Underrated in America: Nurses
Filed under: Career
I worked my way through nursing school in the 70's by waiting tables at a steak house in Colorado Springs. It was great money, about $12-20 per hour, and included a free meal and drink. When I graduated, I took a job at a large hospital in Denver for $5.67 per hour. I quickly realized that I made a whole lot more money waitressing than I did cleaning up patients, lifting, dispensing medicine and sometimes saving lives.
In the last 30 years, wages have certainly gone up but the pay for nurses still remains at a ridiculous level. Starting pay for a new graduate is around $21.55 per hour and the job is so much harder now. Patients rarely stay in the hospital more than a few days even for complex surgeries and illnesses. Nurses must not only stay abreast of medical advances, they have to constantly learn new technology including bedside charting.
It hardly pays to remain in nursing. After 20 or more years, a nurse can expect her salary to only go up about $9 dollars an hour to $29.89. While health benefits are usually good, health care pensions are dismal. As one hospital executive brazenly stated to a nurse's union, "If nurses want a good retirement, they should marry a doctor."
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While physicians order the care, it is actually delivered by nurses and other healthcare professionals. The healing act of nursing is what patients value and remember. So, why don't we get more money?
Nursing has historically been a female profession with an emphasis on compassionate care and service to the community. Nurses always put the patient first; working extra shifts, overtime, short staffed, etc. This has, perhaps worked against us. As the nursing shortage intensifies in the coming years, hopefully nurses will become better organized to bargain for better wages.
Barbara Bartlein, RN, MSW, is the People Pro. For her Free e-mail newsletter, please visit: The People Pro.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-30-2008 @ 6:52AM
Kim said...
I totally agree with your take on nursing pay. I have been a neonatal intensive care nurse for 13 years now. I love what I do and I know I make a difference. Yet, I now know I make only $5.00 more an hour than the average new nursing graduate ! As a final kicker, I can only expect to make $3.00 more an hour over the next seven years as I approach 20 years in nursing? I guess I should have married a doctor or became one. Still, I love nursing so I guess my family of five and I will continue to live paycheck to paycheck. Thanks for your article and I'm proud to be underrated in America!!!
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10-30-2008 @ 10:02AM
Helen said...
I just retired after 40 yrs. of nursing and just made over the $20. mark. Where are nurses starting at the mentioned wage? No wonder the Midwest is hurting for nurses!
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10-30-2008 @ 10:29AM
Cortney said...
I'm a new graduated nurse and I attended a local community college for 3 and a half years to still making less than my adored husband who has never stepped a foot in a college. If not for him I never would have been able to afford my nursing career, but I work many hours of overtime and short of staff. I do love my career. My student loans will take about half of my checks each month though? I agree of the low paying scale.
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10-30-2008 @ 10:45AM
Richard said...
When I graduated from nursing school in 1970 my first job paid $3.32 an hour. They told me a "big pay raise was in the works". After 3 months the "big pay raise" came through. I got an increase of 3 cents an hour.
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10-30-2008 @ 11:05AM
Mary said...
I have been an RN for 30 years, when I graduated from training, I made 6.30/hour. I now make 25.00/hr. That is a total of $18.70, (or .62 cents/year rise) over 30 years. The New grads in this part of Texas make apx 16.00 dollars/hr. It is no wonder the nursing shortage is so bad here. And yet, what can we do? If I dont care for my patients, who will? After talking to many nurses from Canada and England, I know for a fact, socialized medicine is most certainly NOT the way to go, Maybe if we could teach our government (and the people of this great land) not to be so greedy, we could afford to live on smaller wages. I wish there was an easy answer; but until there is, I will continue to care for my patients to the best of my ability, for as long as I am able. And I will continue to drive used vehicles, shop frugally and try to make do with what I have..
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10-30-2008 @ 11:06AM
joanne said...
I agree that nurses work for their money. But I also know that CNA's work more like dogs and we get half the pay as nurses. I work at a very large well known hospital in the midwest as a CNA. My gripe is that while the nurses that I follow through out the day only get 4 patients, I as their aid have to take care of 12 patients. That is giving 6 or sometimes 8 out of the 12 baths, ( I work on the med/surg floor, so most patients are post surg. and can't do for themselves right away), doing I's and O's, vitals, emptying drains, ng's, etc etc. It is a heavy load day after day. When I am running back and forth to change beds or have a patient on the commode or whatever and see all 3 of my nurses sitting, it is very upsetting. Nurses from day one should be taught how to change an accupied bed. They aren't taught the basics anymore. I had nursing students following me around to learn how to use a throw away oral thermometer! They didn't know which way it went in the mouth!! It should be madatory that all nursing students take a CNA course, so they know the basics. People will always be sick, so there will always be the need for nurses and aids because it is physically impossible for nurses to do it all by themselves. Something has to give here. We all need to be paid not only because of our education, but for the work load that we are given everyday.
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10-30-2008 @ 12:10PM
Bryce said...
While I agree with your issues on workload, I take issue with your other comments.
