Where does the public get the idea that nurses make a ton of money?

[edogs334]

Why is it that many laypeople think nurses make a ton of money? It's kind of annoying that just about every other time I say to someone what I do professionally, they say "oh, there's a lot of money in nursing because of the shortage" or "oh, my aunt Sally is a nurse- she works for XYZ medical center and makes, like, $90,000 a year." I'm not venting because I expected there to be a lot of money when I got out of school (I just recently graduated); I worked as a CNA and know that many nurses don't make nearly as much as the public thinks they do. Hence, I certainly didn't get into nursing for the money- I chose to be a nurse because I thought it would be a great way to help others while working with people who value learning and intellectual challenges. But seriously, I don't take home much more than other people who are in the helping or public service professions. It just blows my mind when people I've met who are in business/law/finance talk so casually about how they're expecting $10-20,000 performance bonuses or how much vacation time they have coming up. I'm sure they work 60-70 hours/week for their salaries and are scared fudgeless about the prospect of layoffs. However, it's still mind-boggling how people who don't help others in their daily work lives get away with that much cash. So here's to hoping that enough future nursing students who want to quit their investment banking jobs do their homework and go to nursing school for the right reasons (not just the money). And here's to hoping that we as nurses can further educate the public about what we do and the fact that many of us don't get paid a lot for doing it.

[1stloveistobeanurse]

What I dont understand is this, What is wrong with making a decent living?

I am currently in the accounting and finance industry, and I am back in school for nursing. Why the salary for me to cross over into a new profession is not bad, the earning potential that I will have once I gain some years of experience is great, I want to do more meaningful work that will help people who are ill, the opportunities are endless in nursing, I can retire and still work part time and make decent money, or I can even teach.

Now think about it, how competive is nursing? that is right, very very very. Every nurse I know bust there butt to be where they are and you are right you should be respected and compensated for it.

I think part of the problem is that nursing has alway been a women job until recently when male nurses became involved. Women carry this since the end of time we are looked at as making a ton of cash not because we earn that right or that opportunity, but because some part of society look and say truth be told that is allot of cash for a women to be making.

Please let's stand up for ourselves it dosnt matter if you are a male nurse or a female nurse. Nursing is an important responsibility, and you should make as much as you are required to sacrifice for it.

[Reminisce]

"Nurses make a lot of money" you have to remember this is a subjective quote, what is a lot of money to someone doesn't mean it is a lot of money to you, to someone who is making 20k a year, 40 - 80k a year is going to be a lot of money to them, to someone who grew up with millions 40k a year will not seem like much, in my personal opinion nurses do make a lot of money, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve it, "a lot" and "too much" are two different things.

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

maybe it is me, but I do not consider my AASN (ADN) to be ONLY a 2 year degree. I did 3 years of 16 + credit hours to complete my pre-reqs earning 2 different assoicate degrees, before getting into a program, it took my 5 years for my 2 degree in nursing and I am darn proud.

Personally I do not think nurses make nearly enough money for what they do. Considering I had to get a plumber for 2 hours work, I got a bill for $300. I think trying to keep people alive is worth more than my kitchen pipes

[happy2learn]

maybe it is me, but I do not consider my AASN (ADN) to be ONLY a 2 year degree.

ADN is officially 2 year degree, pre-reqs not included. It's not meant as offensive. Just like many Bachelor's programs take like 5 years but they are called 4 year degree.

My program is 9 terms(quarters). That's 1 year and 4 quarters. Of course, it's going to take me 3 years because I have to wait 2 years for the 1 year worth of clinicals.

[pers]

maybe it is me, but I do not consider my AASN (ADN) to be ONLY a 2 year degree. I did 3 years of 16 + credit hours to complete my pre-reqs earning 2 different assoicate degrees, before getting into a program, it took my 5 years for my 2 degree in nursing and I am darn proud.

I don't think anyone is saying you shouldn't be proud of your accomplishments but regardless of how long it takes or how many other degrees you have, an ADN is considered a two year degree just like every other associate's degree. Same thing goes for a BSN, it's only a four year degree even if you take five plus years to get it.

With regards to the OP, I'm with others who say it is good money considering the amount of education required.

