True? --> "RN's Can Work 3Days/Wk And Make A Good Salary!"

Keptonkurtis · Jul 28, 2009

Finically security is great as a RN, but heads up majority of the responses you will get will most likely say"Don't become a Nurse for a money"

ArtisticAthlete · Jul 28, 2009

Finically security is great as a RN, but heads up majority of the responses you will get will most likely say"Don't become a Nurse for a money"

Oh, ok. But, I'm not doing it for the $$...I'm genuinely interested in healthcare and I'm trying to compare my options (RN/NP vs PA vs MD).

About not become an RN for the money...I've heard that being a RN is really hard. Can you guys share what's hard about being a RN? ().

If your answer has to do with always being busy/overworked, that's a good thing for me b/c I'm easily bored...always! So, having to do 5million things at once is a good thing for me...

neonatal_nurse · Jul 28, 2009

First things first. The work of an RN is not like the typical 9-5 hours in the office. It is a very demanding job and requires a LOT of sacrifices on your part if you plan on becoming one. You can't really choose-- okay, i just want 3 days a week with X amount of salary- if your targeting on a hospital job. Maybe in travel or part-time you can choose, but most of the time, they give you a full workload. Sometimes even calling you up for another shift when you just got home. And travel nursing requires applicants to have at least 1-2 years experience before you get on board.

If you want to get in a Children's hospital, you can try applying after passing your licensure, some have programs for new graduates, but based from my experience, it's hard to land a job in hospitals these days since there are a lot of competition and most require that you already have experience working in that field.

As for your hobbies, you may have to sacrifice some time away from it if you are dead serious on becoming an RN. As i've said, you put in a lot of time, effort and crazy hours to be in this field. It's a lot like becoming a doctor, you need to spend a lot of time in clinicals to hone your skills, more time than being with your books.

Bottomline: be prepared for a lot of odd hours studying, working in the hospital, dealing with people from all walks of life- you can't choose who deal with in this field and lots of sacrifices. We all do this to be better healthcare providers.

Good Luck :)

neonatal_nurse · Jul 28, 2009

"If your answer has to do with always being busy/overworked, that's a good thing for me b/c I'm easily bored...always! So, having to do 5million things at once is a good thing for me..." ---> you will regret you said this later, if you become an RN. Trust me on this one.

kerric511 · Jul 28, 2009

A Pediatric hospital is hands down, THE HARDEST places to get into. All the req's i've seen require at least 3-5 yrs exp.

I don't want to sound harsh, but until you have at least that initial 3-5 years under your belt, You're going to have to take what you can get.

I work 12 hour 7p - 7a shift in the ER. I Love it, wouldn't trade that shift for anything, and yes, you can make a living. As far as a 50k living .... ehh.... not so sure about that! Depends on your demographics. In this market, its gonna take you 5+ years to see that kind of money (or longer)

If working in an adult hospital is not an option, then I hate to say it, but I suggest you stick with a lab job if you have a bio degree.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just not sugar coating it.

Kind of my personality. lol

Lovely_RN, MSN · Jul 28, 2009

So far it's been like taking the red pill aka the Matrix. Sometimes I wish I had opted for the blue but I suspect that M.Ds and P.As have similair experiences. We all go into healthcare with idealistic expectations of the professions that are eventually tampered by reality. To me nursing is like any other career; you got the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Remember what your mamma said about if something sounds to good to be true regarding the "good pay" and "flexible" schedule.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

Nurses are overworked and underpaid, I definitely agree with that.

BUT, don't get too discouraged by some of the responses that you'll get.

I actually really love my job and I make decent money. It's not to say that some shifts aren't tough, but more often than not I have great shifts and I truly like what I'm doing.

I like being able to work 12 hour shifts, just 3 days a week. I stay busy enough to where the 12 hour shift goes by fairly quickly, but I'm not usually swamped, running my butt off that whole 12 hours (although some nights are like that, but it's not every night). So yes, these hours are very reasonable. I love being able to have 4 days off, away from work, where I can do the things I like to do. I think this is what keeps me from burning out too ....... just working the 3 days and really enjoying my 4 days off.

I like the fact that I just bought a house and I can comfortably make the mortgage payment, independently. Of course we could all use more money, but right now I feel like I make decent money, allowing me to live a comfortable life.

It might be a bit tough to get into a pediatric hospital, but you could always check out the peds floors in a regular hospital. I went straight into NICU as a new grad, but not at a pediatric hospital.

Good luck to you, I wish you the best!

youknowho · Jul 28, 2009

I work full time in 3 day/week but I am ready to crash when I get home. As far as the 50K...I live somewhere where nurse get more than that, much more BUT cost of living is also very high.

HeatherISU · Jul 28, 2009

I would say most definitely. I work 3 days a week 7pm to 7am in an ICU. I'm actually a new grad in IN and I make around 48K. (Side note: I graduated in Dec 2008 and started my now RN job then, but I worked through school @ same hospital as an aide for close to 3 years prior... so all that counted toward seniority/pay). I am single, no kids... so I seem to have a lot of free time on my hands. Its almost funny because I worked while in Nursing school... so compared to then... I am almost bored with my extra days off.

Not to say that the work isn't hard... physically and mentally. Sometimes I want to scream but have a smile plastered on my face. You just have to realize that the 3 days a week aren't guaranteed to be the same days every week, and there are weekends thrown in there as well as On Call shifts. So if you are up for it... I say keep looking into it!

jean36 · Jul 28, 2009

I work 3 days/week,no OT,no weekend,no nights in DFW,making 45k annually.

Mollypita · Jul 28, 2009

I have to agree that your pediatric requirement will be very difficult to meet, even if the economy does pick up (and jobs along with it). But the amount of money is definitely doable. As a single mom, working three nights a week is a huge blessing for me! So the flexibility is definitely a perk as far as I'm concerned...