Why are Nurses paid so well???

[Dr. Leca]

Jesus........

My bro is an RN and he makes $45 an hour. And he just spent 4 years in college gettin his BSN. And his wife is an NP and she makes about the same as a Pharmacist.

I wonder why the hell they make so much more than anyone else with only an undergrad degree?

It must be a supply and demand thing.
Everytime I look at the list of jobs in a hospital they need like 50 nurses in all these different departments.

Do you think Nurses will always be in high demand like they are?
And do you think the pay will decline within a few years??

my god, they are makin a ton of money.

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[Falco2525]

Because there is an extreme shortage of them...and not because there are not people who want to do it but rather there is a lack of sufficient space in the schools that train nurses

 

[Dr. Leca]

Another question......

Do you think there may be an education boost for nurses in the future?

Just like audiologists and Pharmacists. You remember the registered pharmacists? Now its a PharmD

Will we have some kinda NDs er whatever?

 

[Falco2525]

Oh yeah and Nurse Anesthitists get paid 120k+...in california it is not unheard of for nurses to make 65k

 

[Dr. Leca]

There is a lack of sufficient space in the schools for sure.

But do you think that will ever change??
I am just curious of the future for RNs, It just seems like a really hot job to pursue.

 

[maestro1625]

you're gonna get along great with your co-workers on the hospital floors...

 

[Falco2525]

There is a lack of sufficient space in the schools for sure.

But do you think that will ever change??
I am just curious of the future for RNs, It just seems like a really hot job to pursue.

The problem lies in the fact that there are not enough Nurses with a PhD in nursing to teach the field...the lack of professors limits the number of nurses that can be trained...the problem is praciticing nurses make more than those in academia

 

[MirrorTodd]

I don't think that they are that highly paid. You make it sound like they're getting paid millions. Sure they get paid a lot more certain other professions, but it's not like they can retire at 30 or anything.

 

[Falco2525]

I don't think that they are that highly paid. You make it sound like they're getting paid millions. Sure they get paid a lot more certain other professions, but it's not like they can retire at 30 or anything.

i agree i think they should get paid more for the work they do

 

[MWK]

you're gonna get along great with your co-workers on the hospital floors...

Yeah, nurses are totally under appreciated. I used to have that same mentality but after working the semester in the ER, I have a new respect for nurses. They put up with so much and do a ton of grunt work. Nurses do 85% of the care in the ER. Its that other 15% that makes the Dr dominant of course.

And they've already warned me, as an Intern, do NOT talk down to the nurses. They can make your internship a whole lot worse and you have to do more for yourself.

 

[Sarikate]

There is a new degree coming soon to a nursing school near you. It's called the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). It's not an academic degree, but a clinical one. UW is not even offering a master's degree for family nurse practitioners anymore, only the DNP!

 

[etf]

in california it is not unheard of for nurses to make 65k

my mom's a nurse in ca, and last year made a little over 200k. i'm starting to wonder if i've chosen the right path...

 

[Dr.Inviz]

my mom's a nurse in ca, and last year made a little over 200k. i'm starting to wonder if i've chosen the right path...

u have, if $$ is the only reason youre goin this route ..

 

[MirrorTodd]

my mom's a nurse in ca, and last year made a little over 200k. i'm starting to wonder if i've chosen the right path...

My sister's a nurse in SF bay and makes either 65k or 80k. Can't remember which one, but it's not like she living in the lap of luxury right now. Even with her husbands pay, they are making at least 100k per year. It's an expensive place to live. I would say that I wouldn't want to be a nurse though. I can follow orders easily enough and get by, but one great thing the army has taught me is to give orders and take the leadership role. I would be unhappy as a member of the team and not the captain.

 

[sendwich]

my mom's a nurse in ca, and last year made a little over 200k. i'm starting to wonder if i've chosen the right path...

wow, is she NP?

 

[UIC Killa]

Jesus........

My bro is an RN and he makes $45 an hour. And he just spent 4 years in college gettin his BSN. And his wife is an NP and she makes about the same as a Pharmacist.

I wonder why the hell they make so much more than anyone else with only an undergrad degree?

It must be a supply and demand thing.
Everytime I look at the list of jobs in a hospital they need like 50 nurses in all these different departments.

Do you think Nurses will always be in high demand like they are?
And do you think the pay will decline within a few years??

my god, they are makin a ton of money.

