poverty level???

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nurs4kids

753 Posts

Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

As much as it kills me to defend her, my momma taught me to be honest. She didn't delete the other thread. A moderator trashed it because it HAD gotten pretty bad. There was more mud slingin' going on than we see at a Sat night truck pull.

Mjourney, To answer your question that was posed on the other thread (that I didn't see b/c it was moved to the trash bin), I think it's wonderful for a suthenur to become edumecated..it's 'specially kewl when they becum prez and can sell their mobile home :D

Q.

2,259 Posts

Specializes in LDRP; Education.

LMAO!

:D

PhantomRN

299 Posts

RNKitty,

A Baylor program is an incentive program. They were in fashion during the last nursing shortage and they are showing up again.

Essentially the nurse would agree to work something like 12 hours sat and 12 sun, but get paid for 30 hours.

My sister-in-law does 16 hours Sat and 16 Sun and gets paid for 40 hours.

Most will also give a full benefit package. However, they will stipulate how many weekends you can have off a year. The average is two.

pattycake92

4 Posts

Yes, When my sis n law was logged in I accidently used her username before I realized what had happened. She had just posted a message. Secondly, I am not claiming to be an expert on nursing. I do know, however, that life is too short to stay in a profession that you are not happy in. That is why I have decided to switch careers. Just like I don't know everything about nursing, you all don't know about teaching. They are both noble careers, however around where I live nurses make ALOT more money and have better job satisfaction. I have NEVER met a teacher that got paid for overtime, and I am not willing to live in another country I do prefer the U. S. A. Teachers do better in certain parts of the country. NOT in the South, which is where I live. Teacher aides make about 7 dollars an hour around here. And teachers probably only make about 12 if you count all the overtime they don't get paid for. You get 7 sick days a yr. 2 paid personal days and that is it. There is No paid vacation time, no chance to earn a little more money when you need it, no maternity leave, etc. etc. I got tired of it and decided to switch. It does no good to complain. It is better to take action which is what Ive done. I hope I will like my new career better than teaching, but I will never know if I don't try. By the way, on MSNBC this morning they were talking to an expert about the job market, and she said that with the economy the way it is NOW is the time to go to school and get a new degree. And she actually said NURSING is a great career, with job security and very good pay. Now that is what SHE said not me. Pattycakes

fergus51

6,620 Posts

I completely agree with you patty that people shouldn't stay in careers that they don't like. I hope nursing turns out to be a great career for you. This post has gotten WAY out of hand and I hope it doesn't continue anymore. I hope you realize that people on this borad complain about conditions because they can be bad and others here can understand that. Every profession has ups and downs, hopefully the ups will outweigh the downs for you when you start nursing, unfortunately a lot of nurses get to the point where the downs outnumber the ups and do leave.

ps

Doesn't the summer for you count as paid vacation time? A friend here is a teacher and they all get paychecks through the summer rather than only being paid for the months they are in class so it makes for smaller paychecks, but they still get something throughout the summer. I couldn't imagine having to budget for 2 months off a year!

fergus51

6,620 Posts

Originally posted by dawngloves

Dig that Fergus!!! I have yet to have a manager come up to me when I was doing notes an hour past my shift because i had a code and tell me I was getting paid. And heaven forbid you ask!!! It's like OLiver Twist begging for gruel!:(

And BTW, teachers get paid for, "Prep time"(getting lessons together) and DO get paid for teaching extra curicular activities at the school. This may be only a local thing, but then maybe Pattycakes, your district should unionize;)

Not to be a huge whiner, but I had the day of death today. 2 nurses on and how many women come in in labor over my shift? 8!!!! 8!!!! Nothing on the shift before me and then 8!! Oh and did I mention the fact that one had an abruption, emerg c/section and another went for a c-section because of failure to progress after being ambulanced in from another hospital? Our NM is desperately trying to get more help and the doc on atually copped an attitude with me!!! He regrets it now as I told him where he could shove it. I didn't get one break in my shift and wound up staying an extra hour and a half to finish charting. I put it down as OT and my NM asks why I am trying to claim OT?!! EXCUSE ME?!!! Maybe because I had no breaks and stayed late (I never put down the fact that I started early as well).

Ortho_RN

1,037 Posts

Originally posted by pattycake92

. You get 7 sick days a yr. 2 paid personal days and that is it. There is No paid vacation time, no chance to earn a little more money when you need it, no maternity leave, etc. etc.

