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I would certainly recommend nursing as a career. As the saying goes you have come a long way baby. Nurses now have more autonomy than ever before. I believe that it is the nurses who make the patient well. My patients taught me more than any text I had to read. They also taught me about life, living while ill, and dying with dignity as a part of living. It is unfortunate tho that the salaries are too low for individuals to go into and survive without a second income. I was hoping that with 9/11 there would be more interest in nursing as there was in the military, police and fire. GI Joe was even resurrected. It has been said that until more men enter the field the salary will not really improve as men are the breadwinners. Wait a minute, what about the mother who put herself through nursing school and is raising 3 kids on her own? Or for me, before I became disabled myself, I contributed to my parents having just some of the basic necessities. They were both hurt in the late 60s and early 70d and were forced to retire at an early age of I believe 36 and 31. Since then my brothers and I have helped to keep a roof over their head as well as food on the table. Going back to 9/11 there was an increase in indivduals who applied to police and fire depts. which is great because we need them.
In looking at salaries teachers, nurses, police and fire don't make enough to put ther own life ahead of others. Teachers shape and develop the minds of our younger population. Nurses if working night shift make around $25,000 or just a bit more to start. They have several peoples lives in their hands every day they take on a shift. I started with 5 on 3-11 and gradually increased to 8. They along with cops and fire put others safety first. But only too soon has that been forgotten. When I was in grammar school we had 50 kids to a class and now if they have more than 20 it is too much without a teacher's aid. We had 50 in a class and we rarely had trouble and there wasn't such things as student teachers or hall monitors. We need to r ais the profession to at least give equal compensation with physicians'. At nearly 20 years of nursing in Georgia and Florida I had crossed the line and my salary was approx. $42,000 with benefits. Now, I am on Social Security making less than $15,000. I have returned to school so that I can return to the profession and clients I love before being disabled. I just recently f found our that the problem could have been treated as long ago as '94.

[BBnurse34]

WOW! you need to move to AZ. I started as a new grad at more than your 20 years of xp.
Come on down! I'll show you where to get the really good Mexican food