It has been broadcast all over the news in my area that UPS is hiring, and that the average UPS driver makes around $76,000 annually! That just totally makes me feel devalued as a nurse. I am not sure what the national averages for nurse salaries are right now, but I am pretty sure it is not that much. I mean, seriously, these people deliver packages (not to devalue them, I have known a few and they work exceptionally hard), but we nurses deliver babies, we keep people alive, we take care of children and the elderly. We are highly educated, knowledgeable, and the responsibility we hold is immense. If the UPS guy screws up, someone might not get their package delivered on time. If a nurse screws up, someone could die. I just cannot reconcile this in my head!!!!
When I first saw this my initial thought was "screw nursing, I'm going to drive the brown truck!" My next thought was, how sad that we are so seriously devalued. What will it take before people realize our value to society? Am I overreacting to this? What are your thoughts?
Again, I want to add that I do not want to sound like I am putting down UPS drivers or similar careers. They work hard and do a great job. It is just that in comparison to the responsibility that we nurses hold, it does not seem that the pay is in line. Not that they deserve less, it is that we deserve at least as much or more for the work that we do!!!
It is true, a full time UPS driver does make between 74k-100k annually. I know this being a driver myself.
The thing is....our job, although we are not "saving lives" is still crucial. How do you think your hospital gets the supplies you use to do your job? What if it were one of those packages that isn't delivered when "the ups guy screws up"? We deliver millions of medications to disabled veterans and the elderly EVERY DAY. Heart, blood pressure, epinephrine and insulin to name a few. Some of these people are very low income and shut ins that would otherwise not receive the medications needed to keep them alive. So although we may not be directly assisting a doctor in a lifesaving decision, we are still a very important aspect of providing assistance to our communities. Just a few weeks ago one of my fellow drivers saved a mans life when he was lying unconscious on his kitchen floor. She was delivering, what could've been a useless Amazon item, but knew something was off because he always always greeted her. Knowing this, she took a second to knock on the door and saw him lying there and called 911. Last summer another driver I work with witnessed a car going off the road and into a river, he jumped in to save her. Google ups drivers saving lives....you'll be shocked at what these untrained professionals do!
UPS drivers log more hours on road than any other trucking industry worldwide. We are out there doing our job in extremely hot, dangerous temperatures in non air conditioned trucks in the summer and driving countless hours on snow and ice in the winter. I'm a woman weighing in at a whopping 120lbs and have spent 2 hours in a snow storm diggin out a 24' rear wheel drive brown truck then still had to deliver 6+ hours to make service to my customers. I got home at 10:30 pm that night.
Which brings me me to my next point. As a nurse, you probably work either 8 hour shifts or 3 twelves on then 3 off. Drivers average 10-14 hours a day during the year with up to 16 hour shifts during peak...5 days a week! I see my kids off to school in morning and not again until the following morning. We don't get to go to soccer games, dance recitals or school plays. We don't get to have regular dinners with our families and the divorce rate with a UPS driver is around 60% because of the stress that it takes on our families.
Im not going to throw jabs at nursing because I know its importance and I know we need you and those who do your job. But are you a nurse for the pay, notariaty or because you want to help people? I drive and make those sacrifices for the income and because I like working by myself and enjoy my short interactions with my customers. I could not do your job, so thank you! And I do think you should be paid better but please don't trash on what I do simply because of the money. There is far more to it!
You have my respect. This thread shows just how uneducated many "educated" nurses are.
Without out the men and women in your line of work the entire country would shut down.
I get embarrassed by the inflated egos in my current profession.
ANd as a lowly sand-blast and painter with a 9th grade education before my BSN with high honors, you too sound like you would easily transition to a great RN….if that was what you wanted.
I have never seen an overweight UPS driver, but I have seen many overweight nurses. I wonder if this speaks volumes about the type of work a UPS driver performs vs. that of a nurse?
Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.
it can be all about the overtime...I work on the ambulance as a medic and make 15.00 less an hour than I make as a nurse, but since I'm not constantly running around stressed out I can work lots of OT...last year working in EMS alone I made 84,000!
I make more in nursing hourly, but the job can be so stressfu and exausting that I have zero desire to work OT,. So if you look at the big picture I make more working in EMS and also enjoy free time to get my school work done!
You aren't doing anything wrong just living in a different area. If you make $100,000.00 as a nurse your house is going to cost you > $700,000.00 for a cracker box.
Not exactly true. I bring home about 90k without overtime and have an affordable nice 2500 sqft home for 275k.
UPS drivers earn every penny, their job is important too but just in a different way. If anyone's complaining about a driver making more than just move to a higher paying state and quit griping :/
It has been broadcast all over the news in my area that UPS is hiring, and that the average UPS driver makes around $76,000 annually! That just totally makes me feel devalued as a nurse. I am not sure what the national averages for nurse salaries are right now, but I am pretty sure it is not that much. I mean, seriously, these people deliver packages (not to devalue them, I have known a few and they work exceptionally hard), but we nurses deliver babies, we keep people alive, we take care of children and the elderly. We are highly educated, knowledgeable, and the responsibility we hold is immense. If the UPS guy screws up, someone might not get their package delivered on time. If a nurse screws up, someone could die. I just cannot reconcile this in my head!!!!
When I first saw this my initial thought was "screw nursing, I'm going to drive the brown truck!" My next thought was, how sad that we are so seriously devalued. What will it take before people realize our value to society? Am I overreacting to this? What are your thoughts?
Again, I want to add that I do not want to sound like I am putting down on UPS drivers or similar careers. They work hard and do a great job. It is just that in comparison to the responsibility that we nurses hold, it does not seem that the pay is in line. Not that they deserve less, it is that we deserve at least as much or more for the work that we do!!!
Wal-Mart and Target assistant manager roles can pay similar with less education as well. Nursing is a lot of education required for the little pay out. Nursing is meant for people who care not the pay
Nurses are underpaid - yes. I will never understand though why there are always so many threads not understanding why other fields like ---INSERT OTHER CAREER HERE --- could possibly get paid more than nurses along with some justification on why ---OTHER CAREER--- don't have to do all the things nurses do.
It has been broadcast all over the news in my area that UPS is hiring, and that the average UPS driver makes around $76,000 annually! !!!
LMAO, well I sure hope you NEVER hear how much Big Rig truck drivers make.... but just for fun ill spoil it for you. Big rig truck drivers make $100+K annually, even local truck drivers such as haz mat truck drivers, like gas, oil, waste etc make about $85,000.
So your mad that a UPS driver makes as much as a RN if not more, especially big rig truck drivers clearing over $100+k a year, im sorry but you went into nursing for the wrong reasons apparently.
If you went into nursing for the $, well looks like you chose the wrong job lol.
LMAO, well I sure hope you NEVER hear how much Big Rig truck drivers make.... but just for fun ill spoil it for you. Big rig truck drivers make $100+K annually, even local truck drivers such as haz mat truck drivers, like gas, oil, waste etc make about $85,000.
So your mad that a UPS driver makes as much as a RN if not more, especially big rig truck drivers clearing over $100+k a year, im sorry but you went into nursing for the wrong reasons apparently.
If you went into nursing for the $, well looks like you chose the wrong job lol.
As a former truck driver, I have to tell you, you're WAY off the mark on the pay. The majority of truck drivers make more like 40 - 50k. Oh and yes that is living in a truck, never seeing your home or family, eating crappy truck stop food, paying to do your laundry (that is if your able to stop at a facility). I really could go on and on.
TRUCK DRIVING SUCKS. Did I mention how dangerous it is? Psh 100k. Hahahaha. If you could get a truck driving job making 100k after a 3 week education, everyone would be doing it. Instead there is a huge driver shortage (a true shortage) because it's truly not even worth the money. That's why I'm back in school.
One more thing, my husband recently interviewed with a "good company" delivering propane (local hazmat job). They offered $16.50/hour. He countered with $19/hour and they said good luck finding a job!
Last thing, I swear, trucking companies aren't required to pay overtime. Which really hurts seeing as the average work week is 60-70 hours.
That just totally makes me feel devalued as a nurse. I am not sure what the national averages for nurse salaries are right now, but I am pretty sure it is not that much. I mean, seriously, these people deliver packages (not to devalue them, I have known a few and they work exceptionally hard), but we nurses deliver babies, we keep people alive, we take care of children and the elderly. We are highly educated, knowledgeable, and the responsibility we hold is immense. If the UPS guy screws up, someone might not get their package delivered on time. If a nurse screws up, someone could die. I just cannot reconcile this in my head!!!!
eroc
218 Posts
You have my respect. This thread shows just how uneducated many "educated" nurses are.
Without out the men and women in your line of work the entire country would shut down.
I get embarrassed by the inflated egos in my current profession.
ANd as a lowly sand-blast and painter with a 9th grade education before my BSN with high honors, you too sound like you would easily transition to a great RN….if that was what you wanted.