As an Emergency Dept. RN, I routinely change pts., their beds...etc. As a Med/Surg nurse, back in my early years, I did the same. My load was 15 to 17 pre and postop, oncology pts. IVs, blood product, meds (to include chemo), wound care, charting...add to all of that, responsibility for everything my LPNs and CNAs did or didn't do to the pts.
It still stands that way in the ER setting. I am ultimately responsible for all the care given to the pts assigned to me. If the LPN or CNA working under my license screws up, it's my butt on the line.
As our profession becomes more advanced (technology), we as RNs are the ones who have to learn/use it, and as more of these technologies are brought into the work setting, the less time for hands on we are afforded.
I, personally, don't take the LPNs nor the CNAs for granted. I couldn't do what's expected of me without you.
You signed on to do what you do, just as I signed on to do what's expected of me. Let's try to do it without complaining about each other.
10-30-2008 @ 1:12PM
Mike said...
I beg to differ, I am in a bachelors program in upstate NY. our first 6 weeks clinical training was exactly CNA training. We learned bed baths, bed changes occupied and otherwise, how to take vitals do assessments and the like. I will never take CNA's for granted, you have a very tough job that needs to be done. Your right though, I use CNA's for training but only because I know you all know your jobs well. Believe me nursing students appreciate you all. All those nurses you see sitting around hopefully are actually working and not fluffing off.
10-30-2008 @ 1:22PM
Dawn RN said...
I went to nursing school 30 years ago and I DO know how to make an occupied bed! I know how to do EVERYTHING a CNA does. What you see as a huge disparity in physical labor is made up by the vast amount of technical knowlege, technical skill, professional level knowledge, and, perhaps least known by all, is the HUGE legal responsibility we have. We are NOT just a bunch of lazy pill pushers. I suggest spending a couple years in school so that, you too, can reap the benefits that the license entails.
10-30-2008 @ 1:51PM
Kathleen Iagnemmo said...
Joanne,
I have been an RN for 38 years. I initially obtained a diploma in nursing at a local hospital based nursing school and finally acheived a Masters of Science in Nursing. I was a single parent for many years as I continued to advance my education by taking courses part time, while my children were also in school. I felt it was very important to show my children that education was the means for providing them with a stable and lucrative lifesyle. Also, I have always encouraged the many Nursing Assistants that I have worked with, to continue their education beyond the CNA courses and work toward a Nursing degree.
I know that you feel that you are not paid fairly for the work that you do, but so do nurses, police, teachers,and firefighters. Sadly, many of the professions that SERVE, are seriously underpaid. In our society, it seems that the services that we provide are expected to be there, without consideration of paying for the VALUE that our services provide. Yes, I agree that your job is very laboring, but so are all of the other professions that I have mentioned. The difference between the pay an RN and a CNA receives is directly related to the difference in the education and RESPONSIBILITY. An RN is expected to understand the scientific principles underlying medical treatment and nursing interventions provided to patients. A CNA works under the direction and delegation of the RN so that all aspects of medical treatment and nursing interventions can be safely and efficiently implemented.
The RN is legally responsible for the quality of work provided by the CNA.
Kathy RN
11-01-2008 @ 8:41PM
Jill said...
I am a LPN and I can tell you that I was taught the basic care you mention so I would be able to empathize with my patients during my nursing career. As a student I had to give and receive a bed bath, change an occupied bed, etc. Let me say that it is not fair to generalize that nurses sit while CNA 's do everything! As an assisted living nurse (which I love) I have always pitched in and helped our caregivers whenever needed. Not all nurses are like the ones you mention. If anyone reading this is thinking of becoming a nurse , I say go for it! You will never be paid what your worth but there is a certain satisfaction that comes with knowing you make a difference in the world!
11-07-2008 @ 8:08PM
Fontella said...
I, too, worked as a CNA prior to becoming a Registered Nurse. While I agree that being a CNA is back breaking work, as a Nurse, I find in my place of employment not only am I taking on the responsibilities as the nurse but also the back breaking work of an CNA. I think both are way underpaid and overworked. By the way, thank your lucky stars you have a work load of 12. As a CNA of 20 years I had a workload of 20 almost daily.
11-04-2008 @ 1:19PM
Janet RN said...
Those nurses you saw sitting may someday be sued for massive amounts of money because of their license, they also have to protect the hospital from liability by supervising everything that goes on during their shift.RN's have the responsibility of being aware of all new advances and procedures. CNA's are underpaid and undervalued but it isn't because RN's are getting a great deal. No need to point to RN's as the culprits....we're all in the same boat !
11-05-2008 @ 12:11PM
JC said...
They get paid half of what nurses do because they are not nurses! Do secretaries and administrative assistants make the same $$ as their bosses?
10-30-2008 @ 11:55AM
suzanne said...
I agree with the low wage statement! Today with technology our skill level and responsibilities have increased but not the pay. At the hospital I work at we have nursing duties, we do respiratory care, we draw lab work we even empty our own trash and dirty linen all in the name of cutting costs at the hospital. It is time for a re-evaluation of pay scale for nurses.
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10-30-2008 @ 12:04PM
kim said...
As a LPN i have been given the pleasure of working at the same job for 5 years. My reward for working double shifts,short staffed, hit. spit on. yelled at, and verbally abused day in and day out was a 1,000 dollar a month pay cut! I make less today than I did 5 years ago. Not to mention the health insurance costs that continue to climb faster than my minor pay raise each year. I am working on completing my RN but I now wounder if its worth it. My supervisors make 3-5 dollors more an hour than me. If my benifits are always costing me more and my pay hardly increasing or worse cut again, why bother? If we are so unimportant maybe those that say "you should have just married a doctor" would like to be sick with nobody to care for them?
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10-30-2008 @ 12:42PM
Jona said...
I am currently a nursing student. I guess you really have to love what you do. I am almost done, and I found that maybe nursing is not for me. But I need to finish. I really want to own my own business. Maybe I will work and build up some capital in order to start it up. But it looks like it will take me a very very long time according to the low pay I keep hearing about. My counselor told me a male student graduated and started @ 27.19/hr; however, it seems subjective and outside the normal pay.
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10-30-2008 @ 12:50PM
pattie said...
I have been a nurse for 12 years and work in long term care and it is hard to work pay check to pay check, i will be paying off student loans until i am in my 70's. Nursing i a great career but the pay is bad. My first love of hospice haed to be put on hold because i could not make the bills especially with paying for gas and the wear and tear on my car. Nurses need better pay. forget marrying the doctor, who would want that. dont they yell at nurses enough why would you want to take that home.
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10-30-2008 @ 1:03PM
Laura said...
My first job as an RN in 1978 was on a orthopedic unit. We would have patients come in for carpel tunnel surgery and have to stay for 4-5 days afterwards. Today they are home in 4 hours start to finish. Technologies have advanced, the patients we have now are much more complex. Medicare regulations came in the 80's and changed nursing. Gone were the orderlies, aides and auxilliary staff.
Today's nurse not only does her nursing job, but is also expected to be secretary,pass dinner trays, draw labs, empty garbage cans in patient rooms, and oh, I forgot..drag a portable computer along so we can chart at the bedside in real time (and that's supposing the system is up and running).
Regulations and safeguards for patients make once simple tasks a lengthy process. Even something as simple as giving a medication is more complicated. Nurses today have the same number of patients as in 1978 (6-8 on a med-surg unit) but we have higher acuities and are responsible for keeping up to date with clinical and technological changes.
Today I feel more like a data entry clerk than a nurse. I miss being able to converse and educate my patients, but we simply do not have time to do it like we were taught to do.
The pay for nurses does not rise with added responsibilies.The hours are long, the workload heavier,the liability is greater. More and more nurses leave the bedside every year for office/managerial/consulting jobs with normal hours and no holidays. The newer nurses who come in have minimal bedside experience. Bringing back the 3 year hospital nurse programs, where nurses actually work and learn seems like an option that should be reopened for discussion. Those girls had more experience in their pinky finger than we every got with my BSN.
As for hospitals appreciating their nurses...well, I have more nurses Day keychains and lunchboxes than I could ever use. Today we are hired full time, but the minute the census drops by that one magical patient number on the staffing grid, a nurse is sent home, put on call or cancelled. Funny they never told us they could do that in orientation or when we were hired. You'd think that they would keep the nurses, who give the care working. It all boils down to the budget, but they don't seem to remember that me missing a shift is a car payment. Yet they have the audacity to call you on your day off or schedule you for mandatory overtime and wonder why we would not want to drop what we are doing to come in "to help your coworkers". You don't build loyalty by treating your employees like that.
What price do hospitals put on saving lives as compared to keeping their nurses? They would rather save the one big life..their budget!
PS: while the underpaid nurses and tech/aides work short staffed, we are relieved to know that the new corporate logo is bright and shiny on the new electric building signs/ letterheads/patient mugs/ helicoptors, vehicles and billboards on all of the corporate locations, and your advertising. It was brilliant to make each campus a different color logo too, we are sure that did not cost anything extra.Time to get priorities in order and pay the folks who care for your customers.
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10-30-2008 @ 2:28PM
Tammy Sutliff said...
I have been in nursing 28 years and I would not encourage young people to get into the field. I have loved it and still enjoy it, but the salaries suck. I started at $6.20/hr and I"m up to $24.00/hr. The cost of living has gone up more than that.
The time of nursing has changed, we need to be compensated for the work we do. We are not in the time of Florence Nightengale. Car makers make much more than us. Which is more important, saving lives or making a car? Do not forget the years of education we have.
I worked my way through Nursing school as a CNA and learned that the R.N. has a lot more to deal with then the CNA. The CNA does alot of the physical labor, but the ultimate responsibility is the R.N..
We teach our chlideren that education is the way to go, but does it really? Not in Nursing.
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