English 110 Economic Justice
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Salaries of Those in the Medical Field

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Salaries of Those in the Medical Field Empty Salaries of Those in the Medical Field

Post by natalialistwan Mon Nov 02, 2015 5:38 pm

Being in the medical field requires many years of school, which may lead to high expenses for certain individuals. There are numerous roles to play within the profession, meaning every worker has a different salary. Salaries depend on factors such as location, years of experience, and level of education completed. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage of a higher paying job in the field, for example a physician or surgeon, in the state of New Mexico is $103.06. A registered nurse's average hourly wage is $31.63. Of course, a nurse is not close to making as much as a physician or surgeon, although the individual will still be earning a lot more than a person who is making minimum wage ($8.50 per hour in Albuquerque).
There are many different avenues to pursue a job in the medical field. Whether one decides to apply for a scholarship during the journey can greatly benefit their financial situation. This is why not all employees in the medical field have a lot of debt to pay off. Prior to becoming a doctor, it is crucial for one to realize that it will take years before he or she will start to make a lot of money. It does not come straight away. My goal is to become a doctor, and personally I believe that medical workers are compensated fairly under current conditions.


Last edited by natalialistwan on Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

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Post by AdamMkIV Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:29 pm

If I may question, to which jobs are you comparing your statistics to and saying the compensation is not enough? Also, have average benefits (medical, 401K, tuition reimbursement if you are hired by the hospital) been considered? There are a number of hospitals in the country that will offer incentives for individuals to go to school and even promise to hire them on if they pass. Two primary examples would be my mother and wife.
My mother went to school under an incentive from St. Vincents Medical Center under the promise of half her tuition to be covered and a job waiting if she completed her RN.
My wife was granted the same thing through Yale in 2006 in New Haven Connecticut. These examples are quite common and should be addressed.
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Post by natalialistwan Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:16 pm

I am comparing my statistics to any minimum wage paying job. Basically, I believe that those in the medical field are compensated fairly. For example, an individual in the medical field will be paid by the hour, no matter what they are doing during the shift. An individual who works as a waiter, on the other hand, mainly relies on tips. Considering this, their earnings are based on whether or not the restaurant had a lot of customers during their shift, as well as if they were satisfied with his or her service.
And I completely agree with you about the incentives. The person I e-mailed for the request for information also went through a similar program. She attained her associate degree as an RN with an all expense paid college scholarship.

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Post by KelseyRAyers16 Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:03 pm

natalialistwan wrote:Being in the medical field requires many years of school, which may lead to high expenses for certain individuals. There are numerous roles to play within the profession, meaning every worker has a different salary. Salaries depend on factors such as location, years of experience, and level of education completed. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage of a higher paying job in the field, for example a physician or surgeon, in Albuquerque, New Mexico is $103.06. A registered nurse's average hourly wage is $31.63. Of course, a nurse is not close to making as much as a physician or surgeon, although the individual will still be earning a lot more than a person who is making minimum wage ($8.50 per hour in Albuquerque).
There are many different avenues to pursue a job in the medical field. Whether one decides to apply for a scholarship during the journey can greatly benefit their financial situation. This is why not all employees in the medical field have a lot of debt to pay off. Prior to becoming a doctor, it is crucial for one to realize that it will take years before he or she will start to make a lot of money. It does not come straight away. My goal is to become a doctor, and personally I believe that medical workers are compensated fairly under current conditions.

Hi there Surprised ,
Considering that my topic offers the opposing view point, it is only appropriate that I comment on your post. Yes it is true that the higher level occupations in the medical field (i.e. surgeon, or physician) can entitle you with a lot of income. However, I disagree with the fact that nurses make a high compensation for the work that they do. Compared to the current minimum wage, yes, $31.63, is a huge pay difference. Based off of the expenses spent on medical school, and having to maintain suitable living standards, how is this enough revenue? According to a 2014 article by Steve Ford in NursingTimes.net, “86% of nurses said they did not get paid enough money for the job they do.” With such a high statistic of nurses arguing the fact that they do not get compensated fairly, how can it be said that they earn enough? In my post I argued the most extreme case of unfair compensation in the medical field, being Emergency Medical Technicians. They are only being paid around $13 an hour. Although they may not have the same levels of experience and practice, thirteen an hour is not much considering the job that they do.

Another idea to consider is the inconstancy of pay. This is dependent on where you work, but for this example I am going to use a local Urgent Care facility, where a family member of mine works. On days when there are not enough patients to meet demands of the facility, the work place will census manage enough employees to save funds. Basically, you are going to work, and being told to go home, bringing in no income for the day. You mentioned always getting paid, however this is not always the case. In frequent scenarios like this, I don't believe that health-care professionals are able to fairly earn their pay. One day without pay does make a difference for those already struggling to get by.

