Is it wrong...

[ThePrincessBride]

I hear alot of people wanting to get into Nursing not because they want to "help" people, but because they want a decent salary, job flexibility and opportunities for advancement, most wanting to become Nurses because they want to continue onto grad school to become CRNAs.

I admit. I am somewhat of guilty of this. One thing that did attract me to Nursing IS that it isn't a typical 9-5 job desk job with only 2 week vacations and that there are many fields of Nursing to get into. And I did look into CRNA, but decided that knocking people out isn't that fun or exciting.

So, nurses: do you think it is wrong to get into Nursing for the reasons discussed above? And if not, are you guilty of this as well?

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I was one of those who actually do start out idealistically, but when I found out what nurses earned, I thought I'd hit the jackpot! A job that let me help people AND paid a good living---must be paradise, right?

WRONG!! I've had good-paying nursing jobs where the stresses far outweighed the salary, and I didn't last a foggy night. I've also had a couple of jobs that didn't pay squat, but which provided me with some fantastic opportunities for growth, and I stuck with them for quite a while. Now my current (and hopefully "forever") position combines the best of all possible worlds---it pays better than any of my past jobs AND it's given me career the shot in the arm I needed to get to the next level, which is something I never expected would happen given my age (52) and the downhill trajectory of my career over the past three years.

And yes, I still get to help people and solve problems. Honestly, I wouldn't be worth a hoot if I had to work in a cubicle all day pushing papers, or selling stuff, or (God forbid!) driving a school bus. It's good to do what you love and get paid well for doing it......somehow, it just doesn't feel so much like work anymore.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

Nursing is a PROFESSION; Accounting is a career.

Uh...what? Nursing is a career and profession as well. The terms aren't mutually exclusive.

Anywho, tbh, I'm not only looking Nursing for its "benefits". I truly think, if I were to work in Labor and Delivery, Neonatalogy, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, or even Geriatrics, I would enjoy Nursing. I've volunteer a Maternity Wards and a Nursing home, and I didn't mind the environment. I LOVED the Labor and Delivery ward, even though I know almost EVERY nurse wants to work with the babies.