Why are you REALLY going into nursing? Honest answers please.

Nursing Students General Students

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Ok, I'm a bit frustrated with all of these posts telling us that we shouldn't go into nursing because we need a job and steady income. Sure, I do like to help people, but I need a steady job even more. So, I decided to post a poll to see if we can get some honest answers.

:p

Because I love medicine and didn't have enough faith in myself when I was younger that I was smart enough to major in it! :balloons:

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Nursing was an easy degree for me because I love science and already have a degree in marine bio and minor in chemistry.

I want to make above average money so I don't have to stress over finances. I can't lie when I tell you guys that I hear that 'cha-ching' at the end of the nursing school tunnel. I am tired of living paycheck to paycheck as a poor biologist in a public health lab.

I want to be proud of what I do!

I don't want to work 5 days a week when I have kids.

Nursing jobs are found in every city in the USA. I can up and move whenever I want and know there will be a job for me.

I want to know how to take care of friends/family in the event of an emergency. I also want to be able to take care of my mom, who has MS, when she is old and possibly disabled.

I want to take care of other people and help improve their quality of life!

Flexibility!!! I do the SAME thing day after day, week after week, month after month.....you get the point. After 4 years, I am just plain BORED. In nursing you can stay in the same profession and still do a million different things. Do you know any nurse who has had the SAME job for 30+ years?

That's all, folks!

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I hear you. Ditto on that one.

:coollook:

i don't think it bad to think about how much you would earn while working these days.

its pretty hard out there... and the standards of living are ever increasing.

ciao,

arudarbme

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I am going to nursing school so I can go anywhere I want and get a job and if I get pizzed off-I can sing the only Johnny Paycheck song I know and move on to another job without any problems. I think it's a plus to help people, use science, and make DECENT money. Although, I made/make MUCH better money in telecom so it ain't for the money. I can make more doing less if I want to live in Atlanta for the rest of my life-which I DO NOT.

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Specializes in Global Health Informatics, MNCH.

I'm also taking a pay cut to go into nursing (I was a database programmer). I simply and looking for a career that I care about and where I can make a difference.

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i chose nursing because i can't think of any other career that would make me feel fulfilled. i am a stay home mother of three so money isn't that big of an issue. i want to be able to go to work and go home and not feel like i just wasted a day out of my life. i will say that since i have three kids i do have to think about college and other expenses so the money is a nice incentive, but the honest reason is i know it is what i was meant to do.:heartbeat

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I have several reasons, all have varying degrees of importance. I have a caring attitude toward others most of the time, and even when I don't, I'm good at faking it. I have the aptitude and the skills to do the job well, and have proven myself under pressure for many years. I need the money, which is one heck of a lot more than what I make now in EMS, with(according to a friend of mine who is a medic, then became a flight and ICU nurse) about 1/8 the responsibility. I'm tired of a soul-crushing work load, with the knowledge that one unfortunate injury could end my livelihood, with not much more than "sorry" from my employer. I'm tired of sleep deprivation, and can't imagine another 20 years at the pace I've been keeping. I have 3 young teenagers, one now driving, and 2 more within 2 years, all three in college within 5 years.

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As a nurse, I will probably start out making a little less than the job I left to pursue this career. However, the potential to make more money is there. I was close to my cap in my last position. So, yes, the money is probably one of the reasons. Not the main reason.

The main reason has been said before. When you leave work (even if it is late) you are done for the day. I have many times in my old job brought work home after working late. And when you are sick or take a vacation the work continues to pile up while you are gone. This makes it not worth taking a vacation at all. As a nurse, your patients have to be attended to while you are out and documentation has to be done at the time of care. No worry of coming back to unfinished jobs.

I really just want more time for my family and more flexibility while at the same time helping people. By the way, I helped people at my old job too. Nursing just seems more well rounded for me.

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Honestly,Honestly, its not all about the money but it will be nice with 2 kids and a mortgage to have a nice stable income. I ultimately decided to go into nursing when I did due to a sermon my pastor preached on mothers day of 2001. I'll never forget it! The gist of it was that God places desires in a woman's heart beyond raising children, and that these are good, godly desires. My family is definately first and I always thought that being home with my children was the ONLY thing to do. After that day I began to realilze that my desire to become a nurse(from childhood) was from God, and that he had given me life experiences and gifts especially for this profession. I began taking classes immediately. Guess what, the kids and family are fine! and I feel much more fulfilled than I ever dreamed.

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I am going to nursing school so I can go anywhere I want and get a job and if I get pizzed off-I can sing the only Johnny Paycheck song I know and move on to another job without any problems. I think it's a plus to help people, use science, and make DECENT money. Although, I made/make MUCH better money in telecom so it ain't for the money. I can make more doing less if I want to live in Atlanta for the rest of my life-which I DO NOT.

yes, i agree. and i think your idea is noble.

good luck and we need more people like you.

take care

arudarbme

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Specializes in L & D.

I originally went to college 20 years ago with the intention of becoming a doctor. I was accepted into the pre-med program of a great university. Unfortunately, my parents divorced, leaving me without any financial support. At that point, I realized that I had to get a degree that would give me a good paying job after only four years since I knew I had no support - financial or emotional - for medical school. I also sank into a terrible depression during college that would have made it impossible for me to get grades good enough to ever think abut med school. I just slept and cried for four years..... My parents were so involved in their new lives, that they never even saw the signs.

I ended up with a degree in civil engineering. I had a 10 year career and met my husband - also an engineer. When our oldest daughter was born 6 years ago, I became a stay-at-home mommy. I've also since found Wellbutrin - a real miracle drug that has given me back my life. Both of our daughters will be in school next fall, so I began thinking about going back to engineering. It was then that I realized that engineering never was my "passion". I've always been interested in medicine and knew that is what I really wanted to do. While I probably could have started taking college classes and then apply to med school, I still want to raise my girls. I know that med school would have kept me so busy that I would never be home! Instead, I've decided to get my RN. I see it as the best of both worlds!! I'm currently taking some of my co-reqs early while I wait to begin nursing school in the fall.

Nursing will put me in into the medical field, while allowing me to still spend time with my family. The pay is good, and will allow us some "extras" - private school for the kids, a new car, vacations, etc. While I could make more money as an engineer, I don't believe money really matters if you don't love what you do!

Beth

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I wasn't going to confess this, but what the heck. I'm only halfway through nursing school and I love it, especially the patient teaching part. I really love working with people and helping them to get better. I seriously believe I'm on the perfect career path for me, and its not just because of "helper's high".

BUT, I love other things, too... such as gold, silver, cash, Mercedez Benz, Kenneth Cole, Gucci, and Prada. Which is why I plan to transition to the ARNP/CRNA program after I finish my BSN. With the very modest salary CRNAs make, I'm hoping I'll be able to afford at least some of the things on my list. Nothing at all wrong with being ambitious. :coollook:

Amen! I finally found someone who thinks like me. I am in my last semester of nursing school - and on a tight budget, prada doesn't work.

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