The Memphis medical community mirrors the rest of the nation in its nursing population, with women holding 90 percent of nursing positions. But unlike most other cities, where female nurses earn less than their male counterparts, Memphis healthcare organizations apparently follow gender-neutral policies regarding nurses’ pay.
That bucks a national trend uncovered by a report published in March in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which focused on gender inequality in salaries for nurses.
The study, which accumulated data from nearly 300,000 registered nurses during a 25-year period, found that on average male nurses earn about $5,100 per year more than female nurses.
Research was conducted by a team that included professionals from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Yale School of Public Health. The findings were based on data from two surveys: the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, which was discontinued in 2008, and the American Community Survey.
The disparity looms even larger in specialties such as cardiology, where male nurses earn about $6,000 more per year on average than female nurses. And in anesthesiology, where about 40 percent of nurse anesthetists are men, males earn an average of $17,290 more each year than female anesthetists.
The study, which covered 1988-2013, reveals that little has changed in gender pay gaps during the last quarter century.
According to the report, “Fifty years after the Equal Pay Act, the male-female salary has narrowed in many occupations. Yet pay inequality persists for certain occupations, including medicine and nursing. Studies have documented salary differences across clinical settings for diverse cohorts of physicians and higher salaries for male registered nurses.”
Even in areas such as chronic care that typically do not offer the higher pay scales found in anesthesiology and cardiology, pay inequality persists.
According to the study, male nurses managing conditions such as asthma or diabetes are paid on average nearly $4,000 more per year than females.
But while pay disparity between female and male nurses exists nationwide, that isn’t the case in Memphis.
In fact, a survey of the area’s leading healthcare institutions offers a decidedly different view.
At Regional One Health, which employs a total of 582 staff RNs, 514 (88 percent) are female, whereas 68 (12 percent) are male. Pay rates there are based on experience levels and job performance, and while salary figures were not released, a hospital spokesperson said that the average pay for female nurses is “slightly higher” than for male nurses.
However, the earnings difference is not related to gender. The female nurses earn more than their male counterparts because of higher levels of experience, which results in higher average pay.
At Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, which employs 3,686 registered nurses, 92 percent are female. Gender is not a factor in pay, a hospital spokesperson said.
“At Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, we're committed to fair pay for all of our associates. That's why we have a standardized approach for system-wide compensation for nurses based on years of experience and performance,” said Carol Ross-Spang, senior vice president of human resources at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. “We regularly review pay patterns to ensure we're honoring our commitment to fairness. Taking care of our patients and their families is of the utmost importance to us, and our nurses are crucial to our organization’s success."
Similarly, at Baptist Memorial Health Care, female and male nurses are paid on standardized scale based on experience. The organization employs 3,604 nurses, about 10 percent of them male. And while male nurses are in the minority, they are making gains in supervisory positions.
At Baptist, there are 16 males in nursing management positions, including two chief nursing officers, three directors of nursing and 11 nurse managers.
“I’m encouraged that we’re seeing more male nurses in our facilities, and we’re proud that more men are becoming involved in nursing leadership positions,” said Susan Ferguson, interim vice president and chief nursing officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care. “Our pay is competitive and based on experience, with the same criteria for everyone regardless of gender.”
That’s important news for students in Baptist College’s nursing program, which has an enrollment of 526 nursing students, 486 of them female.
In an interview published by The New York Times, American Nurses Association spokesman Peter McMenamin said the study was valuable, but he emphasized that more information is needed to determine why the pay disparity exists.
“The folks who did the study are well qualified and they have lots of data. But my main hesitance in terms of statistics is they have fewer men,” McMenamin said. “You can’t say this is all a statistical fluke. It’s not. But there are different things that could explain some of this challenge.”
Regardless of the factors contributing to the study, some believe that the profession offers dividends unavailable in any other industry. And in the Memphis area, that means equal pay for equal work.
“I love it because it allows me to do something different every day and I know that I’m making a difference in peoples’ lives,” said Margaret Sandidge, a registered nurse who works in the Emergency Room at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville. “I’ve been a nurse for 50 years. I’ve always been paid on my experience and how I do my job. Now that more men are entering the field, I think that’s great. There’s room for everyone.”
At the Loewenberg School of Nursing at the University of Memphis, first-year student Timothy Robison said male students make up about 20 percent of his class. And he’s glad to see more males entering a profession that he believes offers unlimited possibilities.
“Because I already have an undergraduate degree, by the time I finish my studies I’ll have a BSN and I’ll probably go ahead and get my master’s degree,” Robison said. “There are so many avenues you can pursue in nursing, from clinical work to teaching, and there are all kinds of specialties. Nursing offers a career where I can help people, be well compensated for it, and work in any setting I choose. It’s full of opportunities.”
Scott Baker, who retired from the U.S. Air Force after 20 years and then went to school to become a registered nurse, agreed.
“I wanted a career where I could help people, and I knew about the nursing shortage, so I decided to go back to school and become an RN,” said Baker, who works on the Medical Surgical floor at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville. “So far it’s been an amazing experience. I’m fortunate because I work with a great team, and even though men are in the minority, I’ve never experienced any gender discrimination. This is a fantastic career choice.”