Why are nurses (95% female) still bitching about salaries?

Question

$30.00/hour and up is fabulous money! So why are nurses still complaining about pay?

Answer 1

Come on man, they just can't help it. PMS or something I think.

Answer 2

$30 an hour is fabulous money? I'm not sure what you are earning but you need to get yourself an education and get some pay!

$30 an hour is what office work TEMPS earn, and nurses deserve more pay because there work is more valuable.

People who can't see this have either never been in hospital or have never watched nurses care for someone they loved in hospital.

When it comes down to the wire, who would you rather have holding your head in those hours of confusion and pain ~ a qualified nurse who can save your life, or a 'valuable' sports player who can earn his boss billions.

I think we all know the answer to that, really.

And also that if nurses were paid what they are WORTH, there would not be enough money.

There is a dual discrimination here, that most traditionally "women's work" is considered less valuable than most traditionally men's work ~ and this is partly because women are supposed to work for love, not money as women will be supported by some man and don't 'need' money.

But there is also a skewed social vision that distorts the notion of how the work that people do is valued, also. So that people who do the things that actually make it possible for us to live well as humans ~ personal services, hygiene, care for people hands on, are seen as less *valuable* than those who entertain or sell.

I've often wondered if this is related to the fact that for many centuries, men earned and disposed of most of the income of any family, and were encouraged to buy beer and entertainment ahead of, say, a cleaner for four hours a week.

That would also be part of ensuring the working classes stayed poor and didn't accumulate wealth top challenge the power status quo.

Anyway, just a thought.

Cheers :-)

Answer 3

Because they are highly qualified workers who work very long shifts and who are responsible for people's lives. Higher salaries encourage higher standards, and there's a shortage of nurses, so the the wages should up.
You can't compare a factory worker or a call center worker who pushes buttons all day to a person who's in charge of administering medication, preforming CPR, and so on. It has nothing to do with gender.
FYI, I'm not a nurse, nor I come from a family of nurses.
would you like it if you went to the ER, and the nurse was tired, weary and grumpy?

Answer 4

most of th nurses I know make 10 to 15 an hour, and do all most all of the actual work with patients while Dr.s make between 100 and 400 an hour to show up talk to a patient for 5 minutes of that hour and then tell the Nurse to do what ze already knew needed to be done in the first place...

Answer 5

are you a doctor who's tired of hearing them complain??? or are you a jealous Nurse's Assistant making $9-$11 an hour? lol....i mean why'd you ask this. It's good money, but people always want more. My sister is an LPN and she's making about $28/hr and she only works 12 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday. That's nice. I would like to do something like that...but I have a weak *** stomach. I'd be throwing up all over the place. I know an RN who makes $40 something an hour. Nice money. Real nice. So you must've asked this 'cause you hatin'. ;-)

Answer 6

Tho I never seem to have all the facts, it irks me when they go on strike. It should be like the military and a strike should be like going Awol. I used to be a nurse asst. and they were always talking strike. Some used to do a "sick out" , which would leave just two nurses on the floor for 80 patients. Some of those poor elderly wouldn't be able to get out of bed all day, have cold food if they were to be fed, couldn't get their showers, and didn't have the care they deserved. The administrator was slow in calling in temps also.When you become a nurse or doctor, it's a given that you are dedicated to the well being of others...period.

Answer 7

Maybe, but doctors earn more and they get a lot more respect. Also, nurses are expected to work horrible shifts and they have to deal with rude and belligerent patients. I don't wish to offend anyone but I would never consider that as a career choice.

Answer 8

I'd say it is because other professions that require the same amount of study to qualify, and the same level of continuing assessment/education, generally get much higher rates of pay. plus there is huge responsibility involved in the job. You may feel different if it is your relative that they are looking after immediately after open heart surgery/ your baby they are delivering safely etc. then you will see how hard they work

Answer 9

Because it's HARD WORK and you still need to get schooled and trained for that job. Nurses know alot about medicine, believe it or not.

Answer 10

There is nothing on earth stopping guys from going into nursing to get the "big bucks" but they don't seem to think they can do the work, so they don't enter the field. So, maybe that is your answer.... no one else wants to do that kind of work and there is a major shortage in the field and it's growing.

Answer 11

Jampetpa: jobs are based on productivity A nurse makes the hospital earn, say, 60 an hour, so doesn't matter how much she studied (sigh, a nurse), they cannot pay her more than 20 or 30 the hour.
Baba yaga: if by moving a finger, you make your "owner" earn money, you deserve a pay. And Doctors have the responsibility if a patient dies, or lives. Nurses, like you say, just bath the patient (and feed them and replace the bandages), check their vital signs, and report them to the doctor.
You may have a point there. But the patient's life are in the doctor's hands. That's why when somebody dies, the doctor gets the blame, for example.