poverty level???

colleen10 · Dec 31, 2001

Hi everyone,

While I was reading the responses to this thread and the other thread "what are you complaining about?" I became somewhat disheartened. Because I am not currently a nurse but hope to go to Nursing School in the next year or so.

But then I quickly realized that this board is solely dedicated to those in the Nursing profession. And of course, no one is completely happy with their job. Whether they be a business person, lawyer, retail worker, teacher, or nurse. If you stood on a street corner and asked each passerby if in their careers they thought they were respected enough, paid enough, and received enough benefits for what they deal with they would all probably tell you "no". Whether they be a business person, lawyer, retail worker, teacher, or nurse.

The grass always "looks greener on the other side". There isn't a single secretary or office worker who hasn't looked at the "Plant Care Lady" that comes in to water the plants with envy. There isn't a single Nurse who hasn't looked at the stock person at their local Wal Mart with envy.

For those that come to these websites and only see whining and complaining please take it with a grain of salt. This site is for nurses, about nurses and monitored by nurses so there will always be posts about bad working conditions. If this were a website for business people, lawyers, retail workers or teachers there would surely still be posts about bad working conditions.

This board still offers a lot of good information and support and you should be encouraged to check out those posts if you are not concerned about venting and discussing your work conditions. However, please don't think that the nurses that come to this board to vent about low pay, over time, and too many patients are bad nurses. Everyone eventually "gets fed up" with their job and needs to "let loose". Despite low wages, huge case loads, and working overtime and during holidays, the nurses that vent are still in the nursing profession for one reason or another whether it be the patients or attempting to give the greatest quality of care they possibly can.

wildtime88 · Dec 31, 2001

colleen10, yes it is true that in every profession you have people who complain about their jobs.

But is it to this extent?

Over half of the nurses in the U.S. will not encourage someone to join the profession.

Roughly half of the nurses in the U.S. have either left nursing, planning on leaving nursing in the next couple of years, or are thinking about it.

Roughly half of the nurses in the U.S. will not recommend the hospital or facility they are currently working at.

This is all related to the current conditions in nursing and the way nurses are treated.

Please show me another profession with this much dissatisfaction.

There is a real reason for all the b***hing and complaining as well as the dissatisfaction.

colleen10 · Dec 31, 2001

Wildtime 88,

My post was in no way a means to belittle the problems of the nursing profession and it would certainly be hard for anyone to come up with another profession that experiences the stress that today's nurse does.

I was meerly trying to point out to those readers that see this message board as a place of whining and discontent that it is a valuable resource and if they are not interested in discussing their current working conditions there are other posts and threads that will be of interest to them.

I see this board as a good resource to nurses and those interested in going into the nursing profession and certainly wouldn't want new readers to be completely turned off from this board because they think this board is all about "whining". I have seen a number of posts in regards to the "what are you all complaining about" thread in which readers said that they would not come back to this site because it is all about whining. I believe that would be a poor decision because I have gained quite a bit of information by regularly checking in. Even the posts about bad working conditions.

ZAROZINIA · Dec 31, 2001

I AM HAPPY IN MY JOB.

Collen - I love my job. Im lucky enough to work on a smaller ward of 16 patients, which is combined with a day unit and out patient clinic.

Grouchy - I bet some of the conversations with patients are very rewarding. I talk to a lot of depressed/ suicidal patients and find it satisfying sometimes( if I can help them see some way forward), but heartbreaking other times when I get so frustrated that I can see what help a patient needs, but the system lets these people down by not providing it. I would like to move into psychiatric nursing when my daughter goes to school and I might have more time to study.

PhantomRN · Dec 31, 2001

oh come on people get a grip on yourselves. why are we so intent on picking everything this 'teacher-transition-to-nurse' says and making a federal case of it?

yes, i did the math as well. 1,500 a month = 18,000 a year divided by 180 working days = 100.00 a day---14.28 an hour. [my teacher sister-in-law works 7 hour days, so i ued that number.]

62,000 a yr for 2 days a week is alot of money in ms. i gently suggest that maybe she works more than 2 days a week or she makes less than 62,000. even if she works agency i am not sure she could make out that well. at least in this area agency will pay around 30.00 an hour.

actually ot in nursing vs teaching was a good topic to bring up. i am not sure if most people realize that teachers cannot make ot. any extra hours they put in is free time. i know in my area when the teachers threatened to strike the first thing they did was say they were no longer going to do activities that they were not paid for. so, after school practices and tutoring where cancelled. they stated they would no longer show up for teacher meetings etc.

i can only speak for my facility, so i will. we are paid time and a half for anything over 40 hours in a week and/or anything over 12 hours a day. [we work 12 hour shifts]

fergus51 · Dec 31, 2001

Phantom, when I was laughing about overtime it is because I know how many nurses come in early, work through breaks and leave late because they have to finish up their charting or talk to family members, etc. Most of that never counts as overtime.

