Health system giant UPMC made a surprising announcement last fall: the starting wage for bedside nurses at its urban hospitals would jump 20% to $52.17 an hour by 2027 for registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree.
That was 43% higher than the average hourly wage for registered nurses in the Pittsburgh area, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and nearly $9 more an hour than nurses were then being paid at competing health systems.
The health system didn’t give reasons for the pay hike, which would have created a significant competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining medical providers at a time when there is a nursing shortage…