What is the complaint with nursing salaries?

James Huffman · Dec 16, 2005

I have to disagree. The last doctor I worked for bought a million dollar mansion, went to Europe for several weeks, had housekeepers/nannies and gardners and then had the nerve to tell me he couldn't afford to give me a raise after working my butt off for 2 years.
I have no problems with the docs making money and having a comfortable life. But, they are doing this at the expense of their staff. I had to work 2 jobs to make ends meet and after being denied a raise, I quit working for the cheapskate. The next clinic I worked for managed to pay well and didn't work thier staff to death.

The question is not what the doctor did or didn't do, and ultimately it's not about how much money he made or spent. The question is why you were working 2 jobs to make ends meet, and put up with it. If we work for low wages, it's ultimately our own fault. No one's making us stay at a job. When someone -- anyone -- is not paying enough, leave. It's not really complicated. No one takes advantage of us without our own permission.

Jim Huffman, RN

SharonH, RN · Dec 16, 2005

I am getting a kick out of reading these posts.

Deb, you have pretty much covered the whole thing.

I can remember back in the late 80's when I was in college and my mouth dropping open when a fellow student told me she was making $7/hr working at the car rental place. OMG! It was so much money to me, since I had no income and was surviving on money from my Dad. And trust me, Daddy took care of my needs but there was no frills.

It's all relative.

A couple of years later, there I was fresh out of college and making $35,000/yr(thanks to much,much overtime). Again, I thought this was a lot of money.

Every year, I made more money but it was worth less and less to me. It doesn't take too many evenings of going home without lunch, mouth dry, feet hurting, worried sick if you did the right thing for that one patient who went bad, worried about the liability you incurred because you worked short again, taking crap from patients, family, doctors and supervisors and viola! all of a sudden $40,000 a year is not a big deal to me. In fact, I am beginning to see what a bargain I really am to the hospital. I saw the light over 10 years ago.

When I learned that hospitals paid agencies $50-$90/hr to supply nurses when they only paid me $25/hr for the same work, that was it. Now I can truly see how chumped I am. Like Deb, I wish I could hear from all of you in 5 years' time. I really do.

zenman · Dec 16, 2005

In 2001, at age 20, I landed a job as a factory worker in a toilet paper plant. Every week I received 3 days off per week all in a row, which was quite nice. I had no education beyond high school and was being paid slightly over $40,000 yearly. That job lasted me 3 years until my resignation. I resigned in order to attend nursing school on a full-time schedule.

I guess you wiped up in your first job and I hope you don't go down the toilet in your second profession! :rotfl:

Everything is relative. I now travel light and try to make plan wisely. My salary is now down to $30k. I live in Asia and I'm paid in USD. I have nothing taken out of my check and I have to work hard to spend $500 a month. It's giving me the opportunity to do an online FNP program and live without too much stress...except for nuts trying to blow me up! I do hope to never work in a hospital again.

As as James says, business is difficult. I addition to comparing your wages to the local cost of living, also compare it to hospital stats, such as reimbursement. I know some floors I've been on lost money every month due to reimbursement. This may not be an ideal situation when you want a raise! I work for one hospital chain that closed 50 hospitals due to poor reimbursement...luckily, I was only prn there.

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 16, 2005

Perhaps Zen, but when we see how much money and supplies are wasted---how much hospitals pay out to recruit newbies or doctors, some people get a wee bit cranky and tired of hearing how a reasonable wage increase is not in the cards for them. People tend to get put off when they see a new grad with 20 years' less experience making just a few dollars less than they do.

At least, this is what I see.

I personally, am grateful. I have a good job and reasonable pay. And pay increases do come with time/experience. I am not complaining personally. But, I do know the landscape out there and it's not right in so many areas.

From where I sit and can see: Hospitals always seem to have PLENTY to splurge on gifts and "extras" for dr's at Christmas and throughout the year--- no end of money is spent on oppulent decor for the lobbies, hallways, and even patient rooms, and they seem to find some money to spend on other appointments that are showy and loud----yes, they seem to have plenty to spend on things that are not critical to patient care. Why not take care of another "asset"---your employees"? Answer: nurses are seen as LIABILITIES, not ASSETS. Simple as that.

kersti · Dec 16, 2005

I think the complaint is like many of you have stated; it's not that it's a poor wage, it's the fact that what we do to earn that wage, the live or die decisions that we are faced with every day and the things that we see and are confronted with on a daily basis that most others don't even want to know about, that makes what we earn not nearly enough.

