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!!!
Junebugfairy that is FedEx that is sub contracts their drivers and trucks.y other half is road sup for the brown. I hear about it all the time.
If nurses were micromanaged to the millisecond the way UPS drivers are the pay rate would come up. Plus t drivers have a very strong union and a mind numbing amount of oversight. It's crazy! The stress levels on a daily basis are why they get that pay rate.
I agree that a nurse should be paid more than a UPS driver simply because of the education. However, don't tell me lives depend on your work. It doesn't. The ultimate responsibility falls on the Dr., not the nurse. Yes I work at UPS and my wife is a nurse. I made $81,573 last year and she made $62,126. But, she is home at 230 everyday and all she does all day is hand out meds and take blood pressure. Is 4 years of college really required to do that? To make the $81K I'm away from the house for 13 hours everyday.
And to the nurses who want to become UPS drivers for the money, think again. The first day your sent out with 195 stops with the 2nd stop being some guy getting 15 90lb. packages of computer equipment that needs to be 2-wheeled up his 1/10th of a mile driveway, you're going to quit. Then you can go back to taking blood pressure and handing out medication.
Trust me, you have a good job and good pay. I'm not going to be able to walk or play with my grandkids at age 70. You will.
Please run your views past your wife first, then get back to us.
this reminds me of a couple years ago when something ridiculous like this came out and included nurses... it said the average salary was $70k+ or something similar and my step-mom's daughter called her and just reemed her a new one wondering why she was so broke... Little did my step-sister realize that an "average" does not mean "every"... I would hazard a guess this is a similarily skewed report
Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
I agree that a nurse should be paid more than a UPS driver simply because of the education. However, don't tell me lives depend on your work. It doesn't. The ultimate responsibility falls on the Dr., not the nurse. Yes I work at UPS and my wife is a nurse. I made $81,573 last year and she made $62,126. But, she is home at 230 everyday and all she does all day is hand out meds and take blood pressure. Is 4 years of college really required to do that? To make the $81K I'm away from the house for 13 hours everyday.
And to the nurses who want to become UPS drivers for the money, think again. The first day your sent out with 195 stops with the 2nd stop being some guy getting 15 90lb. packages of computer equipment that needs to be 2-wheeled up his 1/10th of a mile driveway, you're going to quit. Then you can go back to taking blood pressure and handing out medication.
Trust me, you have a good job and good pay. I'm not going to be able to walk or play with my grandkids at age 70. You will.
Seriously? You really believe this tripe?
Who is is that notices the subtle changes in the patients respiration rate, before the patient goes into respiratory distress? Hint, it isn't the doctor. Who is it that assesses the need for additional medications to prevent the patient from going into hypertensive crisis. The nurse. I tell the doctor what meds the patient needs half the time because I know my patients better than they do. I am with them more. They spend 10 to 15min with them. I am NOT a pill pusher. My 4 years of college taught me a helluva lot more than you seem to understand about nursing.
I have an idea, close your mouth, open your ears and learn about nurses.
I'm thinking she'd be too embarrassed to come here after this. My condolences to the wife!
I saw this two minutes after it was posted last night and decided not to bite.....you all were so much more articulate than I would have been. My condolences to the wife as well.
I agree that a nurse should be paid more than a UPS driver simply because of the education. However, don't tell me lives depend on your work. It doesn't. The ultimate responsibility falls on the Dr., not the nurse. Yes I work at UPS and my wife is a nurse. I made $81,573 last year and she made $62,126. But, she is home at 230 everyday and all she does all day is hand out meds and take blood pressure. Is 4 years of college really required to do that? To make the $81K I'm away from the house for 13 hours everyday.
And to the nurses who want to become UPS drivers for the money, think again. The first day your sent out with 195 stops with the 2nd stop being some guy getting 15 90lb. packages of computer equipment that needs to be 2-wheeled up his 1/10th of a mile driveway, you're going to quit. Then you can go back to taking blood pressure and handing out medication.
Trust me, you have a good job and good pay. I'm not going to be able to walk or play with my grandkids at age 70. You will.
Wow..you have never obviously have never been in a hospital. Allow me to educate you on what a nurse does. A nurse does more than just give out pills,they watch for reactions to the meds, educate, call the doctor when the patients condition changes, do skin checks for anything abnormal, I could go on but the post would be too long. As for everything falling on the doctor. I rarely saw mine. I did see my nurse every hour or so. Sometimes more.Oh and when a doc ordered a med that was hard on my body to take (which I told him) who called him to have it changed? My nurse. Nurses are in my opinion are vital to healthcare. Many times they might catch something the doctor missed. They are watching over 4-6 patients per shift for 8-12 hours. I guess many people don't realize how much nurses do until they need one themselves.
I scanned back to this thread, and noticed something. WE'VE BEEN FOOLED. Really. We bit, oh well.
First post is on this thread, joined TO post on this thread. Odd, actually, that THIS would be the first post....unless you were trolling to try to annoy someone, post something inflammatory.
This "miggs" has a wife who works as a nurse, and is home by 2:30 each day......nope. Might be a part-timer in a medical office (or an MA, not a nurse) but in any event, doesn't earn that much money then, either. Fairy tale posted, folks.
And speaking of money: I also find it odd that someone knows, down to the very dollar, exactly how much he earned last year....AND exactly (down to the dollar?) his wife earned at her job as well. Unless, of course, the numbers were pulled from the air! :)
Nope, it's someone who is bored and felt like toying with people. Weird, I know, but there certainly are weirdos out there (proof enough obtained).
I agree that a nurse should be paid more than a UPS driver simply because of the education. However, don't tell me lives depend on your work. It doesn't. The ultimate responsibility falls on the Dr., not the nurse. Yes I work at UPS and my wife is a nurse. I made $81,573 last year and she made $62,126. But, she is home at 230 everyday and all she does all day is hand out meds and take blood pressure. Is 4 years of college really required to do that? To make the $81K I'm away from the house for 13 hours everyday.
And to the nurses who want to become UPS drivers for the money, think again. The first day your sent out with 195 stops with the 2nd stop being some guy getting 15 90lb. packages of computer equipment that needs to be 2-wheeled up his 1/10th of a mile driveway, you're going to quit. Then you can go back to taking blood pressure and handing out medication.
Trust me, you have a good job and good pay. I'm not going to be able to walk or play with my grandkids at age 70. You will.
Okay. Whatever. We get it-your job is hard because you have to work 13 hour days and lug 90 lb packages up several flights of days. One day you will wind up in the hospital with a hernia or a severe back in jury and you will see just what nurses REALLY do, LOL. Until then keep looking down at your wife and her college education.
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!!!!
aeris99
490 Posts
Junebugfairy that is FedEx that is sub contracts their drivers and trucks.y other half is road sup for the brown. I hear about it all the time.
If nurses were micromanaged to the millisecond the way UPS drivers are the pay rate would come up. Plus t drivers have a very strong union and a mind numbing amount of oversight. It's crazy! The stress levels on a daily basis are why they get that pay rate.