Nurses definitely bank....i would know because my mom is a nurse...she is almost pulling 100k....she gets paid $55 an hour...plus 10 more per hour for night shift or overtime....plus she is part of this agency that shifts her to hospitals that need help and she can easily make over 60-70 an hour on that...plus that fact that nurses work 12 hour shifts...the hospital she works also gives her like a 2000-3000 dollar bonus if she can find someone who will work full time in her hospital...and she is an ER/ICU nurse if that means anything...I will add that she does work at a somewhat rich suburb in a very rich hospital (looks like a freakin 5 star hotel..fountains..etc..omg)....so I would venture to say that nurses working in the city or areas that are not as affluent would not make as much....

 

[dantt]

Why are sanitation engineers paid so well?

 

[EndSong]

Nurses and PAs get the best financial return for their investments. They're needed in almost every aspect of healthcare, there are not enough of them and they can charge what they do.

 

[Nasrudin]

it's not only supply and demand its also unions, strong lobbying groups and pushes for turf legislation. the same mechanisms the AMA has used to achieve it power for physicians over the years. its only recently that thru the same tactics the groups like regeistered nurses are starting to take a bigger peice of the pie. physicians no longer dominate the game. it doesn't break my heart. nor will it when nurses get their due from the come ups of other groups.

 

[CruiseLover]

I come from a family of nurses. In the midwest, my mom with 25 years of experience is pulling in about $30. That is about $60,000. She continues to work holidays, weekends, etc. which can get old. Nurses are not getting rich by any means. Engineers in this part of the country are starting at 50,000. And as previous posters have said - a good nurse can make or break you during residency AND during your future practice. They're your eyes while you're home watching the game; they're your voice on phone triage in the office.

I also have a cousin in this area that has been a nurse practitioner for 5 years. She is making $33 which is about $66,000. Granted, standard of living here is much less than the coasts, but believe me the doctors make WAY MORE!

Instead of nurses, compare yourself to other bachelor's degrees. They are way closer to physician salaries! But with malpractice looming over our heads, our salaries in this area are not going to be what they once were.

(That being said, our local paper just had an article about a group of electrophysical cardiologists that changed hospitals. They quoted their base pay at $400,000 + bonues! - Pediatricians and family practice docs are only making around $120,000 here. Something wrong with this picture too!)

 

[MinnyGophers]

They clean up after the Doc's crap, that's why. That and the fact that they really do more than 80% of patient related care. Who really takes care of the patient? The nurses.

"They can make your life easier, they can make your life miserable. Whatever you did, I suggest you apologize to them immediately."

 

[notdeadyet]

I just hired a junior programmer (one year out of college) who would have laughed at $45/hour.

Pay does not coincide with eductation or debt. It has to do with how many people have your skillset and how many jobs require that skillset.

 

[szhao]

in other words, those who can make devices that run themselves, will be rich.

 

[Wackie]

Yeah, nurses are totally under appreciated. I used to have that same mentality but after working the semester in the ER, I have a new respect for nurses. They put up with so much and do a ton of grunt work. Nurses do 85% of the care in the ER. Its that other 15% that makes the Dr dominant of course.

And they've already warned me, as an Intern, do NOT talk down to the nurses. They can make your internship a whole lot worse and you have to do more for yourself.

Also, nurses regularly save the doctors' @ss. And if they don't like you, they're fine with watching you fall face forward into a med mal.


As far as their pay, well, the doctor writes the orders, the nurse carries them out. I want a happy person pushing drugs into me.

 

[mdvargas]

Yeah, nurses are totally under appreciated. I used to have that same mentality but after working the semester in the ER, I have a new respect for nurses. They put up with so much and do a ton of grunt work. Nurses do 85% of the care in the ER. Its that other 15% that makes the Dr dominant of course.

And they've already warned me, as an Intern, do NOT talk down to the nurses. They can make your internship a whole lot worse and you have to do more for yourself.

I say the same, job shadow a nurse doing a shift in the ER and you'll understand why the get paid a lot.

 

[MJB]

Ever lived with, worked with, or had any understanding at all what a nurses life is like? They don't get paid "that well" for what they do.

 

[fantasty]

There's also the issue of temp nursing. In order to save money, some hospitals would rather hire outside temps (they get paid a much higher hourly wage but the hospital doesn't pay them benefits). This has driven up the apparent wages , especially for nurses right out of college. But, probably doesn't reflect a great trend for those wanting stability and who appreciate the importance of benefits.

