What is your minimum base pay on Covid-19 unit???

Nurses COVID

Published

I just need an approximate point.

They are offering us way below the other facilities around .

I want to help, and have been , but I come home and I feel used, as my life is worth only a few $ more an hour????

No I won't accept that anymore.

I work in an ICU in Arizona and I have been taking care of covid patients every shift for over 2 1/2 months. Still on new grad pay at $28 with No extra pay. The way I see it, you don’t get to pick your patients. It’s just the nature of nursing.

12 Votes
Specializes in oncology.
On 7/20/2020 at 11:16 AM, nursemarion said:

Well let's just say a specialty that will hopefully put me in a different area of nursing. I am ready for a change. At least in nursing we can reinvent ourselves again and again.

I was teaching in a 3 year diploma program and was paid for Summer work to organize and develop curriculum. We were transitioning to a BSN, and I had been there before (diploma to BSN). I knew we would end up not getting paid for summers -- Despite the Dean saying we would never be cut back to 9 months pay, I knew I had to be inventive in a side paying job. I loved antiques and a new antique mall opened in my community. I budgeted for 3 months of not even making rent for my antique mall space. I sold well. invested the 3 month cushion into more inventory and the more effort you put into it the more you sell. Continue it to this day (retired) and waiting for the antique malls to reopen.

3 Votes
Specializes in ICU/ER/Med-Surg/Case Management/Manageme.
24 minutes ago, londonflo said:

I knew I had to be inventive in a side paying job. I loved antiques and a new antique mall opened in my community. I budgeted for 3 months of not even making rent for my antique mall space. I sold well. invested the 3 month cushion into more inventory and the more effort you put into it the more you sell. Continue it to this day (retired) and waiting for the antique malls to reopen.

Good for you for doing what you enjoy! I'm thinking of doing something similar but not with antiques. I only need to make a little bit of money to continue my current lifestyle (live very cheaply). I continue to enjoy my PT nursing job in a senior clinic but it would be nice to get up every day to do something that brings me joy.

As for other (younger) nurses reading this, like many of us, you may be loving your job (most days) right now. I recall the days when I couldn't wait to get to work. But the day will come....be thinking and longterm planning now for things you might enjoy in later years.

5 Votes
Specializes in Geriatric, Acute, Rehab, Psychiatry.

I turned down a 50$/hour covid job. Not worth my life.

2 Votes
Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

No bonus pay in the Inland Empire in SoCal. The bonus we get right now are 3:1 ratio (which is amazing, sometimes nurses are down to 2:1 if the day is low census) and I almost forgot to mention the freebie leftovers dayshift gets that they leave for us.

3 Votes
Specializes in ICU/ER/Med-Surg/Case Management/Manageme.
On 7/20/2020 at 11:27 AM, nursemarion said:

If you work for an employer that makes you feel valued, you can accept a bit lower paycheck. It is when they make you feel like you do not matter at all and pay you accordingly that is is hard to deal with. But I work to live, I do not live to work. I look for joy outside of work. And I try not to compare myself with others. Just trying to stay alive through the COVID situation with the hope of a better tomorrow.

Great comment, nursemarion! When you work with and for an employer that makes you feel valued you are often willing to do lots of things you wouldn't ordinarily do for an employer. But isn't that true of all relationships? Friends, significant others, family members? I'm EXTREMELY fortunate to have a little PT job (in my older years) with an employer who treats me beautifully. As a result, I go way above and in ways I would never do for employers in the past.

Your other comment - "look for joy outside work" - can't even begin to say how important that is for the new nurse or the well-seasoned nurse. I was told that as a young nurse but didn't pay attention. Burnout! We all need various identities in addition to "nurse". Mom/dad, dog mom/dad, crafter, antique hunter, athlete/runner/etc, artist, seamstress.....When your after work passions can be addressed you can return to work each week with a brighter attitude.

Your co-workers are lucky to work with you, nursemarion.

8 Votes
On 7/20/2020 at 4:23 AM, NewRN'16 said:

My wage increase from 22 to 23 dollars in 3 years .

You get paid what you ask for I guess .

