Nurses are vital to having a stable and well-working healthcare system.
However, the salary of nurses does not reflect what they do for our country. A nurse
is one of the most underpaid professions in Canada. Why is that? Even though they
work 24/7 to care for people in need, they aren’t getting the salary they deserve.
Throughout the pandemic, it has become evident how nurses play a crucial role in
our society. Without them helping us in this global issue, the outcome would’ve
been tremendously worse. I propose that we give nurses a salary that truly reflects
what they do for us and the healthcare system.
The average salary for a registered nurse is about $80k a year. You may be
thinking that this is a reasonable salary compared to other careers, although this
salary does not compensate for all the tasks and costs it takes to be a nurse. The
majority of nurses usually work more than 12 hours shifts daily. Due to the fact that
they work 12+ hours a day, it will likely result in an unhealthy and defective sleep
schedule. Even on their day off, they sometimes go into work with short notice. They
also get little to no vacation days. This salary also does not recompense for the time
and money it took to become a registered nurse. They have to go through an
additional 2-4 years to become a nurse. That kind of education costs thousands of
dollars. Usually, people who aspire to become nurses have to get loans to do so.
Meaning this will likely result in years of unwanted debt. Overall, this salary does not
live up to the needs of a working nurse.
Without nurses, we would have a crumbling healthcare system. They are the
first act of defence when it comes to fighting certain diseases and viruses. Especially
now, due to COVID 19, nurses are working harder than ever to help solve this
pandemic. About 16 nurses in Canada have given up their life for nursing and have
lost their life due to COVID 19. To show our respect for our fallen nurses, we should
give a salary that covers all the needs and costs for our nurses. We should show
nurses how much they mean to us and our society through the treatment and pay
we give them.