Pay Rate Jealousy

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  1. Should nursing assistants earn more than nurses?

25 members have participated

What is a decent pay for a nurse? I have been a nurse for a very short time, but I at least thought that I would make more than a CNA. I accidentally found out that I am making less than some of the nurse aides that are working at my job. Now I will say that their jobs are hard too and they have been doing this type of work for a long time, but I thought that there was a pay ceiling for them. I was a cna for over ten years before I became a nurse, and while I am happy that my degree has brought an increase, I now feel ashamed of my pay. I work hard too and sometimes I don't even get a break, so now I really feel disgusted with myself. This is why people should not discuss their pay, waving around pay stubs and stuff. And I shouldn't be so sensitive either, but at this time, I am.

I work at a Nursing Home. I'm an LPN Charge Nurse/Floor Nurse. I've been a nurse for a year and a half and my approx pay is $18.00/hr. CNAs at my facility start at $7.50/hr.

Yeah, last year I worked as an aide in the South and my pay was $9 an hour and I felt that was too low for the work that an aide does. Although I felt that way, the starting pay for an l.p.n here is starting at $14 an hour at clinics/hospitals and $16 an hour at the nursing home, so where should the nurse aide cap off? Should their pay just keep increasing because of their years of service, without an increase in skilled duties? I at one point earned $14 as an aide in another state, but I also had a certificate to pass medications and do treatments in a cbrf/assisted living, and that is a skill set that should be paid for, hence the higher wages. I know this is a touchy subject for many and I thank all you brave souls who are commenting and taking the poll, whether you agree with me or not.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

If cna pay should be capped at below lpn starting pay, do you feel thar lpn pay should be capped at below rn starting pay?

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NA at top scale make roughly $1.50 less than a new grad LPN.

A top pay LPN makes around $2.50 less than a new grad RN.

$7.50 an hour is below minimum wage where I live. Americans and their fear and distrust of never cease to amaze me

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Suga

I can empathize with you. As an LPN you should be making more in theory as the RN ASN and RN BSN should make more than the LPN.

It might have been your negotiating that failed. I found myself advocating for nurses, especially LPNs since I'm finding disturbing things along my path.

I'm finding that agencies and companies will take ADVANTAGE of us because they can. I had one agency offer me a terribly low compensation and I turned it down because I knew the next company would ask what I made at the old company and pay me no more than that.

There always seems to be someone to take those low jobs and to be honest, we have done this to our selves accepting the low pay.

However, in the company I work for now, my BSN did not make much more than I do and I'm finding this disturbing and wondering it worth getting my RN ASN but not going more for the BSN.

It might be late to negotiate the salary at this place, I would polish up the resume, take some tasks from you exp as a CNA add them to the resume and try a new place. Try to find the going rate for an LPN in your state might be helpful also for negotiation.

good luck

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.

Despite how you feel about how salaries should be determined, keep in mind that different things are valued by different people/companies/entities.

While you place more value on formal education, the company seems to place more value on loyalty if the way they determine salaries is any reflection.

New nurses are a dime a dozen these days with increasingly very little loyalty. Just think about all the new grads that come on here saying how they'll get their 1-2 years of experience before moving on to greener pastures. So it's nothing personal that the company chooses to reward their loyal staff with higher pay to keep them even more loyal. Constantly training new staff gets really expensive, even if the job has a smaller skill set or formal education than your position. Taking offense to CNAs making more than you because they have been there longer is like comparing apples to oranges. The only reason you should be taking offense is if someone with your exact same job or lower makes more but has been there for a shorter period of time.

It's not like there is nothing you can do about your situation either. The common solution to this problem is to change jobs. Based on what previous posters have posted, there are companies that do cap pay for different jobs with different skill sets. Perhaps changing to one of these companies will better satisfy your worldview concerning fairness in salaries. Another solution is to negotiate your salary as another poster also mentioned. Another solution would be to help start a union at your facility. You said that maybe it's because of their union and the nurses don't have one. Well then, help the nurses get one if that's the case. You're not a victim in this situation. You've got plenty of options to change it.

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There are many LPNS at my job making more than the new RNs due to their years of experience. I don't believe any CNAs are paid as much because they don't pay that well for that position although they should. I work in a LTC facility and make more than many RNs I know. There are a lot of factors to consider.

