Why are Nurses paid so low in the south ??

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I believe nurses in the south should be paid much more that is where the elderly go to retire! that isnt fair LPN"S in Michigan make $20-28 per hour. Somebody should stand up and fight for the pay that you guys deserve and the stress that it takes to care for patients are worth more than the wages they give you.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I think what she/he considered 'up North' is different than what we New Englanders consider 'up North'. When I made my post..i was thinking South as in East Coast South (FL, GA, NC, SC etc) and 'up North' being New England. The poster you quoted lives 'up North' in Michigan :)

And I agree, there is NO way you could rent a house (even with 1 bedroom/1 bathroom) for what was quoted in our idea of 'up North' :)

(and hello fellow New Englander :) )

Not in my area of "up North" either, and my state borders Canada. ;) Right now we're renting a 3 bed/1.5 bath apartment for roughly $1500 a month--that's the lowest we could find without moving into the seedy areas. The last 2 bedroom place we had was over $1000 a month, 12 years ago.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
What does it being the location elderly go to retire have to do with nursing pay? Pay in the South is generally lower in ALL industries, not just healthcare.

Actually, the extremely poor reimbursement by Medicare/Medicaid in areas with an older population contribute to the poor pay rates. The older pts also have more comorbidities, heal slower, bounce back to hospital more often. Add in falls, difficulty taking meds, and families than live distant to the pt are a setup for under reimbursed care and crappy pay.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I've got no dog in this fight, since I think of all of it, Maine to Florida as "back east" :roflmao:

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Ok, now this is funny :D

I've always wondered, do you go to work in scrubs, or will clean overalls suffice? ;)

Yup. The "clean overalls" memo came up from admin about the same time last year as the "no more 'chew' in the OR" rule. Bummer.

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Yup. The "clean overalls" memo came up from admin about the same time last year as the "no more 'chew' in the OR" rule. Bummer.

I suppose that NEXT you're gonna be telling me that you no longer leave a knife under the patient's bed to cut the pain?! WHERE are they going to take this 'progress' to next?!?

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Specializes in Addictions Nursing, LTC.

I work in Destin, FL (which is also in lowest paid county in the state), where the average new RN makes $18-20/hr. The cost of living is 22.5% higher than the national average. Most of the nurses I work with commute because they can't afford to live where they work. One of the reasons is that the large number of retirees (and therefore Medicare) makes for low reimbursement rates that trickle down to employees.

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South Florida is pretty rough. The cost of living is high and I hear the pay doesn't really match. Housing here is expensive

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I suppose that NEXT you're gonna be telling me that you no longer leave a knife under the patient's bed to cut the pain?! WHERE are they going to take this 'progress' to next?!?

No knives, but they've had to repeatedly remind the CRNAs that Jack Daniel's is not approved for use as an anesthetic, and that the old "one for me, one for the patient, one for me, one for the patient..." procedure is probably not a safe practice.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I have worked in the upper Midwest and if you stay out of Chicago and some of the Northern Suburbs They pay of nurses is pretty good when compared to the Cost of living. I moved to New England leaving my 4 bedroom home on Lake Michigan (which would cost me $700,000.00 + here on the East Coast MA) to a four bedroom home inland. Even years ago when I moved I was actually better off back in the Midwest, dollar for dollar, then in New England even though I made more money in New England.

Then one time my hubby got a job offer in Florida....West Palm Beach. I was gobsmacked at the ridiculous pay. I about fell off my chair when they told me how much I would be making as an experienced manager. The cost of housing was outrageous (for the most part) with ZERO lot line (no land...you could hear your neighbors toilet flush) and the square footage included the garage (if there was a screen door on it) and deck. Tiny rooms...small spaces...I was claustrophobic....and those little geckos were EVERYWHERE! They were like ants up here.

To get land....you went out a ways and there were some beautiful houses...however...you would have to pay for private schooling because the schools were horrendous. A gated community meant you needed an amored car to go to the grocery store.

At his interview they wanted to talk to me as well....I told them my salary here would be a HUGE decrease and the cost of living wasn't cheaper overall....they told me to go to one of the nicer hospitals because they would pay more....I laughed at them and told them in my business it is the inner city places that pay more...it's called battle pay.

I would have had a smaller house, NO LAND, and a $30.00.00 an HOUR pay cut...pay for private schools AND higher groceries. One manager asked me what I made up north....I showed her a pay stub...her mouth dropped...her response..."Maybe I should move up north."

Bang for the Buck....Midwest. My SIL live in Dallas....I could own a mansion down there for what my house is worth here.

Location, Location, Location.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
No knives, but they've had to repeatedly remind the CRNAs that Jack Daniel's is not approved for use as an anesthetic, and that the old "one for me, one for the patient, one for me, one for the patient..." procedure is probably not a safe practice.
:roflmao:
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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

To the OP,

I suspect that the reason that wages are so low in the South is that the hospitals are predominately for profit, such as HCA and CHC and Tenet healthcare.

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Specializes in ICU/PACU.

40K is the norm when I lived in the south for new grads. That is a decent income for someone fresh out of college IMO. I no longer live in the south but my friends who are still bedside make around 30/hr with 10 years experience.

Per diem jobs 40/hr. So there is wiggle room if you work an extra job.

If you want to go on to obtain your masters, I have a relative that makes 250K per year as a NP working in rural Alabama. Not too shabby.

I moved to CA where I am pretty sensitive to comments bashing the south. The other night someone said "eww gross you're from there?" "Where is your southern accent?" It drives me crazy how ignorant people can be. Especially since there are more white trash rednecks in CA than in the south. Now I make around 50/hr but I can't afford a home here or even a 1 bedroom condo. I can afford to rent a 1 bedroom apartment, but buy something?? No way. So it's all relative. If I decide to move back to the south I can afford a beautiful home. Even on a bedside RN salary. I will most likely go back one day.

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