Are you in Nursing for the Caring or the Cash?? Be Honest

RNOTODAY, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2007

I am in it for the money, job security, and benefits. I got the idea to be a nurse, because medical "stuff" intrigued me, and I wanted to do medical "stuff", like start iv's, foley's etc......and I knew the money was good. And, I am not ashamed to admit it, either.

Now, all this being said, dont jump to conlusions an assume I dont give good care, or my patients can tell that I am in it for the money and dont "care" for them, because it is false. But, I am no NancyNurse, thats for sure.....

RNOTODAY, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2007

I wonder if mail carriers, , UPS men, etc are ever asked if they are "in it for the packages and envelopes, or the money".........

nurse4theplanet, RN · Jan 22, 2007

I wonder if mail carriers, , UPS men, etc are ever asked if they are "in it for the packages and envelopes, or the money".........

LOL :roll :roll :roll :roll :roll

nurse4theplanet, RN · Jan 22, 2007

I'm in it for both...

I care about my pts and its a huge part of my job choice as well as my personality, but I wouldn't do what I do (including the burden of the legal responsibilities) for $8 an hour...and I do feel nurses are STILL underpaid...

However, I could make just as much money in other feilds besides nursing without having to put up with half of the things I do, so it's not as if I am doing it solely for the money either.

I think it is so disrespectful to even ask this question...it's a loaded question with a preconceived bias based on what one's answer is

abbieRnChpn · Jan 22, 2007

hello i am currently in nursing school and the weirdest thing is how future nurses talk about how they are going to be getting paid!! it's as if caring is not involved in their frame of mind, this type of mentality is not going to help the nursing shortage it's only going to aide it because as we know we do not get paid for our actual services, but this younger generation feel since it is a shortage this is the field to go and make some quick money, so i'm curious and please be honest what are you in it for, caring or cash?

i've been a nurse for almost a decade and i can truthfully say, i'm a nurse from the heart. after 7 years in a snf i've now gone to hospice nursing, one of the most rewarding and satisfying things i've ever done in my life. the pay is great but money isn't everything. unfortunately here in south florida there seems to be a dearth of nurses who are only in it for the paycheck!!! especially in ltc. have to say tho, the people i work with in hopice all work from the heart. :nurse:

OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN · Jan 22, 2007

I am going into nursing at age 30 because it is my lifelong dream. I want to care for people. I want to learn about the body and how to treat things.

The extra $$ will be nice (I will start about $4.50 per hour more than I make as a medical office assistant right now), but it is definately not my primary goal.

Hoping LVN2BSN · Jan 22, 2007

For me it's a win-win. I'm definitely in it for the money, because sometimes I can't believe I'm going to be paid for something that I would do for someone for free anyway, maybe not 40 hours a week. To be honest, once I have experience and my family is established, I plan on volunteering my services anyway. Maybe full time when I retire.

rn2bn07, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2007

Truthfully, I have always wanted to be a nurse. I love the whole aspect of nursing and the devotion a person must have to do such a job. I think a person is born to become a healthcare worker, for me, I have to love this job to put up with some of the things that come with it!

Both of my parents have chronic diseases, my mother has multiple sclerosis and my father has CHF and COPD, both still together and happily married and I love them to death and I am so educated with their illness that nursing just comes natural to me when I am work with patients with these neuro and heart and lung diseases.

Anyway, my point is, if nurses made $8.00 an hour I would not become a nurse ! Yes the money is great. And it should be, for the time and dedication one has to put into it to be such a good nurse and taking care of other peoples lives.

I would rather volunteer in a hospital or a nursing home for that pay and make $30.00 an hour as a postal worker or something. I have a family and I need to make a decent living regardless of what I have a love for!

Gromit · Jan 22, 2007

Well, I know one way to put it: This isn't a hobby, its a job. I expect to be paid for it. For the idealistic among us all, who want to do the job solely for humanitarian reasons, good for you. Most of us NEED a paycheck to make a living -we aren't independently wealthy and we don't do this simply for the fun of it. Any who want to look down on the rest of us who do the job to earn a living can simply put their money where their mouth is, and do the job for free -as a volunteer -for simply altruistic reasons. Once I see these folks do this, I'll DEFINATELY shut up, and issue an appology, and claim to have been put in my place.