[JenforRN]

Well lawyers make a lot of money, but apparently when you take the amount of hours they work, they make less per hour than a babysitter. Traders routinely wake up at 2-3am b/c that's when the European markets open.

There's also the fact that most business people work in big cities (nurses who work in those places make more too, b/c of the high cost of living).

[vivacious1healer]

I can kind of understand why some feel that RNs make good salary.

Ex. I have an ADN degree that allows me to earn 70+ grand yearly w/o overtime.

My sister is a Veterinarian, and makes less than me with much more education (6+years) and more years of experience.

And yet, most days I feel I am not paid enough for the crap I have to deal with.....ho hum!

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

ADN is officially 2 year degree, pre-reqs not included. It's not meant as offensive. Just like many Bachelor's programs take like 5 years but they are called 4 year degree.

My program is 9 terms(quarters). That's 1 year and 4 quarters. Of course, it's going to take me 3 years because I have to wait 2 years for the 1 year worth of clinicals.

I am not offended, well not really:rolleyes:, but since graduating it is another public miss conception, that I am a nurse but I ONLY have 2 years of education. I guess it is just suprising, my own sister who has a BA, and has known how long I have gone to school said to me WHAT you only have 2 years of education,

It happens all the time, from people who are not in health care, they ask where I went to school and I tell them community college and they are OOOH so you ONLY have a 2 year degree.....yes technically it is a 2 year degree, but it took me 5 years to get it and all that seperates me from that BSN is 23 credits.

I think people are supprised at the amount of money a new grad can earn if they think that they new grad only has 2 years of education, which is simiply not true, there is a lot of ground work behind the 2 year and 4 year degrees, and like I said in my previous post look at the job, and nurses do not get paid nearly enough.

There have been many theads on how the public, just doesnt understand the amount of knowledge nurses must possess to actually do their job, which is why the public thinks the nurses make a huge amount of money, when all we do is fluff pillows, wipe bottoms and push pills right?

[happy2learn]

Gotta love those commercials with the young happy girl standing there smiling, hair all perfect, talking about a nursing shortage and high pay that you can get in 2 years! As if the education and job are full of roses. They don't mention the thorns that stab you in the butt on the way.

[morphed]

However, it's still mind-boggling how people who don't help others in their daily work lives get away with that much cash.

It's not like nurses have purely altruistic reasons for going into nursing. No matter how much nurses claim they all go into it "for the right reasons", I don't believe for one moment that the pay didn't have anything to do it. It might not be the main motivator, but how many people would go into nursing if the pay was minimum wage?

And just because you care for a person doesn't justify you getting paid more--although I certainly agree that if you're getting paid to keep someone ALIVE then you should be paid a decent amount of money. But I think it's insulting to imply that other people don't deserve the high they earn just because they're not in direct health care. Saying they're "getting away" with it makes it seem like you're implying they're somehow stealing or undeserving of their pay.

I'm sure your CEO gets paid hundreds of thousands of dollars and he's not on the floor caring for patients--but he's making sure thousands of people are staying employed. How many CEOs are in the world? So few people reach that level of monetary success, but MOST nurses have the ability to get paid very good money--50k minimum--within a few years of working. How many business people get more than 50k starting out? And how many would get that with only an Associates?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I think it all depends on which crowd/demographic is discussing the nurse's pay. To be blunt, poor and working-class people are more inclined to think that RNs are paid well. For instance, the person who gets paid $11 hourly to work at a call center will be prone to believe that the new RN with the $25 hourly rate is earning "big bucks."

I come from a lower working-class family with only 2 college graduates other than myself (one cousin is an RN and the other cousin has a BA in early childhood education). The remainder of my family members are either high school dropouts or high school graduates who are very alienated from the realm of higher education and the professional workforce. Many of my relatives are unemployed due to lack of skills or educational attainment. The ones that do have employment tend to be working in low-paying service occupations or temp agency work.

Anyhow, they think that I earn a whole lot of money. If I was standing in their shoes, I would probably think so, too. My mother is presently unemployed and my father earns $13 hourly at a major retail store, so I can understand and appreciate their limited perspectives.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Well lawyers make a lot of money, but apparently when you take the amount of hours they work, they make less per hour than a babysitter.

Thankfully, *my* babysitter doesn't charge $85 billable per hour. Don't know how much you're paying *your* babysitter!