Should I become a nurse for the money??

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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i am 16, and i am going to be a junior soon, and i have to start getting ready for sat's, and act's. you know the whole high school/college process, but anyway's everyone keeps telling me to become a nurse.

i love to help people, but at the same time i like to be alone, or with a few people. when i see pictures of people suffering i want to help them. especially in underdeveloped countries. i've gone back and forth between choosing to become a nurse, but a part of me keep's saying no it's not for me. i feel like, if i don't become a nurse, and save lives then i am worthless. plus i am horrible at science. i am taking chemistry right now, and i have a 69%/d+ in the class, and i am not passionate about science.

i thought about becoming a pediatric travel nurse. i don't like hospitals all that much. the blood doesn't bother me much, but it's the diseases, and other stuff such as ring worms, sores, and etc that makes my body queasy, and hard to concentrate. i literally can not look at them. i do feel like nursing is the only way that i can help people.

i thought about becoming a special education teacher to younger kids, and teaching abroad also, but everyone say's not to become a teacher, and i'm not passionate about teaching.

i am passionate about mentoring younger kids/teens, and helping them better themselves, and teaching them self respect. i want to help people in underdeveloped countries, and in bad circumstances, and teach people about std's, but many people keep telling me to become a nurse, and the pay is good, but i'm not passionate about it. honestly i do not know what i want to do, but i want to have an ok paying job $35,000-$40,000 for a single person. what should i do. i am going to be in the 11th grade in 5 months, and it goes by fast and then bam senior year is here. what on earth am i going to do!!!! should i just settle and become a nurse? people keep telling me that i only live once, and that i should follow my dream. i love to help people, but at the same time i like to be alone. i am horrible at science, and bad at math. i am more of a doer. i like to do stuff.

sorry for the long message

I am not a nurse myself, just a nursing student, but I know that being a nurse takes a special person and you really have to have a PASSION for it! You are still so young and maybe when you get a little older and live through many other experiences you will find nursing is for you because it seems like you have the empathy for it!

But to answer your question: Should I get into nursing for the money?

Absolutely not.

I say this because to get into it for the money you will HATE your job. Yes the money seems good, but as soon as you begin working you will realize all the hard decisions and long hours, lack of breaks and time with family or friends, and dealing with uncooperative patients... will not be worth that paycheck and you will be one of those nurses that walk into a patient's room ****** off and making it uncomfortable. Don't make it a living hell for nurses that love their jobs and patients that rely on the compassion of someone who actually wants to be taking care of them.

I know this because my mother is nurse and she worked in oncology for a long time... she has compassion and empathy. I do not think she would want to go through making bonds with her patients and losing them so often just to make a paycheck. She was there to help them.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I am definitely going into nursing because of the money. That doesn't mean though I don't care for people or look in the mirror every morning and say how much I hate my job. Should I go into a job I have passion for and get paid $12/hr? No I won't.

I want to make a good living and know how much I will get paid 10 years after doing a job well done. Besides, nursing actually provide care for others, it feels much more satisfying knowing you help someone rather than try them to sell them an iphone or get them to invest money in some mutual fund.

By the way, if all the nurses in Ontario thinks the money aren't all that great, ($60k - $85k) is really more greedy than the bankers I worked for. If the nurses here actually try to see who is hiring and for how much, they definitely be satisfied with their pay. I know that I don't have to spend 10 years climbing some corporate ladder for that type of pay with no certainty.

*** The money isn't great. It's barely OK to not sufficient. It isn't helpful to look at total compensation without considering level of responsibiliety. I belive that nurses pay is out of line (too low) with their level of responsibiliety and accountabliety.

Not to be mean since being kind is definatly one of my characteristics. I hope that everyone who is pursuing nursing just for the money falls into the category of new grads that can't find a job since there is no nursing shortage and there are plenty of kind compassionate people becoming nurses for other motives. I also believe that since there are so many people going into nursing just for the money and graduating that there is a menagre of new grads out there who are lacking in genuine bedside manner; this in turn makes managers not want to look at any new grads and require x amount of experience for applicants.