That being said, I don't know anyone who WOULD do this job simply for the paycheck -there are a lot of easier or less troublesome jobs out there that you can get into simply for the check. But did the pay (or I should say more accurately, the shortage which pretty much guarantees that there is a need for you -as opposed to worrying about being downsized out of a job) figure in on going through the trouble of becoming a nurse? Certainly. Most folks my age (or older) have held jobs where they worried about not having a job next week due to downsizing, buyouts, or just plain being in a company that went bust. When I decided to go back to college and get into this profession, I certainly noted the need for nurses (as opposed to being a 'surplus') -if you are a nurse, and you want a job, there are jobs. When I was in EMS, the same was NOT true. I knew quite a few paramedic/firefighters (Crosstrained) who weren't working in emergency services. There are far more of them than there are jobs. A LOT more. I played that game. I put in my time. I like working in healthcare for a number of reasons, but I hate worrying weather or not I'll be able to stay employed. The two times in my life I was 'downsized' they did it two weeks before christmas. Its not a good feeling.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2007

I'm in it for both...
I care about my pts and its a huge part of my job choice as well as my personality, but I wouldn't do what I do (including the burden of the legal responsibilities) for $8 an hour...and I do feel nurses are STILL underpaid...
However, I could make just as much money in other feilds besides nursing without having to put up with half of the things I do, so it's not as if I am doing it solely for the money either.
I think it is so disrespectful to even ask this question...it's a loaded question with a preconceived bias based on what one's answer is

I think that most of the responders in this thread are similar. They love nursing, but the income is a condieration. Nursing school and nursing in general is just too hard for it to be any other way for me.

During those stressed days when I can't take it any more, sometimes the only thing getting me to go back is the fact "I couldn't make this kind of money doing anything else." So I go back and my perspective comes back, and I realize, I do like being a nurse, as well as making a living middle income with an associates degree.

If I looked for another job.....what would I consider? I would be looking at income, without shame.

What do kids out of high school think about when they are looking for a job or choosing a major in college..........."how much does it pay".

I never had the "calling" or "angelic nursing" idea.

But as I say, I've read very few people in 19 pages that say they are doing it ONLY for the money. It's mainly a combination of liking people and making an income they wouldn't make otherwise.

Kanani_Ikike · Jan 22, 2007

hello i am currently in nursing school and the weirdest thing is how future nurses talk about how they are going to be getting paid!! it's as if caring is not involved in their frame of mind, this type of mentality is not going to help the nursing shortage it's only going to aide it because as we know we do not get paid for our actual services, but this younger generation feel since it is a shortage this is the field to go and make some quick money, so i'm curious and please be honest what are you in it for, caring or cash?

to be honest with you, i am now in nursing for the money. it didn't always used to be that way for me. when i first graduated from nursing school, i wanted to "save the world". i was going the be florence nightengale reincarnate and i was going to be a matyr when i died.

then reality hit me, and it hit me hard. i now loathe the working conditions that have plagued our profession. it is nearly impossible to be a nurse anymore. now you just pray that no one dies during your shift and that you do not kill anyone due to having too much to do and no time to do it.

so now, i look at it everyday like, "hey, you gotta work, might as well work as a nurse". the pay isn't great, but it isn't bad either. i make more than i would at wal-mart, but not enough to move up in life. and just enough to keep the bills at bay and food on the table. no money left for anything else, but a few leisure items and i thank god for everything.

i feel that it is not worth the stress and wear and tear that it puts on the body. the patients seem more and more ungrateful and seem to hate you and are out to get you because everyone is so litigious. i hope and pray that i can start a new career. i'm still young and thank god that i have time to start fresh .

TrudyRN · Jan 22, 2007

It takes money to live. If we can enjoy our work and help others along the way, that's a real blessing.

P.S. Nursing pays nowhere what others make - pharmacists, doctors, PT's, psychologists, administrators of education, health care, and other businesses. It is nice knowing that we can always get another job if we have to, although it is not as easy to do that as it used to be, what with all the laws, pee tests, etc. that we have to comply with in order to earn our daily bread.