The Baltimore Sun ran a long article on the nursing shortage and I had to reply, here it is:

While I sit and read a newspaper article on the nursing shortage, my mind runs in a million different directions. First and foremost is the pride I feel for earning my RN. All of the years of hard work paid off as I can now do what I truly love. The �two year� degree that always haunts Associate RN�s is actually four years. Once you count the two years of prerequisite classes tacked on prior to even beginning the two year nursing program. As I remember my grueling, yet fulfilling education, I begin to ponder the nursing shortage on a far deeper level. Say what they will about mandatory OT, poor staffing ratios, and burnout, the bottom line is money.


Being a dialysis nurse, I�m responsible for every aspect of patient care. Not only do I adjust medications and dry weights, I am the first line of communication for all of my patients. I know almost every aspect of their lives. This involves educating the patients in lifestyle changes such as diet and fluid restrictions and overseeing their general care. Of course, we have dieticians, social workers and doctors available, but as I stated before, I am their main source of communication. When you oversee so many patients and work up to fourteen hours a day on your feet until you are totally exhausted, the paycheck should be enormous. However, when comparing my salary to the nephrologist, I am making less than a fifth of what he makes. There is something greatly wrong with this picture! People are finally beginning to catch on that nurses are unhappy. For the responsibilities and hard work that goes hand in hand with nursing, we don�t get nearly what we�re worth. When will the salary adjustments happen that the profession, the government and the general public think should occur? It�s easy to speculate, but lets see some dough!

Lisab, I hate to make you depressed but your salary is probable more like 1/15(or less) of a nephrologist. An average Neph. in this rural area is making over $800,000.
I was recently given an example of a corporate group that paid the medical directors fee (shared by the group) $750,000 for 250 patients. That just for the Medical Director fee, that doesn't count what is billed for the actual patient care.

Well, that's even more disgusting than I had originally thought! I figured they made about $250,000. OUCH!

I don't see what's so bad about the nurses salary. Don't get me wrong, I would like to have more dough. Wouldn't we all? I wanted to be a nurse to satisfy the desire I had in me to help people, and to make a living. In that order...

Until we face the greed in our own hearts, how can we expect the physicians and corporate people to face the greed in their hearts. Let's not be money grabbers like them.

There is a nursing shortage because the job isn't the idea of glamour that Americans strive for. The realistic expectation of wiping backsides, dropping NG tubes, etc is not appealing to most people. Nursing requires sacrifice and selflessness, something that doesn't come easy to most humans, especially me...however, we can at least strive for greater service to the public and make a decent living.