As for the training shortage - that's a huge problem right now. Our nursing school is a top program, but they are very short on instructors. Even the local community college (for those seeking only an associate's rather than BSN) has at least an 18 month waiting list because there simply aren't enough faculty.

The other think I've learned since working with nursing students is how different the curricula are. Nursing education is much more holistic than medical education, and they actually learn a lot more theory behind things like health education (which I guess explains why I rarely see doctors doing a good job at that, but that's why we have nurses filling that function).

Anyway - I don't regret going the medicine route, but back in my idealistic days of wanted to have tons of patient contact time, I might have taking another look at nursing.

 

[becky_C]

Jesus........

My bro is an RN and he makes $45 an hour. And he just spent 4 years in college gettin his BSN. And his wife is an NP and she makes about the same as a Pharmacist.

I wonder why the hell they make so much more than anyone else with only an undergrad degree?

It must be a supply and demand thing.
Everytime I look at the list of jobs in a hospital they need like 50 nurses in all these different departments.

Do you think Nurses will always be in high demand like they are?
And do you think the pay will decline within a few years??

my god, they are makin a ton of money.

Nurses work damn hard, that's why. And there's a shortage, I hear.

 

[etf]

wow, is she NP?

nope, just a clinical nurse. if you pick the right hospital and stay on for 15+ years, they'll take care of you. the UC pension alone is enough for her to retire quite comfortably in san francisco.

 

[etf]

My sister's a nurse in SF bay and makes either 65k or 80k. Can't remember which one, but it's not like she living in the lap of luxury right now. Even with her husbands pay, they are making at least 100k per year. It's an expensive place to live. I would say that I wouldn't want to be a nurse though. I can follow orders easily enough and get by, but one great thing the army has taught me is to give orders and take the leadership role. I would be unhappy as a member of the team and not the captain.

yeah, you can't really live in sf with 100k combined income. the chronicle estimated that to afford a median home here, you'd have to make 120k. oh well, at least the weather is nice.

 

[albaniandoc]

I am a nurse at the moment.
I must say I am happy with my pay, but like probably anyone you ask I could use a raise. Reason, I put up with a lot of shiat. From my patients, patient's families, nursing administration and most importantly surgeons. I had a higher paying position (working in the unit night shift) and decided to make less but have more time for my family and school, so I already made the regression. You will find a lot of stressed out nurses and most of them will tell you that the money is not worth the effort. In the end, you still get scolded like a child on daily basis. Whether it is administration cutting down your benefits, giving you more work, more patients, more paperwork, or doctors, giving you grief for the sake of it, as a nurse you are always finding yourself bent over with a jar of lube in your hand. So you decide if the 70K/year is worth the frustration. Not for me, that's why I am becoming a doctor. I hope to God my experience as a nurse will make me a humble physician.

 

[Cirrus83]

My alma mater (Rochester) has a program where if you already have a Bachelor's you can just do an extra year and become a nurse...with either a Bachelor's OR a Master's...

To be fair though, it does require a whole slew of Pre-reqs to have been done, although I looked it over and more or less I'm just missing 2 courses, so it'd just be an extra semester. So, in theory, in only 1 year and 3 months I could have a master's in nursing,

Haha, makes it seem sooo tempting in comparison to going to med school for a bazillion years.

But seriously though, while it's definitely decent money, it's not exactly crazy money either. In order to break into the triple digits, a registered nurse has to work totally insane hours, and run all over the place. And this is for years and years and years.

Whereas if you became a specialist, yeah you wouldn't get paid as much for the next decade or so while you went to med school and loaded up on debt, and then worked for a joke of an income as a resident and fellow. But, in theory, eventually you'd be able to either make much more working similar hours as the nurses, or make the same amount working less hours.

And anyways, the shortage of physicians is looming bigger so who knows what physician salaries are gonna be, it's pretty hard to predict.

 

[45408]

most nurses aren't making $100K per year, that's for sure, but it's not surprising for a good career to pay $60K per year, which is $30/hour if you work full-time. My wife makes between $24 and $28 per hour, depending on nights/weekends as a nurse.

 

[nursetodoc]

Ever lived with, worked with, or had any understanding at all what a nurses life is like? They don't get paid "that well" for what they do.

agreed

 

[Cirrus83]

Um sorry if that came off as preachy, this topic just gets me a little heated. This really is just an important topic and us aspiring physicians need to think of nurses differently than a lot of hospital-based doctors tend to.

lol, well, where I work I haven't seen any doctors behave too arrogantly towards any of the nurses, although I could already kinda guess which doctors might.

