Are you in it for the money?

BeesMama · Feb 22, 2013

I'm not a nurse yet, but am hoping to get into a program here very shortly. My decision to want to be a nurse actually had nothing to do with the money aspect. In fact, the job I have now has more earning potential than a nurse -- so I guess I am planning on making less!

NurseVoldemort, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2013

Yes and No... I wanted health care but chose nursing for the job security. That isn't necessarily the "money" but the security of the money.

PalmHarborMom · Feb 22, 2013

Had I stayed on the career path I was on, I could have made more money. But Electrical Engineering can be boring, I mean electricity all works the same no matter whether it is in a light bulb, a boat, a plane or a house. Dull to say the least.

Nursing is AWESOME!!! Yes, the body is supposed to work a certain way but when it gets out of whack it is a no holds bar mess. And no 2 patients respond the same to the same disease. I love the science behind medicine! Then there is the personal side of it all. People are hilarious! Especially the cranky old guys.

That all being said, there is no amount of money that could have prepared me for getting urine in my shoe, poop on my shirt or having to duck from a ball of phlegm flying across the room. I feel that you have to love it in order to keep doing it for a career.

eatmysoxRN, ASN, RN · Feb 23, 2013

I'd go to school for anything if I could find a job making the same amount. I just have no idea what jobs that pay well are out there that are less stressful than nursing.

~ No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent -Eleanor Roosevelt ~

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2013

I'd go to school for anything if I could find a job making the same amount. I just have no idea what jobs that pay well are out there that are less stressful than nursing.

Really? Sarcasm, I hope? If not, you haven't looked too hard!

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Feb 23, 2013

Totally in it for the money. I wanted to do paramedic but the pay sucks.

And I refuse to work behind a desk. My dad and brother both do. Its just not for me.

workingharder · Feb 23, 2013

I do it because my creditors want the money. Greedy SOBs...

BaileyCoco · Feb 23, 2013

I have to agree that nursing was a great path to a well-paying job. I have been licensed less than a year and making six figures.It all depends on what area you live in and what area of nursing you work.

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2013

Not in it for the money. For those who are its Mind boggling.... No amount of money is worth the crap we but up with.... I'm a nurse because I'm a glutton for punishment. No, I really do enjoy being a nurse.

ehlehnah · Feb 23, 2013

No because I am extremely fascinated with medicine. I was always so curious about disease process in individuals, looking at victims of car accidents/gunshots/lacerations/etc, hearing about all sorts of crazy medical cases, etc. I'm a strange person because I used to waste countless hours on rotten.com looking at stuff (DON'T GO THERE IF YOU EASILY GET GROSSED OUT) and asking physicians, nurses, EMT's, any person working the medical field the craziest things they've seen and describe them wholeheartedly. I really should have been an EMT but I am leaning towards trauma nurse or ER nurse in the near future after I become licensed and work for a few years. Also, I'm very people-oriented and empathetic. I learn as much as I can so I can talk to all sorts of different people and make them feel as comfortable as they can. If I really wanted to go in for the money, I would have done something else.

Violach · Feb 23, 2013

In a bsn program now. Used to be a flight attendant. I worked 15 - 19 hour flights (even longer duty days) and had to clean urine, vomit, and all other sorts of disgusting bodily fluids on a regular basis. I've busted out the AED on more than one occasion. I may as well make more money to do it, and avoid the jet lag. Ha.

No. But really, I have always wanted to be a nurse. :-)