But this time the pay is more than just numbers

What? I would get a new job...I don't know what type of nursing you do or where you are located, but it sounds like my first job 10 years ago...$22.50 as a LPN, and they would give 25 cent raises every year...I dropped my hours and started working at a different company that paid me several dollars more and gave 3 to 4 percent raises each year. It pays to shop around!

4 Votes
Specializes in SCRN.

+5 an hour for COVIS unit and ICU.

+3 an hour for other inpatient unit.

But we are done with extra pay already, have been for a month. No more incentive. But, they claim, they didn't fire anybody.

Took away the 401K match, those making over 37$ don't accumulate PTO no more. No raises for anybody this year, and the administration took 20% pay cut. They should for "working from home" as opposed to the front line staff.

3 Votes
Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.

So for those commenting that's low, well... that's Florida for you.

$23 and change is what I was offered as a new grad back in 2014. Granted, this was a more rural hospital, and they did offer shift differentials for nights and weekends.

But, nursing in Florida sucks. I love being a nurse but I don't like being a nurse here. No unions, no job protections, at-will state, low wages.

I make $32/hour now after 6 years but there's no chance of differential. But, I don't ever work nights or weekends. I'm in a specialty, too (Oncology). We've had positive COVID patients and positive co-workers yet we keep running with it. We received a lump bonus last quarter that was titled "COVID bonus" that equated to 0.82 cents/hour, no explanation or rhyme or reason how they came to that number.

For many nurses here, in order to move forward and make money, we go 2 paths:

1. Higher education - MSN, CRNA, DNP, etc. This is the route I'm going. I'm getting the MSN ED to teach online

2. Clambor to work at the few hospitals that has Magnet status and pays better. I did this for 3 years and earned 15% above other nurses in the area. But clinical ladder wore me down. It's a lot of busy work. But if you like that kind of stuff it leads to a 5% pay increase per step of the ladder.

Some places do pay better for certification, as my current employer does ($2.75/hour, to be exact).

3 Votes
On 7/20/2020 at 7:01 AM, nursemarion said:

I think that is one of the saddest things ever. People do not understand how we grieve for animals who are our best truest friends. It is no different than grieving for a person. I had one kitty girl, my Christine, for 21 years. A lifetime of changes and she was always there. You are expected to take no time off for pets and not grieve them. It is wrong and horrible. Hugs to you for your loss.

I am at $46,400 as an RN with over 30 years experience. Not all RN jobs are well paying. And I feel you because I do not want to die from this. I am 58 years old. I love nursing, but I do not want to die when I can barely make ends meet on my pay. I think about changing jobs every day. I keep hoping for a vaccine. I do not want to leave my family to fend for themselves because I died for a stupid job that does not appreciate me and only pays me $46,400.

Thank you so much for your reply. I know this is not an appropriate place to pour your heart out (which I did) but I was feeling so overwhelmed and anything I said to anyone close to me fell on deaf ears, since they didn't understand how difficult was to leave a job where I love my patients (SNF /LTC) I know most pt for years

I just vented out, I'm OK. I apologise if I had offended anyone. I asked the Admins to delete my OP but no response. I guess they won't.

2 Votes
17 hours ago, barcode120x said:

No bonus pay in the Inland Empire in SoCal. The bonus we get right now are 3:1 ratio (which is amazing, sometimes nurses are down to 2:1 if the day is low census) and I almost forgot to mention the freebie leftovers dayshift gets that they leave for us.

We have 1:15 + patients plus tech on my C unit. Mostly total care , peg tubes etc. I:2 C + patients would be a dream . It will never happen where I work.

18 hours ago, babatee said:

I turned down a 50$/hour covid job. Not worth my life.

I wish I was in the position to do that. I'm so scared ?

1 Votes
Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
2 hours ago, NewRN'16 said:

We have 1:15 + patients plus tech on my C unit. Mostly total care , peg tubes etc. I:2 C + patients would be a dream . It will never happen where I work.

Sounds like you work at a skill nursing facility or LTAC? I know SNFs in Socal have a nurse-patient ratio if not more to that. If you're in a hospital...that's an eeeek. We're lucky in California to have those mandatory ratios (technically this law is temporarily voided in times of emergency such as the COVID but so far the patient census is high, but not as bad as was in NY...it will eventually be though).

1 Votes
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