Anyways, I think the way a doctor treats the nursing staff also kinda reflects on how they treat people in general-if they think they're hot **** they probably treat janitors, doormen, cab drivers, etc. with the same kinda bs attitude.

In other words, those people are a-holes. And you'll find those people in any profession, it's probably just more obvious at the hospital.

 

[deleted106503]

They clean up after the Doc's crap, that's why. That and the fact that they really do more than 80% of patient related care. Who really takes care of the patient? The nurses.

It's just like in the business world. The managers (also decision makers) make more and work less to those looking from the outside compared to the worker bees. Their job has more responsibilty and they're the ones that have the liability if anything goes wrong (most of the time).

I hear people complain at the office about managers not doing any work. Managers AREN'T supposed to do the work. The workers do. The managers just make sure the right tasks are being done at the right times. If something goes wrong, it's the managers' fault.

 

[plouffes]

Um sorry if that came off as preachy, this topic just gets me a little heated. This really is just an important topic and us aspiring physicians need to think of nurses differently than a lot of hospital-based doctors tend to.

I think your post was right on.

Best of luck to you,
Current nursing student/future doctor?

 

[Law2Doc]

It's just like in the business world. The managers (also decision makers) make more and work less to those looking from the outside compared to the worker bees. Their job has more responsibilty and they're the ones that have the liability if anything goes wrong (most of the time).

The key difference from the business world is that the workers can ultimately move up to manager. Nurses are a separate profession and don't graduate up to doctor. So it is an eternal, not temporary, hierarchichal dynasty they face.

FWIW, the consensus is that nurses are the one group in the hospital that can make a doctor's life a living hell. If you ever want to sleep or have an easy call, you are going to have to learn to be nice to them. Most of the savvy doctors regularly bring various edible treats to the nurses stations.

 

[thesauce]

They clean up after the Doc's crap, that's why. That and the fact that they really do more than 80% of patient related care. Who really takes care of the patient? The nurses.

"They can make your life easier, they can make your life miserable. Whatever you did, I suggest you apologize to them immediately."

This thread has turned into doctors vs. nurses. Do we really have to have a competition over who is responsible for more patient care? This is like a different version of the MD vs. DO threads.

 

[Nasrudin]

What's with all the co-dependent baggage about nurses are people too!!!...

Nobody said they weren't. Nobody said that they didn't have a stressful job. Nobody even said that they weren't the most important part of good patient outcomes.

All I remember being said is that they make friggin bank. Way more than comparable levels of education, in most cases.

Its not every field that you can go anywhere in the developed world and have a job in 48 hrs where you can pick a schedule you want and pull down good money, and if somebody gets on your precious little nerves you can go next door and probably make more.

Stop whining. You live by sword you die by the sword. Go do something else if its so terrible.
I used to shovel concrete and carry bricks for pennies I didn't go to the masonry apprentice mesaage boards and complain about how how undervalued I was and how the mason's were so insensitive to my needs...I got the hell out of there and took my back and two hands elsewhere.

Dang. Bunch of complainers.

 

[deleted106503]

The key difference from the business world is that the workers can ultimately move up to manager. Nurses are a separate profession and don't graduate up to doctor. So it is an eternal, not temporary, hierarchichal dynasty they face.

FWIW, the consensus is that nurses are the one group in the hospital that can make a doctor's life a living hell. If you ever want to sleep or have an easy call, you are going to have to learn to be nice to them. Most of the savvy doctors regularly bring various edible treats to the nurses stations.

Yea, the nurses can't become doctors at least as easy as being promoted to manager.

As far as that second statement regarding being very nice to the nurses, man...that really irks me. I'm not the kind of person to give extra treatment for someone who is being paid to do their job. I guess it depends on what type of physician one is. For radiologist, I doubt they care much since there is little interaction. At least according to a couple of my friends that are in rads.

Not sure how stuff goes down during rotations in med school, but I think hours are set and attendings tell you what to do. I know they can put more work on you than others, but I'm sure you could tell your med professors about it if you start to fall behind in studying for shelfs. I guess for rads, the 1 year IM would deal more with nurses at least compared to being in rad diagnostic residency.

 

[freelove]

I think alot of it depends on the area of the country you live in. If you live in the rural areas, of course you won't be making as much as those in the suburbs. I live outside of DC, and work at a nursing agency. Some of the RNs on the payroll are making a six-figure salaries.

