I know in my capitalistic heart of hearts the only solution to the"nursing shortage" is to pay a professional wage! People will "want" to become nurses. If a nurse could indeed afford to live in a home, drive a nicer automobile, raise a family, purchase nicer things, take vacations, and do the same things as other professionals on one salary - that one being the one of the nurse - poof, the nursing shortage would be solved.
I am quite tired of hearing limp wristed proposals where special moneys are made available for new nurses training as an enticement to enter the profession. This simply does not work! It is a so called band aid on a gaping wound! Make the compensation for the new modern nursing function
significant enough to attract people into it.
Make them pay for the education themselves. Borrowing, as I did, or doing whatever they feel necessary to raise the funds to go to College. Make the expense simply a part of becoming a Registered Nurse.
I do not ever seem to recall any national problem recruiting prospective students into becoming lawyers, doctors, business (MBA's CEO's) , or any other "profession." The reason is plainly because these disciplines provide monetary compensation for the education needed to attain it after they are earned.
Nursing simply does not sufficiently reward practitioners, if we can even be called that. The financial rewards (gain) necessary to attract enough people enough to endure the educational,financial, emotional, physical, and other stressors and risks for such poor remuneration. Simply put the risks of Nursing significantly outweigh the gains to most people who are considering a career choice. This makes it a poor choice for
any success minded youngster to enter practice as an RN.
It should not be unheard of for every RN to make $100,000 in 2002 dollars! It should be the norm for a beginning Registered Nurse. Paying a pittance for one of the highest stressed jobs in the world should no longer be tolerated. With this money comes the respect from administration, government, and every one else in our capitalistic society.
At that rate of pay the profession will attract successful people.
Nursing will no longer be the domain of a "washing machine" wage earner. No more emptying the trash, filling out redundant forms having the same information written on page after page. Supplemental staff would be available to perform the non-nursing "additional duties" currently assigned because a nurse is not really valued.
Bean counters and efficiency experts would be brought in to help hospitals and other places where nurses work to effectively limit the non-nursing tasks we do not need to do and should not be doing. Nurses would dictate notes and have a transcriptionist to print them.
I sound greedy to some: the altruistic, the administrators, the
government, and perhaps to the public at large. Earning about $40,000 a year, as the average nurse does, is very poor compensation in comparison to the true nursing functions we perform every day. We commit an egregious injustice to young people attempting to entice them into a poorly compensated highly stressful position in nursing.
Managed care will scream we do not have that kind of money to pay. Government will clamor that the budget does not support that kind of expense for nursing. Perhaps they are right! I do not believe this is true.
When all is said and done the only thing that will attract people into a field is a promise of significant earnings - period! Do we want nurses or are we as a country really saying that we do not want nurses. Put your money where your mouth is! Pay Registered Nurses as if they were valued. Everything else will magically fall into place!
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
25 years in nursing and only making 20.00hr now--$5 less that my perdiem work 10 years ago but daytime hrs MF, 1 we/month homecare. Husband laidoff and disabled, 2 teenage (wolves). Only able to live paychek to paycheck now as 40,000 yr only stretches so far. Continue to see patients perdiem to pick up money. If we continued insurance thru husband COBRA, it would cost 1,050/month thats 12,000yr or 1/4 of my pay.
If husband denied disabilty, will probably need to look at other postion within organization or move on.
It's sad isn't it? I am considering making a move to a larger hospital that's further away from me and taking a 4 dollar an hour pay cut all to do something that I like and will be happier. Money isn't everything that's for sure but if you want to eat and live in a house and wear clothing then you gotta work. I will have to make some sacrifices for sure but, in the long run, I'll be a better nurse for it.
We have to convince insurance companies that they need to reimburse the hospitals for expenses. That is a big problem. Poor reimbursement from HMO's.
Money is the answer. I read an article about job interviews. It said that you should never ask about money on the first interview. It would make you look "greedy". I'm sorry...did I miss something???? I thought the fact that I got out of bed to come to work was to make money.....Otherwise, I would stay at home and take "care" of my children.
It's sad isn't it? I am considering making a move to a larger hospital that's further away from me and taking a 4 dollar an hour pay cut all to do something that I like and will be happier. Money isn't everything that's for sure but if you want to eat and live in a house and wear clothing then you gotta work. I will have to make some sacrifices for sure but, in the long run, I'll be a better nurse for it.
We have to convince insurance companies that they need to reimburse the hospitals for expenses. That is a big problem. Poor reimbursement from HMO's.
