Nurses Quitting Their Jobs in Texas to join McDonald’s and Wendy”s

Fast food establishments in the state of Texas are perhaps paying more money than the average nurse can expect to make in a nursing home. Employees at fast food establishments all over the country continue to be on strike in favor of higher wages, yet in Texas some healthcare supporters are indicating that the fast food industry pay more than nursing. It is this wage gap that is driving nurses out of the profession straight into the drive-thru window.

According to the Dallas News, Texas has one of the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the country and it is the reason for low pay at nursing homes. It is indicated that 85 percent of Texans who are residents of nursing homes are enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare. A 2013 report indicates that the annual turnover among the stat's registered nurses employed by nursing homes is around 94 percent, leading to higher training costs and a rather unstable medical care workforce for the state's aging population.