Umm.. Don't you get the WHOLE summer off... i know it isn't paid, but most people would kill to have all that time, heck even half of it.... And would you please stop pointing out how bad it is in the south.. I am originally from MS and get SOOOOO tired of hearing people gripe about how bad things are in the south.. MOVE up north if you think its better... Just go to Nursing school and give us a break...:(

nurs4kids

753 Posts

Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

lol, nurs2b! Exactly! My best friend is a teacher, my coworker's wife is a teacher, IN THE SOUTH, so I'm not just shooting off numbers here. Best friend is a PE teacher, makes $39k/yr (8 yrs exp) has summer and all holidays off. She also coaches a couple sports and she IS PAID EXTRA for these. CW's wife, teaches K5. Made $34k (10 yrs exp), has summers and holidays off. Both of them CHOOSE to work summer jobs and supplement their teaching salaries, so they make about another $4k/yr doing that. The average nursing salary here for the same experience w/o ot is about $41k/yr. Sooo, the difference isn't that big. Teacher's have state retirement, nurses usually pay their own retirement. Our insurance costs about the same. Teacher's work 180 days/year, nurses work about 250 days/yr. Teacher's (according to Patty) get 7 paid days off out of 180 working days; nurses get about 15 which must also be used for holidays that teacher's already have off. Nurses don't get maternity pay; teacher's don't get maternity pay. I wouldn't want to be a teacher, but if I visited a teacher's bb, I damn sure wouldn't criticize them for venting. IN THE SOUTH, all pay is lower because, IN THE SOUTH, the cost of living is lower.

mopsi

87 Posts

The grass always "looks greener on the other side". There isn't a single secretary or office worker who hasn't looked at the "Plant Care Lady" that comes in to water the plants with envy. There isn't a single Nurse who hasn't looked at the stock person at their local Wal Mart with envy.

I love it...Coleen10...I finally laughed....I MOPSI , Have NEVER looked at the stock person at Wal-Mart with envy...Now maybe the cashiers, but never a stock person..LOL..and Happy New Year

Well.....

I live in an area with one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. A typical one-bedroom apartment in my area costs $750-800 per month (that's with NO frills!).

A starting full-time teacher's salary for someone with only a four-year degree and no experience is just under $32,000. After teaching for two years, I have received a raise which brings my salary to $32,549.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine that is only one year older than me was making a base salary of $43,000.00 back in 1992 on her first job out of college with her BSN. Because she works nights/weekends, of course she made more. Now she is almost finished with her certificate as a nurse anesthetist and with all the bells and whistles is currently making close to $100,000 per year.

Yes, teachers do get all the weeks off and shorter days...in fact, that is one of the factors that attracted me to teaching in the first place. In addition, in NYC teachers get absolutely excellent benefits.

BUT, teaching inner-city children is no walk in the park! My last assigment was so difficult that I had to stop myself from grabbing my things and walking out several times per week! Then, it would take me about two hours everyday just to unclench my fists! Then I, of course, had parents to call, lessons to plan and papers to grade for the rest of the night.

Really, it takes about 3-4 years of teaching the same grade level and the same subject to even begin to feel comfortable with your job.

After a student threw a chair and I got hit with it, I had decided that I just did not like teaching enough to endure the extreme stress and low-pay for even one second longer.

However, I was always interested in a medical career anyway...I just did a really big U-turn!

Of course, knowing that ADN's start at about $52,000.....

Just lending some perspective.

DrHeal

:rolleyes:

Trauma Columnist

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

88 Articles; 21,249 Posts

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Fergus - why don't you get paid when you work through lunch, stay over, etc??? What state do you live in? I have worked overseas (Korea, Japan, Spain), in the US, Nevada, Indiana, and now Illinois and I don't clock out till my work is done and by golly, I get paid for it!!!!

My husband, the high school teacher doesn't get OT, but still earns a good salary, he works 36 to 50 hours a week during the school year and works about half that during the summer, since he has a 12 month contract. I still don't think that is bad money!!

Wildtime is just discontented and wouldn't be happy anywhere...ignore him!!

joannep

439 Posts

Specializes in Community, Renal, OR.

Patty, I encourage you to do nursing. As a nurse with a teaching background you will do just great.

I work in dialysis where we are constantly thinking of dynamic ways to present patient education topics, such as fluid/diet restriction, or path results and what they mean, in new ways. (I have just finished making a word search on foods high in potassium).

So much of nursing is education. We educate our patient's, their families, undergraduates and our professional peers, not to mention the mother's down in the school yard and the folk you meet while out shopping.

So never underestimate the skills you have that you will bring to nursing.

:)

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