What is the complaint with nursing salaries?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 17, 2005

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. :)

and trudging through six feet of snow uphill both ways.....:rotfl:

ICURN_NC · Dec 17, 2005

i'm a new grad, and i guess i'm still in that giddy stage of being able to pay rent and buy groceries and rent a movie- all from the same paycheck. i am able to live in a clean and safe area, and i'm able to send my son to the best school district in the state (which is also nationally ranked).

but this is all coming from a girl who grew up really poor, so this is coming from my perspective.

but i still think we are, as a group, underpaid and we top out way too fast. not exactly sure what to do about that. i've been looking into getting my bsn, now i'm not so sure- doesn't seem like the monetary payoff will be worth the investment (although the intellectual payoff would be). if anyone has done it let me know if it was worth it. :nurse:

s

LisaRRT · Dec 17, 2005

I am in the same boat as the poster who worked in the TP factory. I worked for a "fortune 500" manufacturing company on the factory floor (making, packing, & shipping liqud detergent) making $49,000/yr with five weeks paid vacation plus a host of other benfits. I left. I missed health care so much that I gave all of that up to go back to a field where I will most likely never reach the pay and benefits I would have if I had stayed in the factory. The retirement package that I left makes me want to cry sometimes when I think about it, but you know what; I love the health care field, despite the lower pay, benefits, retirement, and all.

Lisa RRT, and soon to be RN too.

hipab4hands · Dec 18, 2005

fromm 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.

Exactly, I've been on 2 job interviews this week. One medical corporation made 1.2 Billion dollars in profit last year and the other smaller company made over 10 million dollars.

Both companies told me that I should expect to be paid less, becuase I would work in an outpatient setting and won't have to work weekends. When I asked if their hospital based nurses, who don't work weekends, are paid less also, I was told by the interviewer "Of course not".

When I tried to clarify with the interviewer what I was hearing, ie- my RN license and experience are valued less by the company ONLY because I would work in an outpatient setting--the interviewer refused to answer.

Obviously, I don't want to work for any company, who are not only disrepectful of thier employees, but also doesn't see them as an asset.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2005

SmilingBluEyes:
Thank you, Deb (if I may call you by your first name). I appreciate your interest. I will definitely still be around here in five years. I hope to have positive things to report about my progress in the healthcare field. :-)
I've also thought about the possibility of hospitals increasing the use of unlicensed personnel. But with the increasing frequency of lawsuits, I'm not sure that the hospitals want to open themselves up to the liability of having even more unlicensed professionals around. I just don't see that happening. Granted, I'm young and inexperienced, but from the reading I've done and the people I've talked to, this seems like one of the less likely options for health facilities. Procedures can only become more complex, as well, and I would think that it would require more skilled, licensed professionals rather than less. I hope I'm right, at least.
And as far as immigrant workers--I don't think that's as big of a threat as it's made out to be. The information technology industry has seen a similar trend. There was, and is, a shortage of highly-skilled IT workers in this country, and there are a huge number of people from other countries working in the U.S. under H1-B visas to help fill the gap. And IT jobs are often some of the best-paying jobs out there, with above-average wages, benefits, and relatively good employment prospects. Many people said that the immigrant workers would drag down the profession as a whole, but it hasn't happened, and the trends aren't pointing that way, either. The situation for nursing will likely be similar. My hospital employs a decent number of immigrant workers, and they're paid the same salary as the other RNs. My hospital has also bumped up the pay ranges for the third time this year (from $16.55 to $17.20 base for GNs, who move to the Tier II pay range after a year, which is $20.85/hr).
I'm just not sure where I want to take my career after staff nursing, though. I really enjoy information technology, so I've thought about pursuing a degree in computer science or management info systems and helping hospitals utilize their technology more effectively (to make it easier on the staff and on management). This is one place where I personally see a lot of room for improvement in our profession. I just want to make a difference--whether it's one life at a time or for entire hospital systems, I haven't yet decided. :-)
It will certainly be interesting to see where we are in 10 years, though. The healthcare landscape will most certainly be different than it is now. I hope for the better.

I totally agree with what Deb said. But as for concerns about law suits curtailing the trend of more and more nursing taks being done by UAPs, I don't agree.

Hospitals and doctors are addresing this by aggresively lobbying for caps on malpractice lawsuits, and they've succeeded.

Also, quite a few hospitals go dirctly overseas for nurses, without even attempting to hire in there local area.

