Why do some RNs hate this?

RN58186 · Jul 7, 2012

For a long time my best friend repeatedly told me that nurses were underworked and overpaid. Then she got sick..... Now she says that one can never pay enough for a really good nurse..... :lol2:

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

Hmm, I personally think nurses around here in the NY metro area do make good money (between $70K and $80K to start) ... I guess I am in the minority. And it IS possible to live very comfortably on this income. Just because we live in NY does not mean we are spending more than everyone else.

decembergrad2011, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

38,000? That's awful, what state pays this low?

It's Kentucky. Our cost of living is considerably cheaper than many areas of the country.

Depends on how you calculate it I guess. I was just using my base rate by 36 hours to get my gross by week. I'm getting $38,000 if I do it by monthly income, and $42,000 if I do it by weekly. Not sure which is more accurate, as I have not started yet. *shrug*

Tori11 · Jul 7, 2012

I get upset because it is not true. You do not get paid enough for the responsibilty you have. I am not going to pretend that I don t get paid well, but I don t make a ton of money.I

Stephalump · Jul 7, 2012

Hmm, I personally think nurses around here in the NY metro area do make good money (between $70K and $80K to start) ... I guess I am in the minority. And it IS possible to live very comfortably on this income. Just because we live in NY does not mean we are spending more than everyone else.

Doesn't it? Your housing is 200% more expensive than it is in my area, your food is 50% more expensive, gas is more expensive, utilities are more expensive, food is more expensive...

You absolutely HAVE to be spending more money! If not, my mind is blown. :)

toucheturtle · Jul 7, 2012

Decembergrad, you can calculate your full-time yearly salary equivalent by multiplying your hourly rate by 2080. At least that's how they do it in HR/payroll. :)

-jnicole · Jul 7, 2012

I hate hearing people say they want to be a nurse because they make a lot of money... Where I'm from, a majority of high school graduates go off to college and major in Nursing, but most of them end up changing it. The money is good, better than some of course. I wonder where the idea came from that nurses brought in the big bucks.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

Doesn't it? Your housing is 200% more expensive than it is in my area, your food is 50% more expensive, gas is more expensive, utilities are more expensive, food is more expensive...
You absolutely HAVE to be spending more money! If not, my mind is blown. :)

I think everyone assumes that people that live in NY all live in Manhattan, where rents YES are high. However, living outside of that borough as I do makes all the difference.

I lived in FL for 5 years before I decided to return to NY to attend nursing school here. I used to pay $650/mo for a 1BR apartment in small-town FL, plus electricity (~$75/mo during a good month) plus cable & hi-speed internet (~$100/mo) ... that comes to $825/mo average. My 1BR now in NY is $850/month including all utilities and cable & internet. My food bills on average are the same price here as they were in FL (same eating habits). As far as gas, comparing gas prices on gasbuddy.com between my present and former zip codes, I am paying 40 cents more per gallon here, but I do drive about 300 miles less per week here than I did in FL, so my gas costs are less (I drive mostly since I live on Long Island, I don't use mass transit as much as everyone else would). Oil changes cost the same, except that now I get them every 3 months as opposed to every 6 weeks! If I drive into Manhattan, I NEVER use garage parking! I street park in a good neighborhood and take the subway around town.

And in FL I would have earned about $25,000/yr less than I do now in the same position. Extra money that I can save and have the occasional nice dinner and outing without feeling much pain. With smart budgeting, it CAN be done :)

wooh, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2012

I just get annoyed when people think the "big bucks" that nurses make are the reasons that their hospital bills are so high.

DroogieRN · Jul 7, 2012

One thing that is only sort of OT: that is one reason nothing on my car says "nurse" or RN -- so if I have to take it in to the shop, I won't be hosed simply because the perception is that I make the big bucks.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Jul 7, 2012

First, let me say I'm shocked how little RNs make in the South. Where I live I started out as a new LPN at 45k or so a year. New grad RNs can expect 50-60k. And this is in Michigan, not exactly known for a high cost of living.

With that said, I think nurses in general make decent wages in respect to our education. Not necessarily "big bucks"' but decent bucks. Think about some other professions that have a ton of schooling, yet they make peanuts upon graduation. Whenever I talk with the social workers at my job and I tell them how much I make, their faces always betray their frustration. It must sting to have a Batchelors or higher and to know you make significantly less than someone (me) with barely a year of vocational school. Likewise, I have a few friends who are librarians, and they rarely get full time hours and they make like 17-18 dollars an hr. And to be a librarian you have to have a freaking MASTERS! That's a batchelors in liberal arts plus 2-3 years of grad school!!! Most paramedics and EMTs make little more than CNAs. New grad state troopers make something like 13 dollars an hr.

I guess my point is while nurses earn every penny, there are many jobs that pay truly PATHETIC wages. I can't believe anyone would go to school for 4-6 years only to come out making 40k or less a year. This is why I am mystified by the drive to make the BSN the entry to practice. They will NEVER pay the average RN as much as a physical therapist or pharmacist. So why would we want to make the educational requirement nearly the same as them??

JZ_RN · Jul 7, 2012

Because I do my job because I like my job, not for the money. At my last job, I was paid less than 50 cents per hour for each patient I was totally responsible for. That's not "the big bucks." Most people wouldn't do my job for 5 times what I do it for. I don't make lots of money. I make enough to get by. My dad made more working in a factory than I do.