Raises-how often do you get them?

[RN34TX]

I'm asking because my current employer has given raises to only the top 15% of the staff according to latest evaluations this year.

Ironically, that top 15% has consisted mostly of CNA/PCT's and HUC's who are primarily low paid people to begin with, and very few RN's.

I'm suspicious that the PCT's and HUC's got raises because a 3-4% increase is a lot less to pay out for them than it would be for us RN's.

The rest of us got $750-$1000 one time pay-outs only.

I'm used to having a job where I got an increase at least once a year and the only people who didn't get a raise of some kind really screwed up and were on their way out the door.

I'm bitter enough because I got zero recognition for my LPN/LVN experience and only get my years as an RN recognized in terms of pay.

How often do most of you get regular pay increases?

I'm trying to fiure out if I need to start shopping for a new job.

[Sheri257]

I think that's the problem with living in a one hospital town. No competition. Many of us dread the thought of commuting to Houston so we stay here.

I've been debating the commuting thing myself. There's plenty of work where I live but the job opportunities, pay and benefits are much better 45 minutes away. I too dreaded the commute but, now that I've been doing it for clinicals and work ... it really isn't bad at all. I've also found that satellite radio (with no commercials) helps pass the time.

Now that I've gotten used to commuting that's what I'm going to do when I graduate .... because I don't want to be held hostage by employers just because of the commute. It is a long day but, the upside is by leaving so early and coming back late ... you do beat the traffic.

:typing

[GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN]

The last hospital I worked for gave raises annually. $0.25 a year, for the first four years. After that, you only get a raise when there are across the board raises. (very rare) However, you have to fight for your raises. You will be denied the first several times you ask about your raise when the year is up. You need to meet with the admisistrator and tell her why you deserve the $0.25 raise. If you want more money, you are told to go back to school. But there is no real differential for BSN. It is only $0.25 an hour. Nothing for MSN. Its sad. I started at the new grad rate (I had one year experience before starting there) And I made more than an RN who worked there for 33 years. The pay is very poor, but to work elsewhere it is atleast a 30 mile drive into the next hospital in a neighboring state (different license needed of course) so a lot of the employee's put up with it instead of leaving to go elsewhere.

Before working there, raises were also annual. You were allowed a 0-4% raise per year. However, no one that I know who worked there got a 4% raise. I never called off, never had any write ups and no pt complaints and I got a 3% raise. Thats what everyone got unless you did something stupid or called off very frequently. (more than once a week) There were also periodic bonuses ($500 for FT and $250 for PT) and periodic across the board raises. It was a psych hospital. It still paid less than the other hospitals in the area, but I feel it was fair pay and raises were fair.