Re: Unfair pay

Sal the 1st — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:08:13 GMT

this causes so much unhappiness in practice. Would agree with remarks from previous poster. This has certainly caused me grief over the years both on a personal level and also as a hvn trying to keep the peace when a staff meltdown is threatened. ( I am glad I dont have to worry about that anymore!)

Its hard to do but sometimes you just have to accept that different jobs command a different wage and may require different skills and that the wage doesnt always reflect your value to the practice.

I have found that its best not to bother about what everybody else gets.

Would you have been happy with your wage had you not found out what the receptionist was earning?

Re: Unfair pay

Tracy Windler RVN — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 12:34:41 GMT

Hi,

I really feel for you KittyJo, its so demoralising to find that people you have worked hard for appear to value your services less than you expected. When I was a SVN, I had worked there for over a year and a half and was on £4.50 per hour. They took on another "trainee" nurse, who had previously been a dental nurse on £6 per hour, so they matched her wage!! It felt like such a kick in the face. I understand their reasons for doing this, but they didn't understand how it made me feel.

What I will say, is that, unfortunately, good Veterinary receptionist are hard to come by and get paid quite well. Many practices pay them more than qualified nurse and if they were to then pay ALL the nurses more than the receptionist, it would cost a heck of a lot.

Also, is there no chance you can become an SVN? As, the way it is heading now, non-qualifieds, although very good at their jobs, are going to be less and less employable outside of their original practice. Before I get a tirade of abuse about this, I use the "Job sections" on here and in Vet Times as basis for this, as when I started nursing, the majority of jobs advertised for Qual OR experienced nurses. How many of these do you see these days? Very few.

I think your last point, that you feel you need clarification on your role would be a good starting point without getting you boss's back up and making it seem like it isn't just about the money (as we all know its not!!).

Good luck x