The USA is experiencing a critical shortage of nurses. This is largelybdue to the huge strain placed on nurses and the healthcare system particularly during the pandemic.
The current shortage of nurses was predicted as far back as 2020 and there a factors beyond the pandemic that influence it.
Nurses in the USA are on less wages compared to their counterparts in Canada. Qualified nurses in certain states in the USA make as low as $18 per hour.
In 2020 the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average annual salary for Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) is $50,090 per year. This works out at $24.08 per hour.
Only the top 10% of LPN and LVN nurses earn more than $65,000 per year, or $31.50 per hour.
The earnings in different states varies greatly too. The highest earners are found in Alaska where the average annual pay is $67,620 ($32.51 per hour). In West Virginia that average figure drops to $38,940, little more than half that of their Alaskan counterparts, for an average hourly rate of $18.72.
Typical salaries also vary depending between different types of nursing jobs. A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) gets paid $32,050 per year on average ($15.41 per hour). If you get an associate degree in nursing or bachelor of science in nursing then you can become a registered nurse, who earn $80,010 on average ($38.47 per hour)
Engineers on the other hand can make around $120,000 annually while doctors earn $180,000.