Also there are many other careers out there that are profitable and expanding that might be more suited to someone who is just going into nursing for the mmoney. Like if you are into holistic health perhaps become a massage therapist, or if you enjoy the science more consider becoming a cllinical lab tech. I believe that if someone does not truly have a passion and calling towards altrustic giving that it will show in their attitude an work over time.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

There is a lot of good information in this thread that I won't reiterate. OP, have you tried looking into shadowing opportunities? That may give you an idea of what nursing is like and if you think nursing is right for you.

i am 16, and i am going to be a junior soon, and i have to start getting ready for sat's, and act's. you know the whole high school/college process, but anyway's everyone keeps telling me to become a nurse.

i love to help people, but at the same time i like to be alone, or with a few people. when i see pictures of people suffering i want to help them. especially in underdeveloped countries. i've gone back and forth between choosing to become a nurse, but a part of me keep's saying no it's not for me. i feel like, if i don't become a nurse, and save lives then i am worthless. plus i am horrible at science. i am taking chemistry right now, and i have a 69%/d+ in the class, and i am not passionate about science.

i thought about becoming a pediatric travel nurse. i don't like hospitals all that much. the blood doesn't bother me much, but it's the diseases, and other stuff such as ring worms, sores, and etc that makes my body queasy, and hard to concentrate. i literally can not look at them. i do feel like nursing is the only way that i can help people.

i thought about becoming a special education teacher to younger kids, and teaching abroad also, but everyone say's not to become a teacher, and i'm not passionate about teaching.

i am passionate about mentoring younger kids/teens, and helping them better themselves, and teaching them self respect. i want to help people in underdeveloped countries, and in bad circumstances, and teach people about std's, but many people keep telling me to become a nurse, and the pay is good, but i'm not passionate about it. honestly i do not know what i want to do, but i want to have an ok paying job $35,000-$40,000 for a single person. what should i do. i am going to be in the 11th grade in 5 months, and it goes by fast and then bam senior year is here. what on earth am i going to do!!!! should i just settle and become a nurse? people keep telling me that i only live once, and that i should follow my dream. i love to help people, but at the same time i like to be alone. i am horrible at science, and bad at math. i am more of a doer. i like to do stuff.

sorry for the long message

First of all, basing your career decisions on what "everyone says" is one of the WORST things you can do. People say all sorts of ridiculous garbage; most of the time they are totally ignorant as to what they are trying to preach to you. So never listen to other people who say you SHOULD or SHOULD NOT do something based on their biased and often completely incorrect and uneducated opinions.

Secondly, there is no way to tell if nursing is really for you until you try it. Doing it for the money is a **** poor idea - nurses are paid less than ever, and it's hard for a new grad to even GET a job. I'm starting nursing school now and I'm only doing it because it's my lifelong dream - I don't expect to be paid much, and I expect to be worked to the bone, but that's the reality of the profession in a lot of places these days...

Go get certified as a CNA (once you're 18, I don't know that you can do it underage) and see if you are able to handle it. None of us can tell you if you should, and nobody should presume to. It's entirely your choice. But I will say that picking nursing for the "money" is ludicrous and badly informed.

Besides the taxes that get deducted, the membership we pay for CNO yearly, the we pay to keep on practicing we don't make much. You will not be making the kind of money your quoting for a long while plus all the health risks we place ourselves in it does not compensate for it. Poor backs, risks for infections, etc. We are frontline workers and we have the same if not greater risks than officers, firefighters and paramedics. So no I'm sure most of the nurses on here from Ontario will say that the money ain't all that great. With how our healthcare system is the trend is shifting back to agency based nursing because they don't have to pay them benefits and are not part of a union.

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

How do you figure that being a nurse is as dangerous as running into a burning building?

Specializes in OB.

Whoever goes into nursing for the money will be a very sad person. You will hate coming to work, therefore making your patients miserable because you really don't want to be there not to mention the risks you will be putting them and yourself in. You are so young still. Take your time to decide what you want to do with your life. The money is important of course, but it should not be the main factor when deciding a career path.

Are you kidding? They seriously CHARGE nurses in Ontario to maintain their registration? That's ridiculous. Please tell me they don't do this elsewhere.

Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

It sounds like your heart is really not in nursing. Your passions for helping children and international work can show up in other careers.

What about becoming a counselor? Major in Psych, get a Masters in Counseling, and work with kids/families. Or work for a nonprofit such as World Vision that helps kids and families in developing countries. Check out the different organizations near you and see what kinds of job opportunities jump out at you as fun and interesting, and pick a college major that would set you up for getting one of those jobs.

Also, take some time to volunteer in the settings you are considering right now - maybe at a hospital, someplace that helps immigrants get on their feet, etc. The best way to know if you'll like something is to try it.

Specializes in Forensic Psych.

The problem with the idea of become a nurse just for the money is that it's not because it's great money. I could list 10 careers in my sleep who make far more money. Why not pick those jobs?

Nursing is seen as EASY money. And I think that's where people get tripped up.

How do you figure that being a nurse is as dangerous as running into a burning building?

At least fire fighters running into a burning building can anticipate, are equiped and prepared to handle the task. In nursing we face unpredictability such as infections, superbugs, violent patients/clients, etc. Yes we have PPE but many times they come into place after swabs. Even though we follow standard precautions to the best of our abilities we still place ourselves and our families at risk so our roles as frontline providers are just as dangerous as running into a burning building. How many officers or firefighters died from SARS? H1N1?

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