Why hasn’t pay increased? Hazard pay, etc.?

Nurses COVID

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Why hasn’t pay increased? Hazard pay, etc.? Especially considering that multiple hospitals lack supplies for PPE and we are frontline workers.

Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
44 minutes ago, murseman24 said:

No... there isn't, unless you work for the military and they are paying off your loans. The market has decided that rate. You can bet if those engineers were required to risk their own safety and that of their family they would absolutely demand that rate.

There are plenty of pcp docs working for less than 100 especially in academics or saturated urban markets. Many engineers do have jobs that put them at risk. Police, military, etc all risk their lives for almost always less than 100/hr. I don’t really feel nursing has to offer 100/hr skills and the market seems to agree with this in most circumstance. With some outliers being 1099 workers.

the market has determined than in almost all circumstances and locations 100 an hr is way too much for an RN to earn. If you feel your skills are worth 100/hr then feel free to ask for it. Just be ready to be laughed at.

I mean I personally think medical residents should be much higher paid than nursing staff since it almost always requires a higher level of knowledge to do the work but that’s not gonna happen since the market won’t bear the pay increase.

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Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
39 minutes ago, Marc Goodman said:

So, its interesting that many see requesting hazard pay as wanting a pat on the back or wanting compensation for what you "signed up for". One of our hospital clergy is in critical condition, I have 2 coworkers at home with Covid-19, and we're all waiting to get ill. Our doctors are starting to work remotely and are leaving us in the hospital to perish or be left with 30% reduced lung function. So, I have to ask.. What's stopping me from just walking off the job??? I'm sure in 6-12 months I could find another job somewhere once things start to normalize. I can weather some time not earning a check and go on cobra. So without hazard pay, why not just walk out?

It’s a free country you can walk out whenever you like as long as you have the money in the bank and can explain that at future interviews.
I doubt you would get w good reference from the prior job though.

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Specializes in anesthesiology.
4 minutes ago, Tegridy said:

There are plenty of pcp docs working for less than 100 especially in academics or saturated urban markets.

Again, no. Not according to any real data like the medscape physician compensation survey or MGMA (which is used by hospitals to set physician pay)

Many engineers do have jobs that put them at risk.

At this point I feel that you're just arguing for arguments sake.

Police, military, etc all risk their lives for almost always less than 100/hr.

Yep, and so did I with previous occupations, but I signed up for it. No one got into nursing to go into battle without armor. It's like taking those police officers and telling them to go to Iraq with pepper spray and fight in the war.

I don’t really feel nursing has to offer 100/hr skills and the market seems to agree nearly all the time.

except right now... which is what everyone is referring to.

the market has determined than in almost all circumstances and locations 100 an hr is way too much for an RN to earn. If you feel your skills are worth 100/hr then feel free to ask for it.

If you feel so strongly you want to keep your rate so low and by effect keep everyone else down with you, make sure to tell admin that you would like to keep your current pay if they end up offering it to others who fought for it.

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Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
3 minutes ago, murseman24 said:

You don’t think there are doctors making <100 an hour? Look at academic salaries at big name places. Or New York fam med docs.

I'm not saying you can’t ask for 100/hr but just don’t expect even now the normal pay of an RN to be 200k per year. That’s silly

If you want armor for battle ask for armor not more pay.

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Specializes in anesthesiology.
6 minutes ago, Tegridy said:

You don’t think there are doctors making <100 an hour? Look at academic salaries at big name places. Or New York fam med docs.

I'm sure there are but they are few and far between in very select specialties like peds ID docs. As I said before, the DATA doesn't support your claim.

I'm not saying you can’t ask for 100/hr but just don’t expect even now the normal pay of an RN to be 200k per year. That’s silly

This is what's being offered in some places, you don't even ask, you just say yes

If you want armor for battle ask for armor not more pay.

Why are you fighting so hard to keep everyone trying to climb out down in the mud with you? This is and will always be what keeps nursing down.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

I've never expected it. I knew what I was getting into when I chose to become a Nurse.

I do think folks who are in support services like grocery stores, etc. should receive hazard pay, though.

