Taking a Pay Cut

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Jul 7, 2009

welcome to allnurses !! the starting pay for a new grad RN or even a LPN is very low that you stated. where do you live? the hospital where i work at starts new grad RN's at $26.00 and hour. With nursing your pay will increase with your years of practice, the longer you work the better you get paid. i think if you really want to be a nurse go through the program you should. the pay will get better every year. to be honest i don't know if new grads pay can be negonitonable they have no expirence to speak of.. and you get paid according to your years of work.... dosen't hurt to ask.. good luck and please keep us posted on how you are doing.

scrubbleuffagus08 · Jul 7, 2009

i should clarify... I'm not a Nurse yet. This is a position at the hospital similar to a CNA but without the certification.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jul 7, 2009

She is still waiting to get into nursing school. She is not talking about a nursing job, but a job in the hospital to get her foot in the door while in school.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Jul 7, 2009

sorry for the misunderstanding , i think it maybe worth the learning expirence . you will be in the OR learning about surgeries and medical terms that will help you in school. i know you can't afford it , but in the long run it may pay off... i wish i had better advice . just keep your eye on the prize... good luck and keep us posted ..

chicookie, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2009

ok nursing school is expensive. You wouldn't want a lower paying job and then end up not going to nursing school. JMHO.

that is a toughie.

PAERRN20 · Jul 7, 2009

Although the OR would offer you a foot in the door and experience, it is not worth risking your livelihood for. $10 an hr is a stretch for 2 people. Would you also need to pay a babysitter? What about insurance and benefits? These are a few things to consider. Many people get the first nursing job without any previous healthcare experience, so it can be done. Best of luck.

neatnurse30 · Jul 7, 2009

Try first to be a nursing aide in the hospital or something similar, and see if you like if first. You will see a lot, and hear what nurses are talking about and how they like the job, because I'm telling you right now, nursing is a very hard, stressful and demanding job, so you need to make sure you won't be disappointed.

Did you finish any college? Because if you only have high school, then you have a lot of prerequisites to be done and other general courses to take. I must imagine that being a single mother must hurt a lot financially.

scrubbleuffagus08 · Jul 7, 2009

I have all my prereqs done. I've been on the waiting list for 3 years. My number will be called soon. I worked in the OR before for a short amount of time but some personal issues came up and I had to leave the job. I loved the job! I know nursing is what I want to do... I just wonder if taking that big of a pay cut is worth the struggle. Not to mention my other issue is working while in the nursing program and my bills... everything seems to be working against me.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Jul 7, 2009

the other posters are right , i just don't know how you would live on $10.00 an hour. i understand your concern, is there anyway you can just keep your old job and just go into the nursing program? maybe you need to stick with what you have for now and get your degree than you can quit and work as a nurse. please don't give up on nursing....

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2009

Congrats on a soon-to-be successful WIN of the nursing waiting game. You must be very determined. :yeah:

I think that perspective demands that you take a good look at where you are and where you are going. There are usually many routes and some are easier "trips" than others. At the end of the journey - you want to be a RN with a nursing job that challenges you and rewards you. Easy, right?

Issue - Money!

$7/hour cut in a 40/week is more that a budget ding. But, I have found hourly rates alone to be deceiving in certain positions.

I encourage you to look at the total compensation of being employed.

1. Do you have any unused vacation time that you can cash out and put "in the nursing kitty" back at the "auto" job?

2. Examine the total compensation at Job A (auto job) and Job B (be a RN).

* Do you have any insurance expenses? Will your premiums be different? This can be huge!

* Would your tax bracket change? Could you change taxes held?

* Examine any voluntary contributions? Can you forego saving/401k contributions for a short time? Would that change your take home pay?

* Does either job offer tuition assistance? And does it have to apply to your current position? I'd bet that the "auto" job would be reluctant to pay for nursing school. This could add thousands to your "compensation" as tuition has to be paid regardless.

* Do you have child care expenses that would differ between the jobs? Some let you set money aside at a pre-tax rate.

* What about commuting, wardrobe and work meal expenses? I know that I spent a crap load of money where I worked in the "business" environment on clothing and lunches alone that I did not have to spend at the hospital.

I think that you will have to squeeze every nickel until the buffalo $&(@%. Tough for sure!

A big question may also be the security of your "auto" job? That is one industry that would really frighten me to hang my hopes on right now.

Now for the opportunity costs! You noted the only downside was money. Yep, that can be big - but....

Many newly minted nurses are having real trouble getting jobs right now. Of course, that may change over the next few years or it may reman tough in some regions - my crystal ball is not very reliable right now. :bugeyes:

Would having this experience mean the difference between getting that "first" nursing job or not? That can be worth 10's of thousands over time. I know that does not make the bills of today any better - any chance of loans or family help? Selling assets - ebay? A second job? I'm pulling for you!

* What kind of schedule would benefit the ultimate goal?

* I think some CNA/PCT/Tech positions are tough to get - is this an offer that may not come around again?

Also, there are tax credits and some federal/state assistance for many that go back to school. I'd exhaust that option as well.

Anyway, just trying to give you food for thought - I really hope the best for you as you consider the options!

Good Luck!

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2009

That's a huge pay cut! Can you try it out before quitting your job now? If you have vacation time saved up, you may want to use it to explore this avenue. You still will have a probationary period to work through. Hate to have them let you go and then you'll really be stuck. $17/hr is pretty good. I'm a lpn studying to take my rn boards and I make 18.50/hr no bennies and it's casual. Jobs are very tight right now. You may want to think about hanging onto your current job. Many people I went to school with were let go as soon as they passed their rn boards because of hiring freezes. I'm not sure if it's like that all over, but in Wisconsin I'm finding it very hard to get a job. I wish you the very best and good luck with nursing school :specs: . Please keep us posted.