After looking at the countless rants of nurses who can't get a job for months on here and seeing nearly all job listings for nurses requiring experience, I went on to conclude that getting a nursing job now isn't easy.
Why don't employers keep lowering the wage until there is only 1 or 2 applicants willing to apply instead of the usual 70 to 80? Don't you think an employer could get away with a job offer for $32 an hour for a RN instead of $33 an hour? Why not offer $8 or $10 an hour?? RN are working for FREE via internships! 33% of nurses at hospitals are nothing more than internships, free labor. The clinical experience at colleges means absolutely nothing. I bet you that a hospital can still get RNs if it paid $10 an hour for wages. On the news a while ago I heard of a company hiring programmers at MINIMUM WAGE, they had NO PROBLEM getting programmers willing to work for that much with no chance of pay increases. If you are an unemployed RN, wouldn't it be better to land a job as a RN for $15 an hour rather than be jobless?
On my way towards becoming an RN I've already encountered an obstacle. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get in anatomy, physiology, or microbiology. All classes were completely filled as soon as they were available to a group of students. I went to every class to petition and most of the time there were 3-4 times more people petitioning than people registered for the class. I will never get in those classes since I'm already working full time. Students taking more units (classes) last semester are the first allowed to register for classes. Students like me who struggle to get in a single class will always be the last allowed to register which means the classes I need will be closed. I'm not stupid and know I need to attempt to pass my classes with "A's". I'm getting a little discouraged when I'm not even given the opportunity to take the classes I need and when RNs can't find jobs at this time.
Seriously OP? I did not bust my can in college to accrue student loan debt to work as a RN for beans. I made 8-10 dollars an hour working at the local Hallmark store during high school...no way!
On my way towards becoming an RN I've already encountered an obstacle. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get in anatomy, physiology, or microbiology. All classes were completely filled as soon as they were available to a group of students. I went to every class to petition and most of the time there were 3-4 times more people petitioning than people registered for the class. I will never get in those classes since I'm already working full time. Students taking more units (classes) last semester are the first allowed to register for classes. Students like me who struggle to get in a single class will always be the last allowed to register which means the classes I need will be closed. I'm not stupid and know I need to attempt to pass my classes with "A's". I'm getting a little discouraged when I'm not even given the opportunity to take the classes I need and when RNs can't find jobs at this time.
You're right---it's very competitive to get into nursing school and it's got to be very frustrating when you are trying but can't even get your prerequisites done. However, decreasing competition---for school and jobs---by decreasing the wages will only hurt the profession in the long run. When the economy is good, many nurses get out of nursing because the stress levels are so high. In a poor economy, like we have now, everyone tends to hang onto their jobs---stress levels be damned---simply because they need the income. Nursing is cyclic and goes through periods of shortages and overages. Things will change---but unfortunately we don't know for sure when that will happen. It could be that when you are done with your education, we will be experiencing a dire shortage again.
As you peruse the posts on AllNurses, you can get a glimpse of some of the realities of nursing. It's to your credit that you still want to be a nurse---you obviously want this very much. So how can you get through the obstacles that are in your way right now? Can you look into taking your prerequisites at a different school and transferring those credits into the program you want? Would it be more financially feasible for you to do an LPN/LVN program, perhaps work in that capacity for a while until you can afford to go back to school to become an RN? Can you get financial aid so that you can decrease your work hours and take more than one class at a time? Or, as a previous poster mentioned, could you do any of your coursework online?
I don't blame you one bit for feeling frustrated. However, there are solutions to your situation that are a tad less radical than decreasing RN pay to minimum wage. Can you talk with one of the admissions counselors at the school you're interested in attending to see what options might exist for someone like you who can't get the pre-requisites? BTW, I would also think that if the science courses are in such great demand at your school, it would behoove the school to consider increasing the numbers of classes offered per term. If the school isn't willing to work with you, it might not be the right school for you.
I worked in several restaurants as a waitress before and a little during nursing school. If you adjust for inflation, I made as much or more at an upscale restaurant waiting tables than I do now as a nurse. We recently opened a bar and on Friday and Saturday night I often make as much or more an hour as I do at my "real" job. But because the cost of living rises faster than my raises, and my health insurance premiums and out of pocket go up every year, I have less discretionary income today than I had 4 years ago. Couple that with the pay cuts I took when I stopped working weekend option (which was cut significantly last year), stopped working per diem (which was eliminated), and stopped working nights, I actually make less money now than I did 5 years ago.
The hospital I used to work for is not giving raises this year. The hospital I work for now is discussing doing the same.
So they are already cutting pay, just in little ways that maybe aren't so obvious.
My eventual goal is to work part-time as a nurse to keep my steady income and insurance and have the bulk of our income come from our bar and my husband's business. My pay (as an RN) would have to double for me to consider staying at the hospital full-time when our businesses take off. And for me to work at the bedside full-time, try triple. The knowledge base and responsibility of the RN is far too great for the amount we are paid now, much less if wages were cut. The RN is expected to know the standard of care for every illness and know how to treat any complication because if you carry out doctors' orders that are inappropriate, you can be held liable for harm to the patient.
hcer, I'm not sure where you live, but where I live, getting into Human Anatomy, Micro, etc at my college was incredibly easy. There were still openings left until the final days of registration. I had no idea that it's that bad in other parts of the country.
Specializes in ICU, School Nurse, Med/Surg, Psych.
Look at areas where the pay is low and you will find high medication error, low motivation, and generally care that meets the standard of care and that's it. I live in IA- one of the lowest paid places for RN in the nation. Nurse turnover rate here is 57%, new grads stay for less than 2 years then go somewhere else to make a living. The nurses that stay here are short staffed and surrounded by newbies. That should scare the hell out of you if you are in a car accident in Iowa New Year's Eve (I've got seniority so I am at home with my family!) Lower my salary any more and I will gladly work at Walmart- they have better health insurance than my hospital offers me.
Just another note about getting into the classes - don't forget that some of the prerequisites are not only for Nursing but other health fields like Radiologic Technology or Respiratory Therapy as well. To take it even farther, with the competitiveness of the field, lots of people will apply, but many will not continue on. You may find yourself in the program much sooner than you think.
wow...I'm lucky to work where I work...good insurance, one of the top ortho/neuro programs in the country, and 30 bucks/hr...but I've put in my time as a CNA, and doing crap jobs....
Yeah, lower wages for RNs? Smart idea. (insert sarcasm here)... Really, it's the dumbest thing I've read. I'm not going to be a nurse if I'm going to be paid less than what I am worth. I am already being paid less what I am worth. Sorry, I didn't go to school and get a degree and pass boards to get a license so that I can make a little over minimum wage.
NurseKatie08, MSN
754 Posts
Seriously OP? I did not bust my can in college to accrue student loan debt to work as a RN for beans. I made 8-10 dollars an hour working at the local Hallmark store during high school...no way!