For more than four decades, Jeanne worked as an operating room nurse at a public hospital in the Doubs region, France. Now, retired at 63, she decided to share what her life and pension are like after a long career dedicated to the public health service, marked by responsibility, constant pressure and irregular hours.
The retiree explains that her pension is around 2,000 euros per month, around 800 euros less than the last net salary she received before retirement. “My current pension is around 2,000 euros per month, a reasonable amount, but which represents 800 euros less than my last salary”, he stated. “I was surprised, because many of the supplements I received did not count towards the retirement calculation.”
Jeanne managed to retire at 62 years and 3 months, a relatively young age in the French context, thanks to the fact that she started working at age 20. With 169 quarters of accumulated deductions, he was entitled to a full pension, according to the rules of the French system, which differs from the Portuguese one.
A life between the operating room and exhaustion
According to the Spanish portal Noticias Trabajo, his entire career was spent in the public sector. She started as a general nurse and later specialized as an instrumentalist nurse (IBODE), a highly technical and demanding role. He participated in thousands of surgeries and experienced the evolution of hospital methods up close, always with great dedication to patients.
Despite being proud of her profession, Jeanne recognizes that the last few years have been particularly tough. “In the end, I no longer wanted to work,” she told French newspaper Le Figaro, describing the increasing pressure, lack of staff and unstable schedules that led to her exhaustion. “The vocation continued, but the pace became unsustainable.”
In recent working years, he earned around 3,600 euros gross per month, which corresponded to 2,880 euros net. To this amount were added several bonuses, and, in total, the supplements represented between 400 and 500 additional euros, raising the average net income to around 3,380 euros per month.
The difference between salary and pension
Already retired, the difference between her last salary and the pension amount was a shock. Many of the supplements and bonuses that reinforced the salary are not taken into account when calculating the pension, which caused him to lose around 800 euros per month. “It was truly a shock to realize what was lost. Only then did I realize the real weight of bonuses and how they almost disappear during retirement”, he confessed.
During the years of greater stability, Jeanne and her husband, an administrator in the private sector, took the opportunity to buy a house, travel and support their children. Today, with a pension of around 2,000 euros, he is able to maintain a balanced life, although with less financial margin for luxuries or unforeseen events.
Despite the reduction, he says he is calm. “It’s a good thing I specialized as an operating room nurse. This increased my salary when I needed it most and now allows me to live in some comfort”, she says calmly.
What Jeanne’s case reveals about the system
According to , Jeanne’s story highlights a common problem in several pension schemes: the difference between working income and the retirement value can be substantial, especially when a large part of the salary depends on variable supplements, bonuses or additional work.
Your case also shows the dilemma experienced by many health professionals, long careers, marked by physical and emotional effort, which are not always properly reflected in the final value of the pension. Although the French system guarantees stability, the perception of injustice remains when bonuses disappear from the calculation formula.
In contrast to France, and according to the Portuguese Nurses Union, in Portugal the “Salary Table for 2025” informs that level 18 (lowest position in the nursing career) will be €1,547.83 gross/month and level 42 €2,843.05 gross/month. As in other European countries, the challenge here is to ensure that reforms keep up with the demands and wear and tear of professions with greater social responsibility.
Jeanne’s experience is not exceptional, but it helps to understand how the pension calculation model can significantly affect the standard of living after the end of a career. A lifetime of service does not always translate into a commensurate amount of recognition.
Also read:
