A new debate: public school teaching vs hospital nursing

[PMHNP10]

Let me be blunt--Which career potentially sucks worse? My fiance and I were hanging out with a teacher and her family this weekend. Some of the things she was mentioning made my stomach turn. For example, she said that insurance for her 2 children (11 month old son and 3 yr old daughter) was running>$400/month. I might also add that when she gave birth she wasn't paid for maternity leave. Pardon my ignorance, but is this a norm?Another travesty she mentioned was that one district took away the 3 days of sick leave teachers earn and used that to help balance the budget. As is typical in TX, there are no unions to fight this type of crap. So what did the teachers do? The did a sick call-out day. And what did that accomplish? Well they get to make the day up at a later time in the semester if that tells you anything. Or how bout paying them $30K/year (in some parts of TX) while spending bundles on hi-tech video equipment? And let's not even get into the kids/parents who don't care until junior/princess is held back a grade; then education becomes priority number 1, and the teacher is 100% at fault. Or one of my personal favorite is the admin. who comes up with slogans like "every student can and will pass". I like to ad "at the expense of an education".

Now I know bedside nursing is horrible for many, and perhaps it would be hard to pick which situation sucks worse, but man, IMHO, at least we are not teachers. If we don't like bedside nursing there are a multitude of options. I don't believe this isn't necessarily the case with grade/jr./high school educators. God bless those who choose to educate our young.

[VRGirl]

My first degree is in middle childhood education, basically grades five through eight. I had a couple of student teaching experiences, but the main one (three months) was an eighth grade science class. These kids would come to school with knives, and this was an upper middle class school mind you. You got nothing but attitude from 90% of them, and they knew they didn't have to listen to you and that you couldn't fail them. The experience was 90% babysitting and discipline, and 10% teaching. I finished and got my degree, knowing that I would never even bother to take my boards for certification cuz there was no way I was going to be a teacher.

Can't comment on the nursing aspect yet since I am not a nurse yet, but I certainly hope to like it much more than teaching.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I don't think it's fair to debate which sucks worse. There are many devoted teachers that love their jobs and wouldn't do anything else, no matter how bad it gets. The same with nurses, myself included.

But let me say, I could never be a teacher. I'd go to an insane asylum for the criminally insane for the rest of my life for murder.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

This is a "time worn" topic here. It's either which is worse or which profession gets paid more/less or whose work's harder/easier. I respect teachers and hope they respect me.

[PMHNP10]

There are many devoted teachers that love their jobs and wouldn't do anything else, no matter how bad it gets. The same with nurses, myself included.

no question about it; I've done both and am not willing to do either again, so I repeat...God bless those willing to educate our youth; and God bless those who care for hospitalized. Let me also clarify...The whole debate thing is kinda tongue in cheek; I'm not really expecting anyone to come out and say one is better/worse than the other. It's the whole walk a mile in their shoes kinda thing. Regardless, what is happening in these 2 noble professions should be illegal IMHO, and the ones who get rich by allowing this should be tarred and feathered in front of those they are abusing.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Regardless, what is happening in these 2 noble professions should be illegal IMHO, and the ones who get rich by allowing this should be tarred and feathered in front of those they are abusing.

Wouldn't Bill Frist look great tarred and feathered? :rotfl:

sorry i couldn't resist.

[PeachPie]

My dad is a teacher, and you couldn't pay me enough to do it.

[chadash]

delete

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Let me be blunt--Which career potentially sucks worse? My fiance and I were hanging out with a teacher and her family this weekend. Some of the things she was mentioning made my stomach turn. For example, she said that insurance for her 2 children (11 month old son and 3 yr old daughter) was running>$400/month. I might also add that when she gave birth she wasn't paid for maternity leave. Pardon my ignorance, but is this a norm?Another travesty she mentioned was that one district took away the 3 days of sick leave teachers earn and used that to help balance the budget. As is typical in TX, there are no unions to fight this type of crap. So what did the teachers do? The did a sick call-out day. And what did that accomplish? Well they get to make the day up at a later time in the semester if that tells you anything.

I think Tweety's post was excellent - though you could go on for quite a while listing the negatives of either profession, both contain dedicated professionals who couldn't imagine doing anything else.

I just wanted to comment though ... in my state public school teachers are all unionized, and generally do well financially once they obtain a permanent position - adequate pay, excellent benefits. School nurses here also belong to the teachers' union.

[Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN]

Nurses and educators are under the same pressure. Every year we are expected to do more and more with less resources and produce better outcomes.

[PetiteOpRN]

Come on, the government came up with public education, what do you expect? These are the same warm, caring folks who came up with the DMV.

I've worked at a VA hospital, and I promise it is the *best* of both worlds. It doesn't matter what kind of resources or benefits we get, the staff lacks the spark that you find on occasion in the private sector. Sure, they might start out with a desire to teach or nurse, but you can only bang your head against a wall so many times before it gets to you.

There are policies, bureaucracies, and cultures that prevent exceptional care and teaching, and you learn to live with mediocrity.

[llg, PhD, RN]

It all depends on the particular person ... and on their particular employer.

As I have said many times here, my sister has made out MUCH better financially as a public school teacher than I have as a nurse. While I have always taken home more cash, her benefits have always been far superior to mine. Most important, she was able to retire at age 52 (after working only 30 years) with her state pension guaranteed -- paying her 60% of her final salary for the rest of her life, adjusted annually for inflation. She'll receive Social Security in addition to that when she turns 62. That will give her a full-time equivalent salary guaranteed for the rest of her life. I don't know any nurses with a deal that good.

For now (still in her 50's) she takes her 60% pension and adds to it by doing a little substitute teaching during the fall semester. Then she and her husband ( a retired teacher/administrator) rent a house in an exclusing golf community in Florida from January to April.

Both her and her husband got their entire graduate educations paid for by the tax payers (she a Master's, him a Doctorate) -- and while she to pay for their health insurance and other benefits now that she is officially retired, she gets it at the "group rate" through the teachers' association group policy.

Yes, she worked hard for those benefits. I'm sure a room full of 2nd graders is not easy to face for 30 years. And I'm sure she had her share of difficult patients. But I have also worked hard as nurse for 30 years now -- but no one is going to pay me a pension for the rest of my life ... and I paid for most of my graduate education myself.

Both nurses and teachers work hard and deserve respect. But who works harder and who earns more depends on the specific person and employment situation. It is not the same for all.