why is an RN considered as an expense instead of an asset?

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This has been bothering me so much.

I once interviewed with private duty agency, and when I asked for certain salary that I think is reasonable for a nurse with 18 months experience. She counter-offered me with much lower salary, saying that I don't have home health experience. Hence, my salary will be the same like new grad. Plus she wanted me to work weekends too. She said in order to qualify for full time position, I have to work one weekend because everyone wants to work weekdays. (Err, I thought that's the perk of PDN, can choose their own schedules? apparently not!) Plus my friend worked there and she told me the benefits were very expensive and no PTO offered. I was not desperate enough, so I never followed up with the agency.

I also have a prn job at a PPEC. The manager sent me home earlier because another nurse, an LVN, took over. She's a great LVN, I have no doubt about that. I don't mind she's taking over, but I know the reason the manager cut my hours.. they want to cut the cost of an RN.. . The manager is always bothering me how long I will finish my charting. I can finish on time if you fix the ratio.. How can they expect me to finish on time when they only have 2 nurses and 2 techs for 8 kids with special needs? In the beginning they promised 1 nurse and 1 CNA for 3 kids. They cut the staff and they want us to clock out on time. Heck no, I'm not going to clock out until I finish my work. I used to do that in the past. Being forced to clock out when I'm not done with the work, and I and some other nurses used to work for "free."

Learnt my lesson.. if they're not happy, they can fire me, but I'm not working for free anymore.

But then from here, I learnt that they considered RN as an expense, instead of an asset. Or maybe it's just the employers that I've encountered.

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Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.
6 minutes ago, juviasama said:

This has been bothering me so much.

I once interviewed with private duty agency, and when I asked for certain salary that I think is reasonable for a nurse with 18 months experience. She counter-offered me with much lower salary, saying that I don't have home health experience. Hence, my salary will be the same like new grad. Plus she wanted me to work weekends too. She said in order to qualify for full time position, I have to work one weekend because everyone wants to work weekdays. (Err, I thought that's the perk of PDN, can choose their own schedules? apparently not!) Plus my friend worked there and she told me the benefits were very expensive and no PTO offered. I was not desperate enough, so I never followed up with the agency.

I also have a prn job at a PPEC. The manager sent me home earlier because another nurse, an LVN, took over. She's a great LVN, I have no doubt about that. I don't mind she's taking over, but I know the reason the manager cut my hours.. they want to cut the cost of an RN.. . The manager is always bothering me how long I will finish my charting. I can finish on time if you fix the ratio.. How can they expect me to finish on time when they only have 2 nurses and 2 techs for 8 kids with special needs? In the beginning they promised 1 nurse and 1 CNA for 3 kids. They cut the staff and they want us to clock out on time. Heck no, I'm not going to clock out until I finish my work. I used to do that in the past. Being forced to clock out when I'm not done with the work, and I and some other nurses used to work for "free."

Learnt my lesson.. if they're not happy, they can fire me, but I'm not working for free anymore.

But then from here, I learnt that they considered RN as an expense, instead of an asset. Or maybe it's just the employers that I've encountered.

Basically, a company or employer wants to use the cheapest resource that the law, and market will "let them get away with" and still market their product (healthcare services in this case). If people would go for it and the law would allow hospitals would be using CNA to prescribe medicines, and probably have them do open heart surgery after a weekend "intensive course". Of course the law (and the public market) won't tolerate this, however substituting LPN's for RN's is permissible in many settings. Have you noticed that Walmart hardly has humans manning checkouts anymore? Why? Because it's not illegal, people still go to Walmart and it's cheaper.

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Specializes in NICU.

Most nursing jobs are an expense. If they can bill for your work, then you are an asset. A home health nurse is an asset, but a ICU nurse is not.

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1 minute ago, NICU Guy said:

Most nursing jobs are an expense. If they can bill for your work, then you are an asset. A home health nurse is an asset, but a ICU nurse is not.

wow, that's an eye opener. Thank you!

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Specializes in ICU.

At the end of the day, even the nonprofit sees things in terms of cost vs revenue. We are labor. For most places, we are a means to an end. Like one responder said, if they could get away with using CNAs to do surgery, they would.

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10 minutes ago, juviasama said:

wow, that's an eye opener. Thank you!

They want to know you make them money for sure.

what are you bringing in, etc.

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We're these agencies small businesses? Lots of small businesses live on the edge of viability, so they will substitute cheaper employees when possible and minimize overtime to survive.

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1 hour ago, RNperdiem said:

We're these agencies small businesses? Lots of small businesses live on the edge of viability, so they will substitute cheaper employees when possible and minimize overtime to survive.

I appreciate that you're offering perspective from the employers' part. However, I do believe that employers should give what's fair for the employees. When I work, I do work hard. I didn't sit and gossip with other coworkers when I work. I focus on my work to get things done. I don't even touch my phone unless I'm on break. I dedicate my best for my employers and I'm expecting my employers would give what's fair for their employees.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
7 hours ago, juviasama said:

I appreciate that you're offering perspective from the employers' part. However, I do believe that employers should give what's fair for the employees. When I work, I do work hard. I didn't sit and gossip with other coworkers when I work. I focus on my work to get things done. I don't even touch my phone unless I'm on break. I dedicate my best for my employers and I'm expecting my employers would give what's fair for their employees.

What do you consider "fair"?

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Just a patient--- I consider nurses major assets to healthcare. I’m disabled due to CP and in a wheelchair. They have helped me so much during all of my operations, kept me pain free, helped through the hardest parts of my life, and explained stuff sometimes better than the doctor. I could go on. If someone were to ask me what profession I respect the most, without hesitation I would say nurses. Your profession does so much yet gets little recognition, I’ll never understand that. Please know you have patients who think you are a MAJOR ASSET to healthcare and don’t know what they would do without your profession. You all rock!

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Specializes in Dialysis.

most nursing hours are not billable, they are an added in expense. Usually in HH or hospice are nursing hours billable. Now if insurance allowed nurses to bill services in the hospital, ECFs and clinics, we might see a major change in staffing, but maybe not, considering that they want their profit. It really stinks

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Specializes in tele, ICU, CVICU.
On 6/28/2019 at 10:08 AM, juviasama said:

I once interviewed with private duty agency, and when I asked for certain salary that I think is reasonable for a nurse with 18 months experience. She counter-offered me with much lower salary, saying that I don't have home health experience. Hence, my salary will be the same like new grad. Plus she wanted me to work weekends too. She said in order to qualify for full time position, I have to work one weekend because everyone wants to work weekdays. (Err, I thought that's the perk of PDN, can choose their own schedules? apparently not!) Plus my friend worked there and she told me the benefits were very expensive and no PTO offered. I was not desperate enough, so I never followed up with the agency. 

Maybe I think different than most here, but as PDN is a more desirable field, any salary there will be less than a less desirable specialty, nursing home, etc. Also, 18 months experience is not all that long, to justify a higher salary. Similarly, with needing/wanting FT, one weekend (I assume a month) is not a bad deal.

There are benefits to PRN or PDN or other specialties, but sometimes they come at a cost. In my area, PRN makes $12-15/hour more, no benefits, minimum of 4 shifts/month, and I think even a few holidays/year.

But RN's considered an expense over asset to the company will probably never change.

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