When I read the column by Camille Zhou regarding teachers salaries, I was a little offended by her direct comparison of a beginning teachers salary ($30,377) to a beginning RN salary ($45,570). This is a very unfair comparison.

First, when an RN graduates, they can pretty much forget about working dayshift. Many end up working graveyard shift as that is what is available. They also can plan on working every other weekend for the rest of their careers.

Second, it takes an RN a full year to accumulate two weeks worth of vacation time. A teacher, however, will have Thanksgiving/plus Friday, 1 1/2 weeks off at Christmas, four additional days off for mid-winter break, one week off for Spring break, and two months off in the summer, plus all their holidays off automatically. The RN can plan on working all year and almost all the holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Third, RN’s, like teachers, have the need to keep up with additional education and many go on for their Masters degree. However, they have to find ways to do this while they are still holding down their jobs – there is no summer break every year in which to get it done.

If a beginning RN makes more than a beginning teacher, it’s because they have worked for it.

Angela Lewis, RN