Another thing some ppl don't realize, that bachelor's degree is not necessay. You can become a registered RN with an associates's degree and make a salary comparavble to that of a pharmacist and some physician's which are definitely doctorate degrees requiring 6+ yrs of school.

My friend entered the nursing program @ the area community college last year. She's finishing next yr and is looking to make $65,000+ starting, and she's 23.

As for nurse practitioners, I don't know. I think that if you're willing to go to school for all those yrs, be a PA, or a physician. You def. get more respect.

 

[em783]

I think your post was right on.

Best of luck to you,
Current nursing student/future doctor?

Thanks! I'm actually in the whole application/interview process for med school right now. I'm ready to be done with this whole spiel right about now

Oh and that comment on giving extra treatment and what not ... I think it's not so much about cowtowing to nurses, but doctors knowing that a lot of the nurses they work with go above and beyond their basic job requirements to care for a patient and truly assist a doctor when there are one too many patients on the floor or whatever.

What's wrong with appreciating that help by trying to maintain a good working relationship with that person? Same with some nurses who see that certain doctors they work with going above and beyond with their patients and being extra-involved. That's something they appreciate as well. In the end I think it just fosters a positive work environment while, more importantly, leading to far better quality of patient care.

 

[chimichanga]

...I would say that I wouldn't want to be a nurse though. I can follow orders easily enough and get by, but one great thing the army has taught me is to give orders and take the leadership role. I would be unhappy as a member of the team and not the captain.

For what it's worth, ERs are (on a day to day basis) run by nursing...It's a collaboration w/ the physician...

And someone mentioned "crazy hours and a long time" for nurses to pull in 6 figures...

Last year, 3 days a week (weekend program, hospital staff, full benefits) = 102,000
A friend of mine, worked 7 days a pay period, wife carries benefits, made 125,000

 

[konkan]

Jesus........

My bro is an RN and he makes $45 an hour. And he just spent 4 years in college gettin his BSN. And his wife is an NP and she makes about the same as a Pharmacist.

I wonder why the hell they make so much more than anyone else with only an undergrad degree?

It must be a supply and demand thing.
Everytime I look at the list of jobs in a hospital they need like 50 nurses in all these different departments.

Do you think Nurses will always be in high demand like they are?
And do you think the pay will decline within a few years??

my god, they are makin a ton of money.

I used to be a nurse. Wouldn't do nursing again even for 200K/year. Seriously.

 

[chimichanga]

I used to be a nurse. Wouldn't do nursing again even for 200K/year. Seriously.

I wouldn't a physician's liability...Even for 500k/year...

 

[MechE]

You can also make a lot of money recruiting nurses. My parents are sponsoring nurses from India to work in a hospital here in Oklahoma. My parents are getting $15,000 per nurse and so far have signed up 39 nurses.

 

[tncekm]

Jesus........

My bro is an RN and he makes $45 an hour. And he just spent 4 years in college gettin his BSN. And his wife is an NP and she makes about the same as a Pharmacist.

I wonder why the hell they make so much more than anyone else with only an undergrad degree?

It must be a supply and demand thing.
Everytime I look at the list of jobs in a hospital they need like 50 nurses in all these different departments.

Do you think Nurses will always be in high demand like they are?
And do you think the pay will decline within a few years??

my god, they are makin a ton of money.

They're not the only degrees that make big bucks with relatively minimal school.

Dentaly Hygiene graduates work "on average" 4 days per week with an income of about 70k/yr annually. In the San Francisco bay area they'll make as much as $400 to $500 per day and in places like So. Cal $350 to $375 is more common.

You can get into something like animation and graphic design starting out at $40-50k/yr with an associates.

There are quite a few degrees like th at.

And nurses, well, they have to work hard to do what they do and to get into school. The competition can be pretty stiff to get into nursing school.

IMHO they deserve to make pretty good money.

 

[chimichanga]

You can also make a lot of money recruiting nurses. My parents are sponsoring nurses from India to work in a hospital here in Oklahoma. My parents are getting $15,000 per nurse and so far have signed up 39 nurses.

that's around 600k

can I sponsor a few docs???



My pimp hand is strong!

 

[NonTradMed]

Wow, nice numbers quoted around here for nurses.

But despite the fact that nurses make pretty good salary for the amount of time in school, why is there still a lopsided gender ratio of nurses and nursing students in school? Is it the perceived stigma that nursing is a 'female' profession'? I mean, guys go into two or four year degree programs en mass to make the same or less amount of money as nurses yet the nursing school next to my med school is still predominately female.