Why are nurses paid too little-not enough to keep in system?

Answer 1

Ok, I have worked in healthcare for a total of seven years. I started at a hospital fresh out of high school as a housekeeper, and worked my way up to a RN.
Nurses have an extremely stressful job. Yes the doctor comes in and writes the orders, but its the nurses who have to execute them. We are there 24 hours a day, we have to deal with the complaints, the family members, the nonstop phone calls from concerned family members, the confused abusive agressive patients, the post-op psychosis patients, the patients dealing with drug/alcohol withdrawl, the confused patient who throws poo on the walls....the list goes on and on. But the fact of the matter is that we are there all the time and deal with all aspects of patient care.
I worked in a hospital for a total of seven years, three years being an RN. This past March I got a new job at a rehab center. I was making so-so wages at the hosptial. I got a significant raise when I started my new job. But its still mediocre. A lot of nurses are leaving the profession because they are burnt out. The long hours, the mandatory overtime, the constant stress and headaches of patient care....You really have to love the field in order to suceed in it. If you are going to nursing school just for the money, then you will make a sh***y nurse. Its not about the money. Its about the patients. And in order to care for the patients, you ahve to have lots of patience.
I think that anyone who disses nursing and says that they make too much money need a reality check. Would you want a nurse to care for you or your family member who was disgruntled about the money they make for all the work they do? I think not. Nurses deserve everything they get. They worked their butt of to get through school, and now they have a profession. Not just a job. Nursing is not just passing pills and paperwork. We have to deal with call offs, long hours, minimal staff, arogant doctors, impatient patients, concerned family members, etc etc etc.
Most hospitals and healthcare facilities are hiring nurses for less wages than most people think. I dont know what state your first answer came from, but in my state, you start out at like $18.75, which is $39000 a year, not 60. I have been in the field for three years, and I make 20.59. For all the hassle that we go through on a daily basis, the pay is the least they can do to thank us. Just remember, we are the ones caring for your family members when they need medical attention.

Answer 2

Nurses are paid well. A lot of hospitals compete for nurses and use pay as leverage. There are not enough nurses to go around, so we have to do double the work which eventually gets old and we leave for greener pastures and complete the cycle all over again. Nurses are in high demand and the career field is WIDE.
When you find a nurse who has been in one position for a long time it means you have a dedicated nurse. Who was meant to be a nurse

Answer 3

Nurses make excellent money. The problem is people go into nursing for the money that should be doing something else. You need to have a calling for nursing to be a good nurse and there are not that many around. They get market raises when no one else in the hospital gets raise but they are still not happy. If they don't like it the can take a teachers job who makes much less.

Answer 4

They are paid great! That's not the reason. They have a large work load and tons of stress at hospitals. If you notice they are popping up more and more at offices, they are employed by insurance companies and countless other less stressful places. The hospitals are crying shortage because they have made their work place unpleasant. Some hospitals have made some progress with their demands, but they still have a long way to go.

Answer 5

Evidently you haven't looked at what a nurse's salary is! A first year out of school a nurse can make nearly $60K With more experience and specialty training she/he can make upwards of $90K!

I'll take a job like that any day!