Salaries in Florida

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Mar 5, 2004

I am certainly not going to flame you. In many cases, nurses make a decent wage. However, when the cost of living is high and the wages are not proportionate to what it costs to live, something is wrong. This is clearly the case in Florida. Nursing is a viable profession that requires specialized knowledge in order to practice. Generally when a profession requires specialized knowledge and professional licensing, the annual salary is generally better than what nurses are being paid today. Please use Law, Medicine, Speech Therapy, Dietitan as an example. Nurses rank right in there with these other professions and in many cases, nurses hold a large amount of accountabilityfor the well-being of the patient. Yet, out of this list of professionals, nurses are probably the loweest paid. This is the reason that nurses complain about their wage.

$17.00 per hour might be acceptable for a new graduate nurse (although I would add that even a new grad is worth more than $17.00 per hour for the amount of responsibility and work they will perform for the employer), but when you are dealing with an experienced nurse, that brings a wealth of value and clinical experience to the table, the wage should be fair and reasonable. In addition to this, benefits should be attainable. Many nurses have families and in most cases, insurance rates are so high, many nurses simply can not afford to cover their family or cover their family at the expense of kids not having clothes, etc. Further, a great many hospitals and other medical employers have cut back on their pension plan, time off and other perks that use to be help get nurses in the door. This is simply not right.

There are many parts of the country where nurses are compensated well. However, there are more places that compensate nurses very poorly. There have been a number of threads devoted to discussions about RN's furthering their education to the BSN level. However, there are a lot of hospitals that are simply not going to pay a higher wage because you are a BSN or MSN. Things are changing and perhaps these changes will bring about equitable pay for nurses across the country. Perhaps the nursing shortage will bring about adjustments for many nurses. Maybe nothing will change. I don't know. But I do know there are nurses out there that do not get paid what they are worth and for what value they bring to the patient bedside.

Just my opinion. :)

edib1 · Mar 5, 2004

I Must Say That You Right Rnptl. As For Michelle95 I Dont Feel Bad For Those People That Have Four Year Degrees They Have A Choice In Life As To What Road To Take Professionally, Obviously You Forget About The High Risks That We Take As Nurses. Lets See Is It The Fact That, We Can Contract Aids Or How About Tb, Or Maybe Even Hep B, Or Hey Hows This I Always Loved Geting Beat Up In PySch And The Er. Does A Social Worker Or Other People Have To Deal With That Close Up Like We Do? Or How About Losing Those Babies In The Er And Having To Hear The Mothers And Fathers Cry Hysterically Because We Did Everything We Could And We Just Could Not Save Their Baby. Maybe You Dont Have A Heart But I Do And I Have Cried Many Times Over Losing Patients. We As Nurses Work Our A***es Off And I Think That We Should Get Payed What We Are Worth. Do You Not Understand That We Administer Meds That Can Kill People? We Have To Make Sure That We Are On Top Of Everything That We Do. If We Are Not We Could Lose Our Lic. I Am Sorry But I Dont Think That Alot Of Other Professions Have The Same Stress As We Have. You Must Work In A Family Clinic And Not A Hospital. I Love Being A Nurse I Love The Excitment And The Smiles That I Have Put On Sick Pt's Faces And Wound That I Have Helped To Heal And I Would Not Change My Job For The World But I Do Believe That We As Nurses Have A Very Important Role In This world And We Should Be Rewarded.

JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION:rotfl:

michelle95 · Mar 5, 2004

I understand perfectly well what you all are saying. I do not disagree that we should be compensated for the risks and stress that we have due to our careers.

I just think that with some folks, it's greed. I can live just fine on 17 to 20 an hour here in Pensacola. If someone can't, then maybe they are living beyond their means.

If we are going to complain so much, how do you think paramedics and EMT's feel? They get paid less than we do and have even more risks and stress that come with their job.

The point it, health care already costs so much and it will only get worse for average Joe if all nurses are making 50 bucks and hour.

As far as the social worker? You couldn't me pay enough to take her job. While she doesn't have to deal with the patients like we do...she sure does have to take the heat when it comes to patient and family complaints. I saw what she had to go through....ughh...it was awful.

TIFFANYLEE · Mar 5, 2004

I'm sure that I am going to be flamed for this, but, don't any of you think we are being a little greedy here? Other professions with the same amout of schooling make far less, as well as a lot of 4 year degrees.
A social worker that works at a nursing home that I used to makes about 2 dollars less an hour than I did. She has a 4 year degree and I only have my little 'ole LPN diploma.
I live in Pensacola and do not have a problem starting at 17 and hour when I finish RN school.
Just look into what other professions make and you will see that we are certainly compensated for the stress compared to their jobs.
That's just my own humble opinion.

