Why do doctors office pay nurses pennies to work for them?

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Almost every doctor office I submitted applications to in my tristate area pays an RN, so it seems graduate wages or lower? I am a 20 year experienced nurse first LPN then RN. I was shocked since this is one of my alternatives to staying in the field. I cannot no longer keep up with LTC, there are to many issues; low staff ratio, and poor equipment to work with. I hurt my back helping move a 400lb woman, because theses facilities will take anyone for the money regardless if they have enough help. The hospital I've been there done that and cannot cope with it anymore. It's more so the long hours or 12hr shifts I do not like. I have this FMS, so I try to work more compatible jobs to avoid becoming fatigued.

I am presently giving Flu and Pneumonia vaccines with a clinic until November. It is so nice. I love meeting people and educating them. I really want to work for a doctor something I've never done before I certainly have the tallent to master the office ways, but it's accepting the low pay and revamping my lifestyle or should I say downgrading my lifestyle. I can do it though It just makes me sad that doctors offices pay so very little to the RN and LPN.

Any thoughts?

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we are in a recession, greed rules

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we are in a recession, greed rules

No this has been the story for years. I have friends who said the wages were below standard. Of course, I really did not give it much attention since I was a medical surgical nurse comsumed with my job back then. Now that I have a chance to see for myself I am amazed. :crying2:

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I guess one walks a tight wire during their life the closer you get to the middle the more like your going to fall off and die unless you find away to balance all the changes life tends to bring you. You can hurry back to the side you started from and succumb or you can continue across the wire to the end to become a survivor.

Nursing Home, hospital high paysick, tired and burned out, dead soon or learn to balanceclinic, doctors office, low pay but a survivor

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Because they can!

I don't mean to be flippant, but it's the truth. Any employer will pay as little as they can get away with, and doctors are no different. If nurses are willing to work for those low wages, then salaries will never raise.

FWIW, those very same nurses working with years of experience @ graduate wages are likely doing so for the very reasons that you cite - their minds want to still be nurses, but their bodies are wearing out.

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Because they can!

I don't mean to be flippant, but it's the truth. Any employer will pay as little as they can get away with, and doctors are no different. If nurses are willing to work for those low wages, then salaries will never raise.

Like the law of gravity, economic laws will rule. Nurses are willing to work these jobs because on balance the it is overwhelmingly worth it to work in the healthier environment than to risk further injury.

Same reason that oil riggers and coal miners are paid very well.

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Because they can!

I don't mean to be flippant, but it's the truth. Any employer will pay as little as they can get away with, and doctors are no different. If nurses are willing to work for those low wages, then salaries will never raise.

Exactly the reason. Also remember that the practice has other bills to pay: rent, medical assistants, supplies, the dr's own wage, etc. If you get $10 for each patient, you do the math. It means that the nurse isn't going to get as much as he/she thinks they deserve.

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Because they can!

I don't mean to be flippant, but it's the truth. Any employer will pay as little as they can get away with, and doctors are no different. If nurses are willing to work for those low wages, then salaries will never raise.

FWIW, those very same nurses working with years of experience @ graduate wages are likely doing so for the very reasons that you cite - their minds want to still be nurses, but their bodies are wearing out.

I am 47 and I am just tired, over stressed and burned out. I contracted that Epstein Barr virus as a result from that I developed FMS. Although, I am pretty healthy otherwise I still get severe attacks of fatigue and muscle pain during times of extreme stress. I try to lower the risk by steering clear of stressful environments. That means I am limited to what I can do in order to stay within my boundaries of staying healthy. To me it's like walking a tight wire you either accept the lower paying less stressful jobs or.

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I get that and I know it. I am willing as you can see to make the move, because I love my work and do Not want to give it up. Sad though when you make $32-40hr and you have to go back to the wage you started out with $15-19hr just to survive.

Also, I've spent years upgrading my education with little to no employer help. I've got several certifications in many different areas.

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The other thing to remember is that the acuity of the patient in the doctor's office is much lower. You're not primarily responsible for that patient for the full duration of a 12 hour shift. You'll see them, do a quick history, get vitals, and you're out. You may administer an injection, you may do some teaching, you may do some front office work, depending on the office.

Offices with specialized work, such as chemo administration, in my experience, generally pay more.

However, a lot of these things are things that an LPN can do; the offices just need an RN on staff to supervise the existing LPNs and MAs. They're paying low because the intensity of the work just isn't that high.

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The other thing to remember is that the acuity of the patient in the doctor's office is much lower. You're not primarily responsible for that patient for the full duration of a 12 hour shift. You'll see them, do a quick history, get vitals, and you're out. You may administer an injection, you may do some teaching, you may do some front office work, depending on the office.

Offices with specialized work, such as chemo administration, in my experience, generally pay more.

However, a lot of these things are things that an LPN can do; the offices just need an RN on staff to supervise the existing LPNs and MAs. They're paying low because the intensity of the work just isn't that high.

I know, you have very good point.

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One advantage of physician practices being bought and managed by hospital systems: equal pay for nurses. In my hospital, if I were to transfer tomorrow from my medical floor to a hospital owned physician practice, my pay would be the same.

Look for such practices when seeking a position.

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