To me I am on the fence about it. When I was a student, we were taught not to complain, if we complained in our clinical about too much work we would get a warning, or be kicked out for not being competent. Now that I am working its much different. I have a union who will stand up for me. So now workers like me, often complain about workloads, and being overworked asking to come in, working lots of hours etc..
Here in Ontario we have Bill 124 where the Government froze our wages. I saw many Nurses protest this, but of course we cannot go on strike as lives will be on the line which is not good. One nurse said that they don't just change diapers, but they keep patients alive and are closely monitored, while being spat on, and yelled at.
So this begs the question, are you becoming a Nurse because you like it? Or are you doing it for the money? I don't think Nurses are underpaid, I do think they are worth more than they currently are.
All I know is my sister in tech makes $118,000 and with 5 years experience , while I don’t crack $100000 unless I work tons of overtime, and with three times as much experience as her.
She also has the added bonus of working from home( and *** about being required to go back in the office)
The problem is that nurses start at high pay, but as time goes on, it levels out or even drops. Pay isn’t commensurate with experience in nursing.
All I know is my sister in tech makes $118,000 and with 5 years experience , while I don’t crack $100000 unless I work tons of overtime, and with three times as much experience as her.
She also has the added bonus of working from home( and *** about being required to go back in the office)
The problem is that nurses start at high pay, but as time goes on, it levels out or even drops. Pay isn’t commensurate with experience in nursing.
Tech is fickle though. My first degree was in programming. I worked a few years at high dollar, then boom, job gone. Many in the tech sector now worry about jobs as seen with Twitter/fb, etc layoffs. Hospital and factory tech depts have been downsizing in my area, as they combine overlapping jobs and titles. I feel more secure in nursing than I did in tech, even if I make less. Just my 2 cents
Tech is fickle though. My first degree was in programming. I worked a few years at high dollar, then boom, job gone. Many in the tech sector now worry about jobs as seen with Twitter/fb, etc layoffs. Hospital and factory tech depth have been downsizing in my area, as they combine overlapping jobs and titles. I feel more secure in nursing than I did in tech, even if I make less. Just my 2 cents
Yes, the security of nursing means a lot to me at this point.
I've been a nurse for 30 years and never worried about a layoff even during the "Great Recession" when millions of people lost their jobs in other professions.
As far as pay goes, I guess I can't complain. It's a nice middle income but for the responsibility and stress I work hard for the money and feel like I deserve it.
Also I have to consider benefits. My employer pays into my 403B retirement account every two weeks and puts $500 into my Health Savings Account annually, which I've used to get glasses and dental work. Plus I get 30 days off a year.
Because of inflation and the stock market, I'm not likely to retire young and rich, but I should do okay in the years to come. I like that security.
Googlenurse, ASN, BSN, RN
165 Posts
All I know is my sister in tech makes $118,000 and with 5 years experience , while I don’t crack $100000 unless I work tons of overtime, and with three times as much experience as her.
She also has the added bonus of working from home( and *** about being required to go back in the office)
The problem is that nurses start at high pay, but as time goes on, it levels out or even drops. Pay isn’t commensurate with experience in nursing.