Lastly, if you would, please provide me with more information on those scholarships you mentioned. I am interested in what is being offered to those in the medical field. What is the criteria to earn this money, and how will it over all pay off for the expenses of medical school? Possibly consider what might happen if a person does not receive a scholarship. How might this affect them later in life. If an individual becomes dependent on earning a scholarship, and is unable to, is this profession still worth the cost?

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Post by natalialistwan Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:05 pm

Hello Smile
Well, many nurses go to school and study to become one because they are passionate about it. So I would say that no matter how their journey went to get there, they made it and they should feel as if it was worth it. And of course, it would be more beneficial for them if they were paid more, but considering that a nurse can earn around $100.00 in about 3 hours is still quite reasonable. Most other jobs, outside of the medical field, require over double, even triple, that time to make the same money. I know of many nurses who are extremely pleased with their compensation. For example, I mentioned in another post about one of my family friends. She paid her tuition for the LPN program, and now she is working on becoming an RN. Her school is being paid for by the hospital she is employed at. She is also receiving an hourly pay of approximately $30.00. Wages of nurses depend on so many different factors, mainly experience and location.

One must be aware that everything takes time. Let's say, I were to compare this subject to someone who plans on opening up a business. Business owners invest so much money and time when opening it up. They are aware that they are going to work so hard for years before they start earning a lot of money, and this is only if the business is successful. I know that they are two completely different fields, but the point I am trying to make is that no matter what route you choose, if you work hard, you will be rewarded as time goes on.

This website is not allowing me to post external links, although if you search different medical school programs that relate to financial help, you can find a lot of information about it.
Smile

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Post by KelseyRAyers16 Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:18 pm

natalialistwan wrote:Hello Smile
Well, many nurses go to school and study to become one because they are passionate about it. So I would say that no matter how their journey went to get there, they made it and they should feel as if it was worth it. And of course, it would be more beneficial for them if they were paid more, but considering that a nurse can earn around $100.00 in about 3 hours is still quite reasonable. Most other jobs, outside of the medical field, require over double, even triple, that time to make the same money. I know of many nurses who are extremely pleased with their compensation. For example, I mentioned in another post about one of my family friends. She paid her tuition for the LPN program, and now she is working on becoming an RN. Her school is being paid for by the hospital she is employed at. She is also receiving an hourly pay of approximately $30.00. Wages of nurses depend on so many different factors, mainly experience and location.

One must be aware that everything takes time. Let's say, I were to compare this subject to someone who plans on opening up a business. Business owners invest so much money and time when opening it up. They are aware that they are going to work so hard for years before they start earning a lot of money, and this is only if the business is successful. I know that they are two completely different fields, but the point I am trying to make is that no matter what route you choose, if you work hard, you will be rewarded as time goes on.

This website is not allowing me to post external links, although if you search different medical school programs that relate to financial help, you can find a lot of information about it.
Smile

It is good to know that some nurses do feel compensated for their job. Very Happy Like any other job I am simply arguing that the profession perused should be receiving a higher income. It is fair to say however, that although some nurses may feel that they are fairly compensated, a good majority disagree. This is a bit of a hard topic to agree and disagree on, considering there are so many factors that affect a nurses over all income. Basic life amenities, having to provide for themselves and possibly a family, as well as medical school.

Medical school especially, being one of the highest career paths accumulating student debt. According to the UNM nursing page, for just nine credit hours working towards your graduate degree you are paying $5,040.00 as a resident, and  $10,485.00 non resident. After time this obviously leads to a giant pile up of debt. Those who receive scholarships and any other form of money to pay for nursing school are very fortunate. Personally I envy the fact that they can get away with  having a pretty stable and amazing career, with little to no debt. However, like I said, some nurses are unable to find other means of pay, drowning them in a sea of student debt. Shocked

I am still going to stick to my argument that nurses may or may not get a consistent pay. My sisters friend who is an RN is currently working three jobs to support her family. Although she loves her job as a nurse, she is just barley scraping by with that one job. There are times when the facility does not need her, so they census manage as many employees as possible to save the company money. She works just as hard, and has all the credentials as any other nurse within her field of study, yet she makes less. Her job only willing to pay around 1,000 for any further schooling. Although cases like this vary from as you mentioned from location and the individuals level of experience. However, they still should be earning more for their work, nurses needing to focus on saving others lives, and not their economic future. Further supporting why I believe that nurses (along with the rest of the medical field) need to be get compensated better.

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