kelman

At the hospital I work at in Texas, there is not a night differential per se. The diff is $4/hr starting at 3pm. It does not increase for the night workers (11-7 or 7p-7a). This is the first time in 20 years of nursing that I've worked at a hospital without an additional night differential. The diff is $4/hr for weekends.

No, I wouldn't reccommend nursing as a career. Peaceful2100 says even people making $70,000 don't like their jobs. Well, I doubt that few of the persons in those jobs risk the potential of physical injury (lifting or moving unconscious or combative patiets up to 500+ lbs. with little help), of being assualted (by drunks,druggers, or upset family members), of risking life threatening infections (TB, Hepatitis B & C, AIDs, Meningitis, etc-since you don't know that they have those problems and if they know, they often don't tell you), or of being sued everyday they go to work and try to help their patients. A person in the computer or business/marketing field doesn't risk killing or injuring someone when they are working mandatory overtime (and I bet they don't have to) or when their department is understaffed. They don't risk being sued because they were unable to give the correct phone tech support solution to someones computer problem-even after multiple tries. We get one shot to help someone who might only a give minimal or false history, fails to follow instructions, continues to pursue detrimental habits (drug, smoking, etc) and yet we can still be held liable. I've been a nurse 20 years with my BSN. I've worked ER the whole time. I've been CEN over 18 years and have never gotten any compensation for the certification ar reimbursement for the testing. I made $6000 less last year then I made in 1994 and I work the same hours (7p-7a) full time. Since there are only 4 full time night nurses here (28,000-30,000 pts a year in our ED), we all have to work atleast one or more OT shifts. It's not really "mandatory" OT, but since the hospital will not bring in agency nurses to help and is unable to hire adequate PRN or FT nurses that'll work nights, you have to help cover your co-workers. You work one night with staffing 1-2 nurses and 1-2 techs short and you and your patients are suffering. So you try to cover each other. I've gone 3 years without a raise. I've gotten married, have a 3 year old and another on the way. Am I considering getting out of patient care nursing--YES. Believe it or not, most of the time I like what I do, I like my co-workers, and I consider myself a very good nurse. But I'm considering other options in the field, such as legal nurse consultant. I have a nephew who finished 4 of the 7 components of the MSCE certification (computers) and he started at the same pay I making after 20 years!! It's very frustrating--little recognition from administration (do more with less with no additional compensation) or patients ('why do I have to wait", "why'd that person get to go ahead of me", "you have to hurry cause I have to be somewhere (but I'll sue you if you make a mistake)" or doctors--why is it that the person making $150/hr gets to go to lunch or take a nap if it does slow down and the person making $20 who saves the patients life before the doctor can get back or be awakened and the doctor gets the credit?