When Enough is Enough: Why I Refused my Nursing Pay Raise

By: Matt | TheRNMentor.com If you’re like most people, you’re underpaid and underappreciated. Not me. I’m overpaid and over-appreciated. I actually refused my last nursing pay raise. You see, I’m blessed with a reference point that acts as a barometer for my income. Nursing wasn’t my first career choice; I wanted to be a teacher. I graduated with an education degree from Maine. Soon after Maine passed a law requiring at least a $30,000 salary for its teachers. The state gave schools 10 YEARS to comply. Teachers have an incredible responsibility and THEY aren’t overpaid oover-appreciateded.

Average Nursing Pay

Upon receiving my first paycheck as a nurse, my eyes bugged out of my head. For ten years I scraped by on a meager income. As a teacher’s assistant, I earned $11 an hour. As a YMCA program director, I earned $26,000. In nursing school, I waited tables and made roughly $400 per week. Yet, as a new hire in a nurse residency program, I started at $25 per hour. After six months I credentialed as a Level II Clinical RN, and its nursing pay raise bumped me to $27.50. It felt like hitting the jackpot and money was pouring from the sky. I spent a decade learning how to pinch pennies and be savvy with my money, but my income exploded. Nursing pay varies around the country. In the highest paying state, California, the average annual pay is $102,700. In the lowest paying state, South Dakota, the average is $57,000. Sure, there’s a DRAMATIC difference in living expenses between the two states. California nurses make almost double those in South Dakota, but their money doesn’t go as far. Fair market rent in California is enough to make a South Dakota nurse vomit in their mouth. Nationwide, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average pay for a nurse is $70,000, or roughly $33 an hour – before shift differentials. Most nurses earn flat differential rates for working evening, night, and weekend shifts. But, in my current job, it’s based on a percentage of my base rate: 20% for night shifts and 15% for weekend shifts. These are lavish compared to most hospitals. At some point m,y facility will move towards a set rate differential. It’s the low hanging fruit during a budget crisis.

Pay Raises for Nurses

Nurses start with reasonable pay and only make incremental gains. One of my frustrations in the nursing is that loyalty isn’t rewarded. At times, our hospital didn’t give raises to any nurse. I’ve learned to appreciate any raise, even when I nail my annual nursing performance evaluation. . A previous coworker started as a new graduate and worked for a handful of years. Each year she received small pay increases, until her pay didn’t reflect her experience. She left the hospital for a single 13 week travel nurse contract. Upon her return, she commanded a HUGE pay increase. She entered the system again based on her ACTUAL years of experience. We already established that pay varies wildly by state. So can only make these comparisons if someone returns to their previous employer. Fortunately, my hospital made a couple of market adjustments in the last few years. They allow the hospital to proactively solve the issue of inadequate pay for experienced staff. They look at hospitals in the area, gauge what they pay their nurses, then adjust to its staff. It keeps nurses from jumping ship to boost their salary.

Hedonistic Adaptation

So, if you’re like most people, you feel like you’re underpaid. Who in the world ever feels like they’re ever paid enough? Well, I do. I’m satisfied with my pay because I appreciate the impact of hedonistic adaptation. If you aren’t familiar, it’s the psychological tendency to gravitate back to a baseline level of happiness after a change. For example, you fall in love with a new person. This person is AMAZING**!**. You’re on cloud nine, thinking every love song on the radio speaks to you, and even their farts smell like roses.

[caption id="attachment_1287" align="aligncenter" width="313"] Their farts smell extra rosey tonight![/caption]

But what happens over time? You get frustrated when they leave the toilet seat up, can’t stand their verbal tics, and wish they’d just look at you when you walk through the door.

Classic Example of Hedonistic Adaptation

Hedonistic adaptation was the subject of a classic research study in psychology. They looked at the happiness levels of people who recently won the lottery and those who were left paralyzed after a traumatic accident. They found that the accident victims **derived more happiness** from everyday tasks than did the lottery winners. Experts believe that people have a baseline happiness level. When you win the lottery, you’re going to have a great time making it rain, buying bottles of Cristal for all your BFFs, buying a private island, or whatever. No one’s going to argue that this isn’t crazy fun, but over time, your happiness level will trend back toward the baseline. Likewise, it sucks to get t-boned in an intersection and discover you can’t walk again. It’s _undoubtedly terrible, _but they adapt. These victims return to their baseline level of happiness as well. The surprising finding is that the overall happiness levels between these two groups aren’t dramatically different.

Relationship Between Pay and Happiness

Well, now you know that due to hedonistic adaptation, a huge nursing pay raise will have you skipping down the hallways and wanting to kiss your CNO, but it won’t last. You will eventually trend back to your baseline happiness. Over time, you will once again feel underpaid and the skipping stops. Whats more, it’s likely your finances won’t improve. Why? Most people are victims of lifestyle creep. When you learn of a pending raise, most people spend it before it reaches their bank account. You feel you deserve that nicer car, or to eat out more often, or buy a home that looks a bit closer to the ones you see on HGTV.

Ideal Income for Happiness

Nature Human Behavior published a paper using a sample of 1.7 million people from the Gallup World Poll, and found the ideal income for emotional well-being is between $60,000 – $75,000. This was the sweet spot for experiencing “daily positive emotions”. Before you jump down my throat and shout, “I live in California! That income won’t pay my rent!” They also made a cost of living adjustment for different regions of the country. Don’t think that’s enough money? Well, you can measure happiness in different ways. This is the sweet spot for “daily positive emotions”. If you make this income, making more won’t increase your daily experiences of joy. However, making upwards of $95,000 will improve a broader sense of happiness. This income level helps you feel like you’re kicking ass and taking names, and if you want to, keep up with the Joneses. BUT, making more than that won’t make you happier. Why? My man, The Notorious B.I.G. once told me, “Mo Money, Mo Problems”. Should you make more, you’ll likely to spend more. You start comparing yourself to the rich AND theüber rich. Since you bought a new home in that exclusive neighborhood, your neighbors are driving BMW’s instead of Toyota’s. You have plenty of money, but you compare yourself to different people. Like I said earlier, your reference points are an important indicator of your happiness.

Chasing a Nursing Pay Raise

Today, my base pay is within the margins for daily positive emotions. Do I want more? When our second child was born, my wife decided to drop to per Diem. We knew our income would cut in half (she’s a nurse too). That started me down the rabbit hole of graduate school. Soon I found myself in Great Graduate School Debate. I looked at two career paths, nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesiologist. I ran the numbers and calculated the return on investment. I’d have to HUGE lifestyle change to dive into such rigorous programs, right when my children are most vulnerable and benefit the most from parental involvement. Would it be worth it? If I’m only seeking daily positive emotions, no. If I’m considering graduate school to make more money, no. However, if graduate school develops a skill set and a career I wish to pursue, absolutely. Recently, I spoke with a nurse who applied for a management job because they wanted a fatter paycheck. Did they want to be a manager? No. They despised every part of management. They felt no passion for learning to lead, and were only moderately interested in the 9-5 Monday through Friday schedule. Is that a manager you want to work for?

Why I Refused my Nursing Pay Raise

Recently, I received a 10% increase in base pay. You can imagine that this offer excited my colleagues. That’s a HUGE pay raise for a nurse. Did I care? Not one bit. Sure, I was grateful, but my income is enough so pay raises don’t motivate me. I strive to be the best bedside nurse I can, because a growth mindset drives me. I’ll find three takeaways from my nursing performance evaluation, but I don’t even care to make annual goals. My foot is always on the accelerator. So what motivates me? Flexibility. In part, I became a nurse because of the lifestyle it gave me. Since my wife will soon only work twice a month, flexibility is something I’m gaining. However, I want more.

[caption id="attachment_1291" align="aligncenter" width="305"] I want more flexibility![/caption]

So I went to my manager and made a proposal. I told her I wanted to refuse the pay raise in exchange for one fewer weekend shift each month. She laughed, then shot me down. It was worth a try.

Conclusion

Of all the motivations that can drive you, don’t let money be one of them. After taking a fast pass into the middle class, I resuscitated my finances by following the ABCs, used financial triage to align my financial priorities, and now live off 50% of my personal income. These steps bought me freedom, the freedom to work on my terms. Even after my attempt to refuse a pay raise, I still fall victim to a compulsive desire to earn more. If I’m genuinely happy, why did I fall down the grad school rabbit hole in the first place? Why rock the boat? It’s a question I still struggle to answer. Whether we fall within the range for optimal happiness or not, you’ll lead a more joyful life when your decisions are congruent with your values and motivations – not chasing a pay raise. Marianne Williamson wrote, “as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.” Take the time to reflect on your values, goals, and motivations. Live by them and shine on. Republished with the permission of TheRNMentor.com.