That being said, most people that I know are doing this job out of a commitment to help others and make things better, more than for the money. But maybe that's part of the problem? :uhoh3:

NessaNurse · Dec 16, 2005

I've been an RN

Sheri257 · Dec 16, 2005

The thing that bothers me most about the pay (or lack thereof) ... is that as an RN, you have close to the same amount of liability as a doctor without the same salary.

If a doc screws up the med order, and you don't catch it, you're liable. If the doc refuses to give orders that the patient needs, you're still liable. It's your job to go over the doc's head and find another MD to get the orders the patient needs. Of course, there's not always time to do this, especially when the patient is crashing and dies.

The only reason RN's don't get sued as much as docs is because they don't have the deep pockets that docs have. I guess in a twisted sort of way, this is one of the benefits of lower pay but, still, your license is on the line and you can get reported to the state board if things are screwed up ... which threatens your livelihood all together.

This ... on top of all the stress, physical demands, grief from family members, hospitals that won't even invest basics like vitals machines that actually work, administrators who pressure RN's to quickly discharge patients who really shouldn't be discharged, etc. ... the list goes on and on ...

Then add to all of this what is, at best, a mediocre salary ... and you know why a lot of RN's don't want to work bedside anymore.

:coollook:

James Huffman · Dec 16, 2005

The thing that bothers me most about the pay (or lack thereof) ... is that as an RN, you have close to the same amount of liability as a doctor without the same salary.

Most docs aren't on salary. Most of us are. That's a big difference, right there.

The few docs who ARE on salary are paid what they are because the market is set by docs who are self-employed/business owners.

Partial solution? More self-employed nurses. The more of us who are self-employed, independent contractors, or in other such pay "options," the higher the salary bar will go.

Jim Huffman, RN

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 17, 2005

It's all relative.

When I was in nursing school working in Pizza Hut I couldn't wait to make $12.00/hr I would make as a nurse. And I might have made a post similar to the OP.

Now I make $29.00/hr and don't complain, especially since it's steady and in demand (if I don't lose my license for some reason). I've made some killer paychecks over the years working OT. It's a nice middle income, but I'm also at the point when I hear of people making $17.00 to $20.00 in certain parts of the country, I think "NO WAY. for all that hard education and stress, working nights, weekends and holidays, I can't imagine such low pay!".

But "you won't get rich in nursing" is true, but if you play your cards right, you'll be fine.

fromTeacher2Nurse · Dec 17, 2005

I graduate in May with my RN and I will be so blessed to be able to support myself and my son on what around here is very good pay. I guess if I lived in a higher cost area, I would not be as excited. I have struggled for the past two years and just to be able to buy shampoo AND conditioner in the same shopping trip seems like a luxury to me.
EMMY

I had to laugh out loud when I read this!!!!! Last night my 5 y.o. and I rolled all the pennies in his jar to buy a loaf of bread, and a scoop of ice cream as a treat for him. The day before I cleaned out the change in my uniform and had just enought for shampoo - not conditioner though!! :chuckle

Oh well, this won't last forever, and we can look back on it and laugh! :rotfl:

zenman · Dec 17, 2005

I had to laugh out loud when I read this!!!!! Last night my 5 y.o. and I rolled all the pennies in his jar to buy a loaf of bread, and a scoop of ice cream as a treat for him. The day before I cleaned out the change in my uniform and had just enought for shampoo - not conditioner though!! :chuckle
Oh well, this won't last forever, and we can look back on it and laugh! :rotfl:

Yes, and that's one reason we don't complain too much. I remember picking up coke bottles on the side of the road to get $7.00 to buy my first .22 cal rifles so I could hunt rabbits to eat. :)

sweetielin · Dec 17, 2005

i only make about 20,000/year. i was making it on that and doing ok until i had to have my transmission rebuilt. cost me $1200. now i can barely pay the bills. :crying2: