You really think nurses make alot of money? Let me give you something to think about

Nurses General Nursing

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So, I am tired of the student nurses that come through our unit saying "Well, nurses make alot of money." I like to gently explain to them that we don't in the following way:

I make $27 an hour. I have 4 or 5 patients with varying acuities (I work in an ER). So, if I have 4 patients, I am making $6.75/hr per patient (with 5 it's $5.40 an hour). I am responsible for assessing, verifying orders, medicating, etc etc. The last time I was in the hospital I asked for an invoice, and if I remember correctly, they charged me around $200/hr for nursing care. (Now this was on a floor, but I am just using it for general comparison).

I have to also take into consideration that hospitals have overhead (housekeeping, techs, etc.), but still that mark-up is huge. In my previous career, I was making considerably more money for less responsibility and less stress and the mark-up on the products was around 13%. I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but it's just something else to think about.

Most students gasp at this when looking at our wages like this, but it's just something I think we should consider. I sometimes think our wages would be better if they were based on acuity and ratios (for hospital nursing). What do you guys think? Am I looking at this all wrong?

Entry level nurses still make a lot more than I've ever made in my life ($8 to 10/hour more)! That's why I'm itching to graduate and land a job. :coollook:

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I agree that some nurses are underpaid. But many are also well-compensated. And I would respectfully note that $6.75 an hour does not include your employer's required payroll taxes, contribution to health insurance, dental insurance, retirement, and disability. Nor does it include payment for any extra education you might be fortunate enough (or required) to receive. It certainly doesn't reflect the $3,500 a year my employer gives me toward grad school nor the $9,000 I received to pay off a BSN loan. And then there's paid time off.

I agree that some nurses are underpaid. But $6.75 an hour per patient is not an accurate reflection of what we earn. I also work ED. I'm paid whether I have four patients or no patients in the dead of night.

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I am curious as to how much an hour you think you should get paid to make it

"fair".

Most of us knew what nurses made, but also, most of us didnt join nursing for the "money".

at $27.00/hour you are making >$4,000.00/month and >$50,000/year. And that is for an associates degree. Sure we work our rear ends off, but we knew what we were getting in to, and we signed the contract for an hourly, not salary pay.

Imagine how frustrated teachers are when they are making $40,000/year (average) for a masters degree. And they do this willingly.

I just get frustrated when I hear complaints about salary and wages when it comes to nursing, because we truly have it pretty great.

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I ALWAYS tell my husband that I will never make as much as him. I am not a nurse yet, but when I obtain my BSN, I STILL won't make what he does. He makes $40/hr and doesn't even have a HIGH SCHOOL education. It is insane.

What does he do?

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

i'm a soon to be new grad, and i'm happy about the pay simply because i haven't worked for a few years- 25 or so an hour is lot more than nothing.

i'm taking a major pay cut by switching careers, but the benefits will be better, and i won't be in the completely soul-sucking career that my former life in advertising was.

at the end of the day you should be proud of the work you've done, and if i make less in order to hold my head higher, i'll take it.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical-Oncology.

you gotta hustle to make that $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

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Specializes in ER, Peds, Informatics.
I agree that some nurses are underpaid. But many are also well-compensated. And I would respectfully note that $6.75 an hour does not include your employer's required payroll taxes, contribution to health insurance, dental insurance, retirement, and disability. Nor does it include payment for any extra education you might be fortunate enough (or required) to receive. It certainly doesn't reflect the $3,500 a year my employer gives me toward grad school nor the $9,000 I received to pay off a BSN loan. And then there's paid time off.

I agree that some nurses are underpaid. But $6.75 an hour per patient is not an accurate reflection of what we earn. I also work ED. I'm paid whether I have four patients or no patients in the dead of night.

I am referring to wages, not total salary. I don't know a single person that gives their total salary when asked how much they make. And looking it as $6.75/hr/patient is just another way to look at $27 an hour when breaking the wage down on a different level. I used to do wage and salary analysis in my previous career and we would break down wages and salaries many different ways to come up with a fair compensation package. Most other companies do tuition reimbursement, health insurance, paid time off, etc. The difference is in the wages.

I have a BSN and my husband has a high school education, and he makes significantly more than me. Is that fair? No, but life isn't fair. I am just bringing it up so we have something to think about when we look at nursing wages.

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I am in school now but will actually be taking a pay cut when I become a nurse. I have a great job where I am paid by my production and make almost $50k a year. As a new nurse, I know I won't make that much for awhile.

But I'm not going into it with rose-colored glasses. It isn't about the money for me. I just always wanted to be a nurse!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
So, I am tired of the student nurses that come through our unit saying "Well, nurses make alot of money." I like to gently explain to them that we don't in the following way:

I have to also take into consideration that hospitals have overhead (housekeeping, techs, etc.), but still that mark-up is huge. In my previous career, I was making considerably more money for less responsibility and less stress and the mark-up on the products was around 13%. I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but it's just something else to think about.

Most students gasp at this when looking at our wages like this, but it's just something I think we should consider. I sometimes think our wages would be better if they were based on acuity and ratios (for hospital nursing). What do you guys think? Am I looking at this all wrong?

Have you thought about going back to your previous job? What did you do for a living back in the day! Sometimes I wish I could go back to being a secretary LOL not a living wage, but there's still hope for you!

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Specializes in ER.
at the end of the day you should be proud of the work you've done, and if i make less in order to hold my head higher, i'll take it.

I mean absolutely no offense, but being proud of what I do and being paid well are not mutually exclusive. I think that we have to get out of the mindset that if nursing is personally rewarding it doesn't have to be financially rewarding as well. I do make good money because I work OT, nights, and weekends, and have a PRN job on the side. The OP was only showing that on a per patient basis, our wages look terrible.

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I have been told that the price for the customer per daily admission includes the nursing cost. If the hospital is not magnet, they can understaff and pocket the extra nursing charges for those patients. I think this is what a lot of hospitals do. I would like to know what exactly IS the cost claimed for nursing work within a day per patient and see how much more that is than we are actually getting paid. Of course, the hospital will loose whatever it thinks it has gained in this practice when the lawsuits roll in because of unsafe patient loads.

Yes. If we could be paid per acuity situation that would be great. If acuities were actually UTILIZED when staffing, which they usually aren't. Sure, JACHO will come in and ask, "do you have an acuity system".....and we can all say "Yes"......but when is it actually followed up on? In training, I had my preceptor once tell me, "oh just enter em all medium". I don't think she realized she was making everyone's job harder because we often had high acuity patients. Of course, the only way to follow up on whether acuity tools are being used is quality control, I think. The only way I have seen to get anyone to pay attention to whether or not acuity results are being used is to make an annonymous call to the ethics line at the hospital and request an investigation. I have seen things change within 72 hours this way.

When a med-surg nurse starts having routine 7 patient loads, it creeps up to 8 insidiously. And that is way unsafe. 7 is often bad enough.

We earn every penny we make. And you can make a lot, but it is usually in overtime; and then there are mental and physical ways you pay dearly for that extra cash, in my opinion. I do know nurses who work 5 in a row routinley. Sure, they have really nice cars and stuff. But I question their competency at times, because of overwork.

So when people say we make so much money, I must laugh. It goes pretty far if you are single without children. But add an unemployed spouse, and a couple kids......humph....... paycheck to paycheck, just like everyone else. And as far as "at least you don't have to work 2 jobs to make the same amount of money".....our one job feels like two jobs sometimes.

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PS. If forgot to say that I am very happy with the opportunity for soul growth that nursing provides as well as the opportunity for a good income. As many have said here, I find also the culture of nursing to be very financially supportive for higher education and advancing nursing opportunity. As well, as you all have said, we can hold our heads high even if the money in our pocketbook is low.

Even if I could make more money exotic dancing...which I could...I would not be able to enhance my spiritual journey near as much, nor be as proud to tell the world what it is I do for a living.

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