Why aren't nurses paid more?

I always hear that there is a shortage of nurses, x number of nurses needed by 2020, etc... but the jobs that are out there now for nurses really have not increased in salary in comparison with the demand. For example, pharmacist salaries skyrocketed in the last 10 years, because there was so much demand. But why is that not happening in nursing?

The reason that nurses aren't paid well is because their services are lumped into the fee for the hospital room. If they could itemize what they did, it would show their value and they would get raises appropriate to their actual job description. As long as they insist on putting the nursing "fee" in with the room fee, nurses will never be paid what they deserve to be paid.

well its all because nurses get the shaft in the health care system, long hours, abusive patients, abusive doctors. Nurses are often left holding the blame when doctors fail, and often have to cover up the doctors errors and omissions.

My mother in law is a nurse and when my wife was a teenager told her she'd pay her way through any program in college as long as it was not nursing.

The other challenge here in Ontario, Canada there are no permanent full-time positions for nurses. Everyone only wants part-time staff so they don't have to pay benefits.

they aren't paid more for the same reason the Army, Fire department and prison service arent paid enough-the government

It's the nature of our society to value what we need the most less than what we desire the most.

Teachers, nurses, police officers, firemen all haunt the bottom rungs of the salary ladder while athletes, musicians and actors command top salaries. It's obvious that society would break down without teachers, nurses etc., but for some reason we don't want to pay them what they're truly worth.

Another side to that, is that most people are extremely unwilling to pay for their health care and coupled with the uninsured and those on medicare (with horrible reimbursement); NO ONE in health care gets paid what they are really worth. It amazes me that people will waltz into a store and pay $500 for a purse but start arguing with you over the cost of their sutures (I have people who even refuse to pay because "nothing turned out to be wrong" with them). Hard to pay salaries with that. Would you pay a nurse 100$/hour to take care of you? Not many would. Health care is really a mess in the US--so sad.

Depends on where you work. In some cities, such as San Francisco, you will get paid very, very well! (Versus Sand Diego, were nurses are non-union and get paid less)

California Nurses Association has helped to negotiate many healthy contracts. In addition to pay, there are limits nurse/patient ratio.

it probably will yet, it just hasnt happened yet. plus with all the CNAs and LPNs and stuff the blow is softened