Nurse earns over $315,000 by working overtime

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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Nurse earns over $315,000 by working overtime

MONTREAL — A part-time nurse at a Montreal hospital has earned over $315,000 in the past year through overtime and bonuses, raising questions about workloads, staffing and hospital spending priorities.
The nurse at Jean-Talon hospital made $315,284.18 in the 2011-12 fiscal year, QMI Agency has learned.
That's nearly twice the salary of her hospital's CEO and considerably more than Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, who makes $177,000 a year.
The nurse's base salary is $73,391.30, but she made nearly $155,000 in overtime plus almost $87,000 in bonuses and benefits.
Quebec's main health-care workers' union said the hours are outrageous.
"It's not possible, I'm concerned about the health of that person," said FIQ president Regine Laurent.
The nurse and her bosses refused to grant interviews to QMI Agency. The head of the Jean-Talon hospital nurses' union said the overtime pay works out to 16-hour days.
The hospital said it has little choice but to pay out overtime since 40 nursing positions are currently unfilled.
"We have an obligation to provide continuing care. We can't close beds," said spokeswoman Sylvie Lantier.
Quebec's second highest paid nurse works at the same hospital and earned $224,544.62 last year.
Health-care unions have suggested patient care could be compromised by fatigued nurses who work long hours.
The province has also engaged in questionable spending to fill vacant nursing positions.
More than $1 million in taxpayers' money was paid out from 2010 to 2012 to lure foreign nurses to Quebec, while nearly half of existing nurses work only part time.


Nurse earns over $315,000 by working overtime | Home | Toronto Sun


I would hate like hell to be the patient on the receiving end of her 80 hour week!8O
 

captain morgan

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Mar 28, 2009
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Not uncommon to see senior nurses in the bigger hospitals sign-on as 'part time' knowing full well that they will be called upon for additional hours that get assessed as OT right off the hop... This has been well documented here in AB.

Interestingly, the health authority has suggested that P/T nursing staff lose their seniority privileges along with the full bennie package.

You can imagine how upset the nurses union was at that proposal
 

Zipperfish

House Member
Apr 12, 2013
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1. They could always hire more nurses, thus obviatring the need for so much overtime.

2. This seems like a statistical outlier.

3. Government line staff shouldn't be making bonuses
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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Not uncommon to see senior nurses in the bigger hospitals sign-on as 'part time' knowing full well that they will be called upon for additional hours that get assessed as OT right off the hop... This has been well documented here in AB.

Interestingly, the health authority has suggested that P/T nursing staff lose their seniority privileges along with the full bennie package.

You can imagine how upset the nurses union was at that proposal

Union or no, these are tax dollars that are being paid out. While the OP is obviously an extreme example, I can't believe we're getting the same kind of actual care out of one person working those kind of hours as we would 2 or 2 1/2. They should be eliminating part time positions and making them all full time is what they should be doing.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
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Union or no, these are tax dollars that are being paid out. While the OP is obviously an extreme example, I can't believe we're getting the same kind of actual care out of one person working those kind of hours as we would 2 or 2 1/2. They should be eliminating part time positions and making them all full time is what they should be doing.

I think that there are a lot more moving parts to this scenario that makes it a more complicated analysis.

From a simple economics perspective, the hospital understands that they are better-off financially (let alone in terms of quality patient care) to hire up to 3 more F/T nurses to accommodate the workload that this one individual accumulated in wages expense... I won't believe that this is the hospital's error as it makes so much sense on so many levels to just hire more people.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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I think that there are a lot more moving parts to this scenario that makes it a more complicated analysis.

From a simple economics perspective, the hospital understands that they are better-off financially (let alone in terms of quality patient care) to hire up to 3 more F/T nurses to accommodate the workload that this one individual accumulated in wages expense... I won't believe that this is the hospital's error as it makes so much sense on so many levels to just hire more people.

I think healthcare is run very bureaucratically though, so I can completely see it on that level. I mean, doesn't this reek of "government logic"?
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
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I think healthcare is run very bureaucratically though, so I can completely see it on that level. I mean, doesn't this reek of "government logic"?

It sure does.. That and a couple of other factors like 'strict policy' that is ineffective enough to allow for such stupidity.

