Most nurses admit they didn’t choose nursing because of the astronomically high paychecks. Sure, nursing can be a relatively well-paid career. Still, plenty of other professions are significantly more financially rewarding (and free of the challenges that nurses face daily). So, what if nurses were paid a lot more in exchange for saving—and otherwise improving—the lives of a grateful public?
Multimillion Dollar Players
We all know that entertainers and athletes make a lot of money, whether it’s deserved or not. NFL players sign multimillion-dollar contracts in return for throwing and catching a ball (and, admittedly, running a lot), and singers and entertainers rake in millions in exchange for strumming their guitars, singing, dancing, and cavorting on stage and in music videos. Meanwhile, we all know that actors also make multimillions, and let’s not forget those lucrative product endorsements.
Don’t get me wrong—sports and the arts contribute greatly to the fabric of societies worldwide, and many individuals could honestly say that a song or movie saved their lives (literally or figuratively).
While I’ve never followed sports, many fans would likely share that the joy of watching a very exciting game allows them to forget their troubles for a few hours, transporting them to a blissful realm of communal celebration.
If those who entertain and thrill us earn millions per year, why do so-called “angels of mercy” or “lifesavers” frequently struggle to make ends meet, put food on the table, and repay their student loans?
How Do We Measure Value?
Granted, we place a very high value on entertainment and sports, and I, like millions of others, flock to the movies, download music, stream movies, and otherwise support the careers of artists, actors, musicians, and others we admire. While I can’t say that David Bowie’s music has truly saved my life, his music is a part of my personal soundtrack, and its value is difficult to measure.
Do nurses deserve to earn more? Absolutely. However, can our healthcare system afford to provide multimillion-dollar contracts to every nurse? Most of us would agree that doing so could cripple the system overnight. Still, the question remains: do we value certain services and professions enough to ensure they are compensated appropriately? Likely not.
Cognitive Dissonance
This modest article isn’t written to provide answers to the questions it raises, but they are still worth asking.
Of course, when tens of thousands of people pay several hundred dollars each to watch Mick Jagger strut on stage in some massive arena, the Stones’ individual and collective wealth will mushroom as the fans scream for more.
I don’t begrudge Mick or his bandmates their wealth, but I also wonder why an ER nurse who plunges her gloved hand into the gaping wound of a patient to stop a life-threatening hemorrhage doesn’t earn more. And if that nurse was saving the life of Mr. Jagger, for instance, does that make her actions more valuable than if she were holding the severed femoral artery of a carpenter, hairdresser, or homeless person?
This is where I experience cognitive dissonance. I still have no answer to the question of why that disparity of income truly exists and what can be done about it, if anything.
I Have No Answers
Honestly, I have no answers, but I have many questions.
The communal experience of a Rolling Stones concert (which I’ve never had the pleasure to attend, mind you) could indeed give a concertgoer such transcendent pleasure that her emotional wounds of the day could very well be relieved for a brief time as she falls under the Stones’ well-rehearsed magical spell. The reverberations of that experience could also positively impact her well-being for days or weeks to come.
Now, if that same individual was in a car accident, and a nurse or paramedic was able to reverse her flatline and bring her back from the brink of death, is that experience more important or life-changing than the Rolling Stones concert? It probably is. Still, the earning potential of that nurse or paramedic would not generally be impacted by having saved that life. At the same time, the aforementioned Mick Jagger would settle into his limousine, stopping by the bank to deposit another big fat check. (I’m sure Mick hasn’t set foot in a bank for decades.)
Can this playing field be leveled? I doubt it. Should it? It should be argued. But this is a societal issue in the most significant sense, and the answers are very elusive.
An Endless Conundrum
Sure, nurses will never earn as much as brain surgeons, and that’s okay since brain surgeons receive a great deal more education and training while also carrying astronomical liability for their work.
Nurses will also never earn as much as Mick Jagger, and they certainly won’t receive the adulation that good old Mick gets, even though they’ve held severed arteries in their hands and saved lives galore.
This question of relative value and income is worth considering. Again, I have no answers—only more questions—but conversations about these types of issues are a valuable exercise in measuring and assessing our individual and collective values.
So, the next time a nurse saves your life or the life of a loved one, consider how much that means to you compared to watching Mike Jagger strut and crow like a rooster. A front-row seat to see the Rolling Stones is exhilarating, but so is the sight of a nurse saving the life of the person you love most.
What is valuable, and how do we measure the relative value of those who touch our lives in one way or another? The conundrum remains unanswered, but the puzzle deserves our ongoing attention.
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