Does anyone else out there think that Nurses get jacked around often. I do as I am on my second career as a Nurse. I only have six years experience. I left my 100K job m-f 50-55 hours a week as a trucker for Americas largest parcel company, to become a Nurse. Yes a high school diploma got me a 401K, pension, health insurance that I did not pay a dime for, 6 weeks vacation, paid holidays, weekends off, and retirement of 3K per month with 30 years of service, I would have been 51 years old and a millionaire with the profit sharing and stocks given to me. But as I saw it I could help people, and if I followed this dream of Nursing I would be rewarded, so I thought. Now reality sets in I probably won't retire until 65, I buy my crappy health insurance and my pay is 80k per year working 60 plus hours a week. Did I mention all that and a BSN which costs 30K. HMM, did I make the right decision? Well maybe because I slightly more enjoy Nursing over trucking. But most Nurses think 80 K is good money! I beg to differ if you really knew what most educated and uneducated HARD working people really make. I think that the reason Nurses get jacked around is because they do not stand up together. In my past career it was male dominated. When someone or something was not right people stood together and it worked. In this female dominated profession I have found back stabbing, and people out for themselves. Why is it that an NP makes substantially less than a CRNA. I have not looked at the numbers but seems their are a high number of male CRNA's.