Hey kaknurse...sounds like you are pulling towards taking that other job! I, for one, would shout for joy if you did because your current place of employment doesn't sound like a healthy environment for such a great nurse as you! :kiss
Earning about $40,000 a year, as the average nurse does, is very poor compensation in comparison to the true nursing functions we perform every day.>
Youre right but when we use that argument in my city, we get told by our employers & even by the legislators, that the police in this city start at just $32K/yr so 'what are the nurses complaining about'. Starting salary for a new grad ADN here is between $50K - $60K+/yr. Even more for BSN.
Maybe. Or maybe the hospital assoc & the MD assoc will use that as an excuse to lobby the state legislators to change the NURSE Practice Act & take RN responsibilities away to be given to lesser skilled, less expensive workers - including new categories of technicians they say they need because "there are no nurses"- all of which theyare trying to do in NY right now.
Repeat after me: there is no shortage of nurses. There IS a shortage of nurses willing to work for a certain price. (And "price" does not just include salary: working conditions, stress, respect are all factors in the price equation).
That having been said, the primary problem in nursing is that there is a limited number of "customers" for nurses: usually hospitals, and other such facilities. The way to increase salaries for nurses is NOT some sort of mandate for higher pay; it's to increase the competition for nurses. Nurses who go into business for themselves are a good start in that direction.
I've been self-employed for 20 years. I am respected, valued, and make a good income. The "average" nurse mentioned in the first posting is most likely employed by someone else. Comparing an employed nurse with a self-employed physician (for example) is comparing apples and oranges. The self-employed usually make more money than the employed (not always ... there are no guarantees) but we are assuming risks that the employed are not.
If you want more money, self-respect, and fulfillment, stop whining, and take control of your life.
(would be nice, ever try becoming a crna???) I feel a more reasonable starting salary would be $30-35/hour (then again, I may be minimizing our profression). I do feel your pain and frustration:(
Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, L&D, ICU, OR, Educator.
You do have control of your personal and professional life. If it's all about money, you may have to walk. On the other hand (playing devil's advocate), is 35,000/year a poor starting salary for an associates degree? Many I know with 2-4+ years education make less (retail and accounting come to mind).
Wouldn't 100K per Nurse solve the"Nursing Shortage?" The one in the hospitals where Nurses don't want to work because of the bad working conditions, low pay and little respect?
Oh yes, I am in control of my career! I tool all of the steps necessary to get where I am today.
Do any of you really thing that importing Nurses from abroad or offering tuition money or making interstate license reciprocity simpler or more user friendly will change low compensation or emptying the garbage as an additional duty?
As a "profession" we have to make it clear that our services are more valuable than they are currently.
I am speaking of Registered Nurses here not LPN's or CNA's although the compensation for both of these classes of health care workers needs to be addressed as well.
My "2 year degree" took well over 2 years to earn; almost 5 in fact. I have an Associate of Arts ( a 2 year degree - the first 2 years of any 4 year university program) and an Associates of Science In Nursing ( the "2 year degree").
There should be an army of assistants helping RN's to do thier jobs. Transcriptionists for any charting, all we should do is sign our name. (competent) CNA's to follow the directions of the RN.
The real solution is here right in front of all of us! There is the money avaliable! Don't fool yourselves. Spread the word!
Well after nearly 30 years, I don't wanna be a nurse any more!
I am burned out, tired and still 15 years short of full retirement because it took me nearly 15 to find my "niche".
But just to put my 2 cents worth in...I certainly agree that getting people into nursing is NOT the answer. Education incentives will get them there, but it wont keep them. The median age for nurses currently in practice is what? Wake up people! Figure out what needs to change to keep the nurses once they start. (That would be money and I think even more importantly, working conditions)
Youre right but when we use that argument in my city, we get told by our employers & even by the legislators, that the police in this city start at just $32K/yr so 'what are the nurses complaining about'. Starting salary for a new grad ADN here is between $50K - $60K+/yr. Even more for BSN.
We have to use a different strategy.
Don't let illogical, irrelevant comparisons shut you up. We are not policemen; nor are we CEO's. But there IS a nursing shortage and it will get worse if we continue to get paid less than we're worth.
NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN
10 Articles; 19,195 Posts
25 years in nursing and only making 20.00hr now--$5 less that my perdiem work 10 years ago but daytime hrs MF, 1 we/month homecare. Husband laidoff and disabled, 2 teenage (wolves). Only able to live paychek to paycheck now as 40,000 yr only stretches so far. Continue to see patients perdiem to pick up money. If we continued insurance thru husband COBRA, it would cost 1,050/month thats 12,000yr or 1/4 of my pay.
If husband denied disabilty, will probably need to look at other postion within organization or move on.