Throughout the history of the United States, in all professions, men have earned more money than women given the same position. One would think that within the nursing profession, where the work is the same, regardless of the gender, this would not be the case. But it is. The U.S. Census Bureau has been tracking this phenomenon for years in nursing and has found some interesting trends. It is true that male nurses make more than female nurses. It was originally believed that the reason for this discrepancy was that men chose to pursue higher paying careers such as anesthesia, specialty positions or private practice as nurse practitioners. That seems to make sense but when we look into the various categories it is interesting to see that men within the categories still make more money than women for the same role. The salaries are as follows: Registered nurses that are women make 93 cents on the dollar to their male counterparts whereby female CRNAs make 89 cents on the dollar and female nurse practitioners are only at 87 cents on the dollar.
To understand this issue we need to look to other sources as to why male nurses are monetarily valued higher than women. Some of it can be explained away by culture since men have been thought of as the bread winners of the family in the past but, this is clearly not the case any longer. There are far more women led households and single moms that need the same level of income as their male counterparts.
Kate White, an author that focuses on career advice and what women need to know to get ahead, wrote the Business Week’s Bestseller ‘Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do’. I truly think that this problem with inequity in salaries can be countered by us as females realizing that there are components of our characters that we can adjust to compete with the guys. We have a tendency to be passive and take what is given to us rather than to negotiate. Here is what we need to do:
- Do your research and know your market.
Salaries for nurses across the country are all different and based on market need, cost of living and competition for nurses in a given demographic region. First of all, know your market. Make calls to all the hospitals and healthcare centers you want to look into and find out what the minimum and maximum of the salary range is. For instance, the salaries in California are high but so is the cost of living so they adjust up. This gives you a starting point from where you should think about negotiating. - Realize your worth.
Realize that the more experience you bring to your job the more worth you will provide to the nursing organization who now has someone who can basically “hit the ground running” after orientation. Take that into consideration when you are talking about salary. - First impressions are the most important.
When interviewing for a nursing job always wear a suit! I have interviewed candidates for jobs for over 38 years and regardless of what we think about first impressions, they count. Regardless of who we are we are, we are going to judge people based on our experiences and our personal values. It is not right or wrong, it’s just the way it is. Dress for success and be on time. - Enter the room as if you own it.
You are a nurse! You are experienced and knowledgeable and have a gift that not many people in the world have. Show a level of confidence when you walk in the room. Be engaging, relaxed and conversational. Don’t panic in the nursing interview; just be yourself. Confident people can just be themselves. When I coach executives I tell them to be themselves and their true value and beauty will shine through. - Ask for what you want.
Once you have done your market research and know what is available to you, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. I used to get so frustrated with my husband when I would get home from work and he was watching TV and I was doing dishes and working around the house. One day I decided to ask him to help and something magical happened, he helped! People can’t read your mind so be honest and ask for the salary you want based on your value to the organization. - Relentless self-promotion.
This is incredibly hard for me and for most nurses because we are givers, not takers. A great mentor of mine told me that when we learn the art of relentless self-promotion, doors will start to open for us. Now this doesn’t mean that you are going to run around talking about how great you are, but rather know your fine points that make you a good nurse and talk about them. You have so much to offer and you oftentimes take yourself for granted. - Don’t be afraid to negotiate.
One thing we, as nurses, don’t seem to be comfortable with is conflict. Negotiation is not conflict but we perceive it as such. If you have what the organization needs, you have leverage. Don’t be afraid to negotiate regardless of the nursing position you are applying for.