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Hello all,

I work in the emergency department of a hospital in Atlanta. We are given one surgical mask at the beginning of our shift to use for all of our patients. I received an update today that now they expect us to re use that same surgical mask for up to 2 weeks unless visibly soiled. Our entire department consists of covid-19 rule-outs which we do the testing on. (We have had many come back positive) we were told we will only be given an N95 if our patient is receiving a breathing treatment. Which is not correct protocol (according to our policy) if you are testing you should be wearing an N95 at all times. Anyway, clearly we aren’t given the proper PPE and yes I believe we should be getting hazard pay. Yes we signed up to be nurses but no we did not sign up to put ourselves at risk without proper PPE and we have children and spouses at home that did not ask for it either. We have parents that we are unable to see. We put the people around us at risk as well as ourselves.

My reason for commenting- I want to know if the surrounding hospitals are offering hazard pay and if so how much?

I doubt people want to name their hospitals but if you live in Atlanta you know there’s really only E,P, and G LOL if y’all could let me know id appreciate it! Stay safe everyone.

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Us healthcare professionals deserve hazard pay especially if we lack adequate ppe. Nurses and doctors are dying from taking care of patients with the coronavirus. Those people that lost their jobs dont have to put their lives at risk and their families lives at risk becauseoftheirjob. The least that hospital employers could do is offer hazard pay.

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Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
7 hours ago, murseman24 said:

I’m not advocating for making less. The number 100/hr was thrown around somewhere above like people should expect that much. Everyone should try to make as much money as they can but economically the skills nurses have just don’t bring in enough money to be worth 100/hr most of the time. People can try for it but again don’t expect to make that much.

And on the doctor salary thing I think everyone understands less than 100 isn’t the norm but it does happen in some places.

same for 100 for nurses. It is being offered in very few places hence why I said don’t expect it to be sustainable.

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Specializes in Flight Nurse.
On 3/25/2020 at 2:40 AM, nznurse93 said:

I think this is very selfish. Thousands of people have lost their jobs. People are in financial crisis. The economy is crashing. Asking for more money for doing your job, which you chose, you know the risk we are at every single day, Is just rude!

This is not selfish. I am a veteran, was deployed to the middleast where I received hazardous duty pay. Coronavirus is very similar to war conditions. Healthcare workers are putting their lives on the line, unlike the rest of society. They deserve more pay right now. Nursing is a job. Nurses should not be martyrs.

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Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.
On 3/25/2020 at 2:40 AM, nznurse93 said:

I think this is very selfish. Thousands of people have lost their jobs. People are in financial crisis. The economy is crashing. Asking for more money for doing your job, which you chose, you know the risk we are at every single day, Is just rude!

oh dear. Some of us value our lives and our loved ones enough to ask for incentives for dangerous work. I'm sorry you don't value yourself enough

13 hours ago, murseman24 said:

YASSSSSS
so many people have internalized capitalistic notions and applied them to their self-worth. sad.

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Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.
On 3/25/2020 at 8:24 AM, Tegridy said:

If PPE isn’t adequate then speak out against that. Asking for or expecting hazard pay is silly.

None of us signed up for a job that would not provide us adequate protection. I bet you're one of those people who vote GOP because you are sure that one day you will most definitely get your own riches and be part of the 1%, right?

And when that day comes, you don't want to have to pay more taxes

I hate to break it to you, but you are just one of the working class just like all of us.

You are at any given time 3-6 months away from one disaster that renders you homeless.

You will NEVER be 3-6 months away from being a billionaire. Your life is disposable to the higher-ups and 1%. Full stop

You are one of the nameless, faceless automatons they will never have to know or care about

You do not live near them- your children go to different schools than their childen.

They will never have an awkward moment with you at social events because THEY do not mingle with US

They will never have to look you in the eye and explain why they weren't willing to pay you more right now or fight for adequate protection.

So as long as I am on the front lines of this, as long as I am risking bringing home covid-19 to my husband and my two children, as long as I am risking my own life and maybe leaing my two kiddos without a mom *** STRAIGHT I'M GONNA ASK FOR MORE MONEY

We need to milk the *** for every last dime

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