Tariffs don’t just hit the news. They show up on your gas receipt, your grocery bill and maybe even your patient load at work. In April 2025, I made a video on how Trump’s tariffs could hit nurses and patients.
This was first written in April 2025. Tariff rates and trade rules have changed since then, so check the latest news.
Why tariffs matter to nurses
You’ve heard the word tariffs a lot in your life. In April 2025, you heard it more than ever.
What started as a trade war was showing up on gas receipts and grocery bills. At the time, Trump was planning to raise tariffs on China to over 245%.
This is not about taking political sides. It’s about your paycheck, your overtime and your patients.
What I cover in the video
- Why your 401k and investments took a hard dip.
- How tariff hikes could push hospitals to cut staff and raise prices.
- Why more patients may end up in the ER, sicker and harder to care for.
- What China’s ban on rare-earth minerals means for your equipment, delays and burnout.
- How you’ll feel it, even if you don’t think tariffs apply to you.
Get ready before it hits
If you don’t prepare, a hit like this can leave a mark on your money that is hard to recover from.
To see how we got our own money in order, read how we paid off $128K of debt. If you want to build a bigger buffer for the long run, read why nurses need to learn about FIRE.
Your next move
See what you’d take home, then make the move
Map My Pay shows what nurses take home after taxes and rent at 465+ hospitals and in 21,000+ cities. It’s the app I co-founded so you can compare cities before you pack a single box.
The Nurses to Riches Accelerator is the plan Monica and I used to go from $37 an hour in New York to $143 an hour in California: license, city, hospital, and what to do with the money after.
Get the Map My Pay app See the Accelerator plans
Every Accelerator plan is a one-time payment with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Written by Jason, RN. I went from $37 an hour in New York to $143 an hour in California and paid off $128K of debt in under a year. I share our numbers in the Nurses to Riches newsletter and on YouTube.