Question about raises

[mrscoozy]

i started my first job as an rn about 8 months ago, so of course i started at the entry level wage. well july 1st they increased that entry level wage by $1.11/hr. so now the new batch of new grads that will be potentially hired will be making more than me and quite a few others. we get a whole 30 cent raise. so my question is...is this pretty standard at hospitals to increase the starting wage w/o bringing the nurses that already work there up to that amt? or are we just getting the shaft??

[keithjones]

wait till your 1 year and ask for $3 an hour raise. schedule a meeting and do it in private... Good luck!

[ShayRN]

Our hospital always gave us a raise to compensate for what the grads were getting. SO if they are being hired at 20.00 an hour and I was making 19.70 they would increase my pay to 20.81.

[RNpandoraRN]

Oh my, be thankful that you are even getting a raise this year! I've been a nurse for approximately 18 months and no one at my hospital is getting raises. Yep, that means I'm still making what I started out as a Graduate Nurse 18 months ago.

I have already wondered if the new GN's that started last month are making more than me. Sure hope not, or there is going to be one angry nurse here....

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Everywhere I've ever worked, it has been standard practice to raise all current RN salaries to account for the new entry-level salary plus experience.

[CABG patch kid, BSN, RN]

Where I work it is standard practice to raise everyone up to scale when something like that happens. There were 2 nurses who had been at my hospital for about a year longer than me, one had been a nurse for about 6 years, one night we were comparing things and found out I was making about 85 cents more an hour than them. Of course they were both upset and went to HR, ended up getting about 7 months worth of backpay. It wouldn't hurt for you to call HR and find out if you are supposed to be taken up to scale.

[PaKuRN]

Yearly, my hospital will increase all salaries based on a "cost of living" raise and with that a "merit' raise is added based on yearly evaluation and longevity. New grads do not start out making more then the experienced RN. I would suggest you speak with your supervisor (nurse manager) about that. I think that at your year anniversary, a significant raise is in order to increase your rate to above entry level, If you do not get satisfaction from her/him, then go to human resourses.

[traumamike]

I work in a level1 teaching facility and my hospital actually surveys what the area hoapitals are paying not only at the gn level, but at 2yrs. and 5 yrs. and so on. They want to make sure we are the highest paid in the area, so they can keep us happy! I hope this helps..

[llg, PhD, RN]

Unfortunately ...

Yes, it is fairly common for that to happen ... and ... Yes, you are getting the shaft.

That type of salary situation is one of the huge areas of discontent for nurses. It's the type of thing that leads nurses to vote for a union ... or to leave one hospital for another.

The bottom line is that "good emmloyers don't do that ... but bad employers do." That has happened a couple of times at my hospital, but when it comes to light and people complain, then they correct it by giving everyone a little bump up in pay called a "market adjustment."

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

Not only are we not getting raises, they aren't even contributing to our retirement plan this year, nor are they matching our 401Ks. Nurses are leaving in droves....

[mrscoozy]

There are other hospitals in the area that are not matching retirement also, and their employees had to take a pay CUT! Plus with almost all the hospitals being on a hiring freeze I guess they can stick it to us while the economy is so bad! Where else are we going to work?

[caliotter3]

Yes, this is par for the course, and yes, you are getting the shaft. But it still is better than never getting a raise at all, like many of us.