Whisper · Jan 1, 2002

I'll probably regret this post when I am a little bit less in the new years spirit! But hey I am at work, and we are drunk on fresh air!!!

Pattycake if you want to get more money, move to England, or any part of Great Britain. Trainee teachers, or teachers transfering from other countires get at *least* a £5000 golden hand shake as well as a heck of a lot more money than a nurse.

I'll post the pay difference between a nurse and a teacher tomorrow when I can get the exact figures, I do know however that tecahers get a lot more than nurses, I think it is a couple of grand!!!

Whisper · Jan 1, 2002

And another thing, my mum works as a tecaher and she does get paid over time. Allthough, it involves a lot of paperwork to claim the money which is time +1/2

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Jan 1, 2002

I know how many nurses come in early, work through breaks and leave late because they have to finish up their charting or talk to family members, etc. Most of that never counts as overtime.

Dig that Fergus!!! I have yet to have a manager come up to me when I was doing notes an hour past my shift because i had a code and tell me I was getting paid. And heaven forbid you ask!!! It's like OLiver Twist begging for gruel!

And BTW, teachers get paid for, "Prep time"(getting lessons together) and DO get paid for teaching extra curicular activities at the school. This may be only a local thing, but then maybe Pattycakes, your district should unionize;)

akg2002 · Jan 1, 2002

Here is what you said:

" My aunt made $62,000 last year, working 2 days a week"

"I brought home $1500 a month as a teacher"

" I expect to get about a 15,000 dollar pay raise"

"My sister-in-law makes $29/hr"

Then you said

"$1500/month = $18,000/yr or $8.65/hr =(your teacher pay)"

Yes I am a math teacher and I am going to give you a little lesson. See where I am from they take some things off from your pay. They are called retirement, taxes, etc etc. If you will look at my orginal post you will see that I said BRING HOME. If you are trying to make me look stupid, you have only done the opposite!

Here is something else you said:

$62,000/year = $5,167/month or $29.80/hr(for 40hrs/wk)

However, if it's figured on 2 days per week (assuming 12h/day), then it comes out to $49.68/hr. = (your aunt's pay as a nurse)

:eek: I don't know how they do it in your area, but here they pay you full time if you work 2 weekend nights. That is how it works here. I think most hospitals do it this way because it is hard to get people to work nights on the weekend. So there again you have only made yourself look stupid.

Maybe you need to go back to school and get a better education. Maybe I could tutor you in your math courses. THINK before you speak or write. Patty:eek: :eek: :eek:

akg2002 · Jan 1, 2002

I am logged on with my sisnlaw's username. She can't believe the hatefulness of this board. I tell you I came on here to get some info on nursing, but all I get is flack. Yes the daycares around here charge about 100 a week for a newborn, and 95 per week for my preschooler. Most months have more than 4 weeks in them so Yes I would be paying from 800 to 900 a month for daycare. If you expect me to believe that you all do not get paid for overtime you are full of it. None of you are on salary are you? I have never met a nurse that doesn't work per hour. But maybe they do it different in your area. Also yes the average for MS maybe 31000 per year, but the average teacher here has about 15 years or so of experience. Also districts pay different, IF you work in the poverty areas then yes you make more. I am sorry but It is not worth it to me. Some of you seem to think that I think nursing is easy. That is far from the truth. I feel that it will be the most difficult job I have ever had ( well besides bus driver that is) But around here nurses do very well with high job satisfaction. That is probably why not many post here. HA HA. I would love to hear from some Memphis nurses. Maybe they could shed some light. Like you said, I don't know what I am talking about, I can only go on what my friends and family members who are nurses tell me. I haven't heard any complaints from them......

RNKitty · Jan 2, 2002

Originally posted by akg2002
I don't know how they do it in your area, but here they pay you full time if you work 2 weekend nights. That is how it works here. I think most hospitals do it this way because it is hard to get people to work nights on the weekend.
Wow -really? I have worked 5 different hospitals - the last two I requested weekends only so I don't have to pay childcare. None of those five offered full-time for 16 (or is it 24) hours work. That would be GREAT!!!