BSN & 15+ years experience).

Turns out I was maxed out on salary as CN IV. They eventually did away with it.

There were other problems with clinical ladder. It limited being being charge nurses. We had one guy that had been construction foreman and within his first year as a nurse he was taking relief charge & then full time charge. He had years of experience as a leader, great people skills, time management, super organized but the clinical ladder chart of less then 2 years experience & ADN said he was not ready for charge but he was one of the best charge & house supervisors I ever worked with.

You should not have clinical ladders that a new hire can't climb any further.

Working in another facility my friend is working agency & stops by to chat. Unit manager asks i friend she's interested in FT job. Later this manager asks me to tell her what her salary will be & writes it down, (had to check with HR first). I look at the paper & ask how she calculated the salary. Says HR calculates 20 years experience. I said "I have 20 years experience plus BSN & I'm not getting paid this, I'm getting less." My friend has ADN. So-stop by HR. They ended up recalculating salary (more then my friend due to BSN) had I got back pay.

So- yeah go to HR & ask. Go interview and ask. Get it in writing.

And locally NP's make double RN salary.

allisonchains · Aug 31, 2015

I need a posting lesson, apparently!! Hahaha

DeloresLove · Aug 31, 2015

No way should a new grad earn even close to what a seasoned experienced RN earns! I'm upset for you!!! This explains why nursing is always desperate for nurses!!! And why SO many leave the profession .....Duh!

Strozman · Sep 5, 2015

When I was in nursing school an older male nurse gave this advice: change jobs every 3-4 years. If you love the place you work, quit the hospital and make them rehire you for more money. Make yourself known and invaluable.

He was one of the highest paid nurses that I knew and the few male nurses that worked at that hospital had also taken his advice.

The long term nurses at that facility were making the same as the new grads.

Neche51 · Sep 5, 2015

I read an article about a year ago that says anyone who stays in a position for more than two years is the least paid person in that position. I worked in a clinic where they were getting newly graduated medical assistants for 2-3 dollars more than people that had been there 9 and 10 years. I guarantee the nurses I work with that were hired after me make more than me.

1. Not very companies value loyalty any longer.

2. It's only taboo to talk about pay with someone who did not want to disclose what they make. Employers will tell you that you can't, but it is illegal for them to reprimand you for that. It's the only way to know if you are making what you are worth. (Both articles are from about a year ago on the monster website.)

NanikRN · Sep 5, 2015

Using "never been wrote up" versus written up might be part of the problem.

Ouch!

fniswonger · Sep 5, 2015

I completely understand your frustration on this topic. I've been a nurse for 10 years at my current facility. I have no write ups and have not had a call in for over 8 years. We recently hired new nurses who are being paid $1 to $2 more on the hour than I am. It is beyond frustrating. I have showed my commitment to the job and the clients i care for. I believe if employers are going to raise the rate for new hires then they should raise the base pay for all of their devoted current nurses. I am not saying new grads don't deserve what they are getting paid but i do not deserve to be under cut because i have been at it a longer time when starting wages were lower.

cgambino70 · Sep 5, 2015

I work at a Regional Hospital as a PCT while finishing RN school and we do IVs in second semester in the clinical setting. Start to finish. I have heard that some schools don't but I also have seen seasoned nurses that struggle with it. I have a leg up since I worked in a plasma center for over a year starting IVs. I have learned to sit back and watch since I don't feel it is my place to tell someone else what they should be doing. My approach to learning is absorb all you can and ask questions if I don't know something. All my nurses have been great and I have been lucky. I am humble enough to know that when I graduate I will know nothing and have to start all over in the hospital setting.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Sep 6, 2015

Hospitals have this bizarre, self-defeating habit of keeping nurses (those who started off as a new grad in the hospital) on the same crappy pay scale. What it causes to happen is that those nurses have to LEAVE that employer in order to get on a pay scale not based on being a new grad...to be paid commensurate to their experience. It happens everywhere.

If hospital administrators were smart, they would correct this issue;pay nurses according to experience;retain trained and loyal staff;profit from the experience of those staff members.