With the American Nurses Association (ANA) saying it wants to increase salaries for nursing staff, some nurses are taking a wait-and-see approach on the topic.
While many nurses are pushing for a $10 an hour increase, some say they’re looking for a lower salary and more flexibility.
According to the Nursing Professionals Federation of America (NPA), the average nurse salary is $48,719.
That means that the average salary of a nurse on the job in 2018 was about $5,700, according to NPA’s National Nurses United survey.
NPA has also stated that the salary should be around $40,000.
But some nurses say they need to be at least a little bit more flexible with their pay to be able to afford to work.
Nursing and allied health professionals have long been asked if they’re willing to accept lower salaries.
NVA said in an e-mail that “we are working on this issue in an effort to provide our members with the necessary flexibility to work the best jobs they can and meet their professional obligations.”
“The most important thing is that you have the right person at the right place at the correct time,” said Nancy Gosset, a nurse with 20 years of experience who also is a spokesperson for the union.
“Nurses are professionals, and they should be paid the salary they are paid,” Gossets co-founder of the Nurse’s Network, Linda DeSoto, said.
“But we also want to be compensated fairly.”
The National Nursers United survey of nurses, social workers, physician assistants, and other healthcare workers also found that the majority of nurses believe the pay disparity is due to “job demands,” not pay.
In response to a question about the lack of salary increases for nurses, 77 percent of respondents said they agreed.
Nina Pizzey, a social worker and nurse who was hired in 2015, said she was also frustrated with her pay.
“I think it’s frustrating to see nurses who have done a really good job for so long not getting any pay increases at all,” Pizzey said.
“In some cases, they get promotions but they are getting a lot of time off from work, which is really stressful for them,” she added.
Nurse advocate, Dr. Sarah Miller, said that while it’s important for nurses to get more raises, they should also have the ability to take time off for family reasons.
“It is a very common misconception that nurses have to be flexible in order to have the pay they deserve,” Miller said.