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If cna pay should be capped at below lpn starting pay, do you feel thar lpn pay should be capped at below rn starting pay?

I am not familiar enough with the RN role to honestly answer that question. I can only speak on roles that I have worked, such as aide or l.p.n. I guess that it would depend on job duties and experience, now wouldn't it? What I do know is: An LPN is a licensed practical nurse, an RN is a registered nurse, and there are Advanced Practice nurses.......but all of them are actually NURSES with varying levels of education and responsibilities that they expect to be paid for. The CNA is a "nurse's aide or a nursing assistant" so there is no fair comparison.

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Someone said that I can start a union for nurses.......I will look into this. Another person said to switch jobs......I really hate job hopping. Maybe when I finish my RN I can renegotiate a higher salary.......I like this idea.

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Despite how you feel about how salaries should be determined, keep in mind that different things are valued by different people/companies/entities.

While you place more value on formal education, the company seems to place more value on loyalty if the way they determine salaries is any reflection.

New nurses are a dime a dozen these days with increasingly very little loyalty. Just think about all the new grads that come on here saying how they'll get their 1-2 years of experience before moving on to greener pastures. So it's nothing personal that the company chooses to reward their loyal staff with higher pay to keep them even more loyal. Constantly training new staff gets really expensive, even if the job has a smaller skill set or formal education than your position. Taking offense to CNAs making more than you because they have been there longer is like comparing apples to oranges. The only reason you should be taking offense is if someone with your exact same job or lower makes more but has been there for a shorter period of time.

It's not like there is nothing you can do about your situation either. The common solution to this problem is to change jobs. Based on what previous posters have posted, there are companies that do cap pay for different jobs with different skill sets. Perhaps changing to one of these companies will better satisfy your worldview concerning fairness in salaries. Another solution is to negotiate your salary as another poster also mentioned. Another solution would be to help start a union at your facility. You said that maybe it's because of their union and the nurses don't have one. Well then, help the nurses get one if that's the case. You're not a victim in this situation. You've got plenty of options to change it.

Ok, I might not agree with everything you're saying, but I can respect it. If I stay with this company, due to how their raises are set, this situation will not get better, so I guess I do need to look at companies who take more than time into consideration.

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

The most a CNA will make at the currently facility I work at is $9.00 per hour. The most an LPN will make is $20.00 per hour at least from what o heard. I have however worked at facilities that started CNAs at $10.00 per hour and LPNs at $19.50. It just depends on the type of facility and location. I work at a very rural nursing home who aside from having computer charging and MAR still appears like an 80s nursing home. Old building, veteran Starr etc. but at some of the newer nursing homes in the city areas pay is actually significantly higher for aides and nurses. Cost of living is much lower here though keep that in mind.

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The most a CNA will make at the currently facility I work at is $9.00 per hour. The most an LPN will make is $20.00 per hour at least from what o heard. I have however worked at facilities that started CNAs at $10.00 per hour and LPNs at $19.50. It just depends on the type of facility and location. I work at a very rural nursing home who aside from having computer charging and MAR still appears like an 80s nursing home. Old building, veteran Starr etc. but at some of the newer nursing homes in the city areas pay is actually significantly higher for aides and nurses. Cost of living is much lower here though keep that in mind.

This is starting to look like a "Southern Trend." I guess I better check out some salary websites of neighboring areas.

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I know a CNA who makes almost 26/hr. She has been at her job for 25 years. Absolutely, she deserves the money. She put in 25 years. For reference, we're in NJ. It's not uncommon for CNAs to make 14-15 here. Ive been offered 22-28/hr as a LPN. It is what it is. I could go from facility to facility making decent pay. High earning CNAs cant. She is only going to make that money at one facility. So knowing the full story and seeing what she puts up with, I cant envy that.

Now if the question is... should a brand new CNA make more than a brand new nurse? Of course not. CNAs work hard. But its a different kind of hard. A CNA is not calling a doctor, giving meds or basically medically responsible for a patient. I always use the example that when things go south, the CNA is screaming "Nurrrsseeeeee" and leaving the room where you cant be sued for malpractice.

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