RN pay rate on experience vs education

[finallyRN7, BSN]

I don't know if this topic has been asked or discussed, but I'm curious what your thoughts are.

Should a RN with an associate degree & more years experience be paid more than a RN with a bachelor's degree and less experience? Your thoughts....

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Compensation formulas of large organizations are rarely "either - or".

In the case of cinical staff nurses, the formulas often include years of experience as a licensed nurse, education, and sometimes specialty area and individual negotiation.

[Seaofclouds, BSN, RN]

Most pay formulas I've seen start based on years of experience as a RN (some count LPN time, some don't). Then from there, they add a set amount for a higher degree (BSN, MSN) and a set amount for certifications (CCRN, etc). Most places only allow one pay boost for certifications (meaning if you have more than one, you don't get more money). I think this works well overall.

[eroc]

Experience and competency should always be paid more than having a degree. It's very sad to me when people equate a degree with intelligence and competency.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Experience and competency should always be paid more than having a degree. It's very sad to me when people equate a degree with intelligence and competency.

However, experience does not equal competency. Someone could have worked for 20 years and still be an idiot -- or be unpleasant to work with -- or unreliable -- or mean to the patients -- or woefully "out-of-date" in their practice.

An academic degree is simply a credential attesting to the fact that the individual has met certain standards. If it comes from a good school, then it is a valuable testament that the graduate has met some high standards. If it is from a "diploma mill" it says only that the graduate bought a degree. So I agree that an academic degree, by itself, is no guarantee of a good employee.

However, neither is experience. Experience just means you didn't get fired -- and we all know it can be pretty hard to fire someone these days. As I said above, years of experience doesn't guarantee a good employee. It's sad to realize how many experienced nurses have not kept up with the latest practice knowledge.

So ... my preference is to have small rewards for both education and experience ... and then have additional rewards for actual current performance. Both can say something positive about the individual, but neither guarantees good performance. That's why there should also be performance-based rewards.

And I totally agree with GrnTea -- there are way too many nurses who are prejudiced against other nurses with higher academic credentials. There are lots of great nurses out there who are also well-educated.

[kurtayn]

In the city I work in, good luck finding a job in other than sub-acute or nursing home environments if you don't have your BSN. It isn't even a matter of pay difference anymore, it's a matter of finding a job you like.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

At my hospital RNs with an ADN get paid the same amount as an RN with a BSN.