[sweetface18]

okay, now maybe i'm just young and naive, but could someone please fill me in on why it seems that nurses are being singled out from all the other healthcare professions of being overwork and underpaid? I recently got accpeted into nursing school for the fall and thats when i found this site. after reading numerous posts, im starting to get worried.

it seems that the pay is really low (low $20s) and the hours is hectic. Now, i really love to help people and wanted to become a nurse because i would love to make a difference and its rewarding in that way. however, i would love to buy a house one day and start a family, and i certainly don't want to have a college degree and be struggling. how is it that pharmacists can make about $50 an hour and rad techs start off at about $30 an hour and their job seems to me to be less hectic (i am def. not saying that their jobs aren't important). it seems to be that nurses pay is equivalent to someone who doesn't even go to college (post office worker, truck driver) i just think that nurses work hard, they are in stressful environments, and hey to get a bsn you need about 5 years of school.

i looked up diff sites such as salary.com, and it reports that nurses make about $60 g+ a year. You ask around and everyone (who isn't a nurse) says nurses make good money, nurses are always needed. Yet, I read here, from real people, from real nurses saying that they work long hours, are short staffed, and arent being compensated fairly. i know doctors make the money because they are the one that bring income to the hospitals or whatever, but i highly doubt doctors can work alone without a good nurse helping him.

i'm just really bummed out about my career choice right now

[cardiacRN2006]

Because we allow it to happen.




Don't second guess your chosen field-get out into in and work for a change.

[SillyLilly]

I am from chicago and there is a law suit being filed for many of the large companies and smaller hospitals saying that there is some sort of unwritten agreement between hospitals to not compete with each other for nurses, therefore lowering the average salary $5,000 to 6,000 per year.

I did not know radio techs got paid more. I think they are important, and i love to watch them work.
Many who i talked to said they persued that field bc it is less hectic, and the schooling is not as hard.

[Tweety]

Don't let the posts scare you off, we need you! Also, realize that this forum is a place to talk about our concerns and it is skewed to the negative. Read any profession's forum and you might find the same.

Definatealy think long and hard if you can handle the downside, because it's definately there.

I do work hard for the money, but I also realize there are thousands on waitings lists both here and abroad willing to take my "low wages".

[lovemyjob]

I know of dental hygenists who get 60/hr.

[shmily]

I understsand your concern. On thing though, that makes nursing so appealing over other disciplines is the variety within the field that is available to you.

[TazziRN]

I have a college degree and I am a nurse and I own a home.

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by TazziRN

I have a college degree and I am a nurse and I own a home.

That's becoming tougher and tougher for middle class people like nurses. Not just nurses but the entire middle class here in Saint Petersburg has been outpriced out of buying homes. Nurses where I work who want to own homes are moving out of town and communiting.

Obviously, it depends on where you live.

Fortunately I bought a nice home with my middle income before the market exploded. I bought a home for $150,000 that I can now sell for $300,000. But I don't dare because I'd never be able to afford another home.

[PedsER-RN]

Originally Posted by sweetface18

okay, now maybe i'm just young and naive, but could someone please fill me in on why it seems that nurses are being singled out from all the other healthcare professions of being overwork and underpaid? I recently got accpeted into nursing school for the fall and thats when i found this site. after reading numerous posts, im starting to get worried.

it seems that the pay is really low (low $20s) and the hours is hectic. Now, i really love to help people and wanted to become a nurse because i would love to make a difference and its rewarding in that way. however, i would love to buy a house one day and start a family, and i certainly don't want to have a college degree and be struggling. how is it that pharmacists can make about $50 an hour and rad techs start off at about $30 an hour and their job seems to me to be less hectic (i am def. not saying that their jobs aren't important). it seems to be that nurses pay is equivalent to someone who doesn't even go to college (post office worker, truck driver) i just think that nurses work hard, they are in stressful environments, and hey to get a bsn you need about 5 years of school.

i looked up diff sites such as salary.com, and it reports that nurses make about $60 g+ a year. You ask around and everyone (who isn't a nurse) says nurses make good money, nurses are always needed. Yet, I read here, from real people, from real nurses saying that they work long hours, are short staffed, and arent being compensated fairly. i know doctors make the money because they are the one that bring income to the hospitals or whatever, but i highly doubt doctors can work alone without a good nurse helping him.

i'm just really bummed out about my career choice right now

First off, don't base decisions solely on what is said here b/c alot of us (myself included) often come here to vent b/c we know there's someone here who's probably had a similar experience.

Also, I've checked sites such as salary.com and found their figures were way off from what's actually being paid in my area.

That being said, I'm 22, single, and bought my 1st house this past April. While I'm certainly not rolling in the dough, I'm not struggling, either.

I think you should research nursing in your area b/c pay varies greatly between different regions. Some areas start new grads at $15/hr, others are closer to $20-25/hr. It just depends.

If nursing is what you want to do, do it. There are negative aspects to any job/profession and nursing has it's share. Just remember that nursing has it's benefits, too. I go home each morning knowing I helped someone, that they left my care better than when they came. I can wake up each day and be proud of myself for the job I'm doing and know that I've made and will continue to make a difference in the lives of others. It's not all about the money; if it was, there'd be a whole lot less nurses.

[GoLytely]

Just because you have a college degree doesn't mean you will be upper-middle class. There are plenty of highly educated people waiting tables.

Truck drivers' salary *is* comparable to a nurses, and a lot of them make more, and they are worth every penny. Just because it seems like a low skill, low intelligence job quite the opposite is true if one is to be successful as a truck driver.

A pharmacist's job may *seem* easy, (count and shuffle pills all day)
but pharmacists make way more than we do for a reason. Their level of education is much higher than a general BSN. In fact, you can trust a pharmacist more than most any doctor when it comes to understanding medication. And it is no cakewalk to get into pharmacy school, they want the brightest and there is plenty of competition.

But back to nursing. A lot of us come here to complain because there is virtually no one else who can understand nursing issues and complaints like nurses. Also, we complain about the pay, but I think if all college graduates could get a job in their field making what nurses make they would be thrilled.