From what I heard of in the AB situation, the existing bureaucratic stupidity is compounded by remarkably complicated union contracts that add even more ineffectiveness to the entire circus.

It's so far beyond broken that is borders on retarded.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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Personally, I don't begrudge this woman. She's pulling the OT, and she went to school to get the education. The Provinces and the Feds have made major cuts to medicare and by closing hospitals and laying off full time staff they have created shortages that warrant overtime.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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Personally, I don't begrudge this woman. She's pulling the OT, and she went to school to get the education. The Provinces and the Feds have made major cuts to medicare and by closing hospitals and laying off full time staff they have created shortages that warrant overtime.

It's not so much about begrudging this woman, at least it's not for me, as it is about the ineffective use of healthcare dollars coupled with what has to be diminished care, possibly dangerously so, from someone that overworked. The kind of time she has to be putting in even at double time, has to be exhausting. I certainly don't want someone caring for me or my loved ones who's putting in those kind of hours.

Seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen.
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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Personally, I don't begrudge this woman. She's pulling the OT, and she went to school to get the education. The Provinces and the Feds have made major cuts to medicare and by closing hospitals and laying off full time staff they have created shortages that warrant overtime.
You nailed it.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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It's not so much about begrudging this woman, at least it's not for me, as it is about the ineffective use of healthcare dollars coupled with what has to be diminished care, possibly dangerously so, from someone that overworked. The kind of time she has to be putting in even at double time, has to be exhausting. I certainly don't want someone caring for me or my loved ones who's putting in those kind of hours.

Seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Talk to your MPP and MP. And if you get a straight answer let me know what kind of firearm you used to get it. :)
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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London, Ontario
Talk to your MPP and MP. And if you get a straight answer let me know what kind of firearm you used to get it. :)

A straight answer. From a politician???? What kind of freaking impossible quest are you trying to send me on?8O

Couldn't I just climb the mountain and throw the ring into the volcano instead?
 

Goober

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Jan 23, 2009
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A straight answer. From a politician???? What kind of freaking impossible quest are you trying to send me on?8O

Couldn't I just climb the mountain and throw the ring into the volcano instead?

He fell today- And he writes horror stories- imagine the quest he asked one to go on.

No they don't. Give you head a shake.

I shook, i rattled it, i gave it a twist- Did not hear anything- Did you send a message. My connection must be down.:smile::lol::lol:

A straight answer. From a politician???? What kind of freaking impossible quest are you trying to send me on?8O

Couldn't I just climb the mountain and throw the ring into the volcano instead?

Virgins only. But I know how to take care of that little problem.........
 

L Gilbert

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the-brights.net
Nurse earns over $315,000 by working overtime

MONTREAL — A part-time nurse at a Montreal hospital has earned over $315,000 in the past year through overtime and bonuses, raising questions about workloads, staffing and hospital spending priorities.
The nurse at Jean-Talon hospital made $315,284.18 in the 2011-12 fiscal year, QMI Agency has learned.
That's nearly twice the salary of her hospital's CEO and considerably more than Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, who makes $177,000 a year.
The nurse's base salary is $73,391.30, but she made nearly $155,000 in overtime plus almost $87,000 in bonuses and benefits.
Quebec's main health-care workers' union said the hours are outrageous.
"It's not possible, I'm concerned about the health of that person," said FIQ president Regine Laurent.
The nurse and her bosses refused to grant interviews to QMI Agency. The head of the Jean-Talon hospital nurses' union said the overtime pay works out to 16-hour days.
The hospital said it has little choice but to pay out overtime since 40 nursing positions are currently unfilled.
"We have an obligation to provide continuing care. We can't close beds," said spokeswoman Sylvie Lantier.
Quebec's second highest paid nurse works at the same hospital and earned $224,544.62 last year.
Health-care unions have suggested patient care could be compromised by fatigued nurses who work long hours.
The province has also engaged in questionable spending to fill vacant nursing positions.
More than $1 million in taxpayers' money was paid out from 2010 to 2012 to lure foreign nurses to Quebec, while nearly half of existing nurses work only part time.


Nurse earns over $315,000 by working overtime | Home | Toronto Sun


I would hate like hell to be the patient on the receiving end of her 80 hour week!8O
I wonder how that would balance out if she were full-time and receiving benefits.I think the doughheads should just up full-time wages a bit and hire more nurses.