It is unforuate that nurse's have been taught to be kind ect..... but any CEO, stock trader , trashman , plumber ect... would be paid more than us . We are caring for people and lives depend on our education . If you feel you are just a lil LPN get out of nursing you don't have the balls for this life !!

We need nurse's that fight for the lives of patient's and $$$$$ and respect .

Please don't let the nurse's in Florida be mambie pambies's . Get other opinion Live better don't you have a life ???

edib1 · Mar 6, 2004

It is unforuate that nurse's have been taught to be kind ect..... but any CEO, stock trader , trashman , plumber ect... would be paid more than us . We are caring for people and lives depend on our education . If you feel you are just a lil LPN get out of nursing you don't have the balls for this life !!
We need nurse's that fight for the lives of patient's and $$$$$ and respect .
Please don't let the nurse's in Florida be mambie pambies's . Get other opinion Live better don't you have a life ???

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

BRAVO , BRAVO MICHELLE THANK YOU TO SOMEONE THAT SEES IT MY WAY

TIFFANYLEE · Mar 6, 2004

I understand perfectly well what you all are saying. I do not disagree that we should be compensated for the risks and stress that we have due to our careers.
I just think that with some folks, it's greed. I can live just fine on 17 to 20 an hour here in Pensacola. If someone can't, then maybe they are living beyond their means.
If we are going to complain so much, how do you think paramedics and EMT's feel? They get paid less than we do and have even more risks and stress that come with their job.
The point it, health care already costs so much and it will only get worse for average Joe if all nurses are making 50 bucks and hour.
As far as the social worker? You couldn't me pay enough to take her job. While she doesn't have to deal with the patients like we do...she sure does have to take the heat when it comes to patient and family complaints. I saw what she had to go through....ughh...it was awful.

If you want to work for low wages you should !! I do not wish to work for 17.00 per hour I make $64,000 now why in God's name would I want to work for less . Maybe your cost of living is low because you don't expect too much from yourself I on the other hand think If you want and need my expertise than pay for it . I am a nurse not a nun I want to be paid for my responsibilities . I don't know how much experience you have as a nurse on the unit or if you have any MANAGEMENT experience but I can tell you nurse's who feel they can get by with less get nothing . I intend to lobby for better wages in Florida and I do hope people like you do not think nurse's won't strike or slow work down because I will without a doubt and nurse's like you can pick up the slack since you love the job !!

TIFFANYLEE · Mar 6, 2004

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
BRAVO , BRAVO MICHELLE THANK YOU TO SOMEONE THAT SEES IT MY WAY

?????????????????????????????????

edib1 · Mar 6, 2004

If you want to work for low wages you should !! I do not wish to work for 17.00 per hour I make $64,000 now why in God's name would I want to work for less . Maybe your cost of living is low because you don't expect too much from yourself I on the other hand think If you want and need my expertise than pay for it . I am a nurse not a nun I want to be paid for my responsibilities . I don't know how much experience you have as a nurse on the unit or if you have any MANAGEMENT experience but I can tell you nurse's who feel they can get by with less get nothing . I intend to lobby for better wages in Florida and I do hope people like you do not think nurse's won't strike or slow work down because I will without a doubt and nurse's like you can pick up the slack since you love the job !!

:rotfl: THANK YOU JESUS SOMEONE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT

ALLELUIAH , ALLELUIAH, ALLELUIAH SORY I MEANT TO SAY TIFFANY INSTEAD OF MICHELLE

edib1 · Mar 6, 2004

?????????????????????????????????

i Meant Tiffany Not Michelle

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2004

It is unforuate that nurse's have been taught to be kind ect..... but any CEO, stock trader , trashman , plumber ect... would be paid more than us . We are caring for people and lives depend on our education . If you feel you are just a lil LPN get out of nursing you don't have the balls for this life !!
We need nurse's that fight for the lives of patient's and $$$$$ and respect .
Please don't let the nurse's in Florida be mambie pambies's . Get other opinion Live better don't you have a life ???

Lobby all you like ( like every other nurse has for the last two decades in that state). It is your time to waste.

Some of us will be smart and are sick of wasting our time. We work elsewhere. No one forced you to go there and you don't have to stay if you do not like the market.

TIFFANYLEE · Mar 6, 2004

:rotfl: THANK YOU JESUS SOMEONE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT
ALLELUIAH , ALLELUIAH, ALLELUIAH SORY I MEANT TO SAY TIFFANY INSTEAD OF MICHELLE

Thanks !! I will be needing help so stay with me nurse's :imbar

michelle95 · Mar 9, 2004

If you want money Tiffany, why don't you go to medical school? You seem to have the attitude that is common in that profession.

On the other hand, I'd hate to be your patient. You wouldn't look at me as a person, you'd see me as a dollar sign.

Tootles. :)