I posted an article on allnurses not too long ago concerning this. U of Va hospital officials had discarded 200 applications from area nurses, proclaiming them "unqualified" for staff positions, then imported nurses for direct hire from The Phillipines.

In my area of Texas, this has happened, as well.

zenman · Dec 18, 2005

and trudging through six feet of snow uphill both ways.....:rotfl:

Nope, very little snow in Louisiana. Thank goodness for that otherwise the cardboard covering the holes in my shoes would not last as long. And it was only about a mile both ways. But I was in the ARMY three days after graduation from high school. They gave me all kinds of clothes, food and neat weapons that were much better than my old .22 cal! :rotfl:

kadokin, ASN, RN · Dec 20, 2005

it all depends on who you ask. when you get out of school and start working...you're going to say to yourself "oh, now i get it". yes, most nurses do make good money, but believe me you work veeeeeeeeeery hard for it. some harder than others. I think i make decent money, especially considering i used make $4.25-$10/hr through out my employment history before i became a nurse. the salaries for some nurses do not equate the responsibilty of the job, so this is why there are complaints. but considering how hard it is to get jobs now, even when you have a degree.......i am grateful for what i have.

couldn't have said it better myself. It is way more $$ than I have ever earned before, but Boy do I earn it and then some! Although it's a very good living wage, it is nothing when you consider the responsibities commensurate to the job and the physical/emotional toll it sometimes takes on your life... Don't go into nursing for the money, it will never meet your expectations.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 20, 2005

fromm 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.

Exactly, I've been on 2 job interviews this week. One medical corporation made 1.2 Billion dollars in profit last year and the other smaller company made over 10 million dollars.

Both companies told me that I should expect to be paid less, becuase I would work in an outpatient setting and won't have to work weekends. When I asked if their hospital based nurses, who don't work weekends, are paid less also, I was told by the interviewer "Of course not".

When I tried to clarify with the interviewer what I was hearing, ie- my RN license and experience are valued less by the company ONLY because I would work in an outpatient setting--the interviewer refused to answer.

Obviously, I don't want to work for any company, who are not only disrepectful of thier employees, but also doesn't see them as an asset.

Good for you! It's their loss. :)

kadokin, ASN, RN · Dec 21, 2005

Few new grads have any complaint, I have found. I can't blame them. Going from making NO money to 50 or 60K or more is GREAT to most of us.
I tell you what: The complaining starts when these same nurses advance their education (getting BSN, MSN or more) and gain invaluable skills, yet find they are NOT rewarded at all for their efforts with a compensatory and fair wage---let alone, respect.
Or maybe it happens when they see how used up many nurses become after just a few years at the bedside. Let one ON THE JOB injury happen and see how quickly you are disposed of, with them fighting worker's comp (to which you would be ENTITLED) every miserable step of the way. Let the attitude that a new grad can easily replace you in a heartbeat get to you after a while---the ole "warm body" syndrome that pervades can burn out more than a few nurses......
This is what leads to so much burnout and complaining.
And on the vein of what Q is saying---- I am one who believes a new grad (or one with less than 5 years) is NOT worth the same as an experienced and better-educated nurse. But nursing has yet to recognize that.
I so agree with Suzy (Q)---she is worth a lot more than the new grad with less education/experience. But many places, the minute you step away from the bedside and into management or teaching, you are not rewarded, but often, punished in a way, with poor wages and treatment. This is what so many complain about.

WHERE does a nurse make 50-60k? I want to move there.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2005

WHERE does a nurse make 50-60k? I want to move there.

Florida, believe it or not. I'm up to 58K so far, with very little overtime and working 36 hour weeks. Mind you what I took home was $18,000 less than that. :)

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Dec 21, 2005

Florida, believe it or not. I'm up to 58K so far, with very little overtime and working 36 hour weeks. Mind you what I took home was $18,000 less than that. :)

I thought I heard Florida was one of the worst pay states for nurses? Is this with experience? I have seen in some nursing magazines nurses in NY making $65,000 to start.

Q. · Dec 21, 2005

WHERE does a nurse make 50-60k? I want to move there.

Wisconsin here. I make 72k a year, (salaried, so no overtime though I work more than 40hrs/week) but this income now FINALLY after 8 years experience and one thesis away from a master's degree.

My old job as a staff development nurse I was making 38K. And that was just 4 months ago.