I've been doing a lot of OT's lately. To me its not really about the money because if I work many overtime I am just paying more and more taxes (especially here in Canada). I think one time I worked OT and holidays and I accumulated like $1100 in taxes on just 1 cheque. I calculated it and I only make maybe an extra $50-$60 if I work OT.
I actually do feel bad when they need staff sometimes. The residents always thank me for coming in on holidays and weekends, and appreciate me. So its not really about the money. But thats just me.
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
2 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:
I am just one flawed human being trying to do the best I can in often difficult circumstances.
Absolutely. I don't have to have an emotional attachment to my job in order to be a good nurse. And when people start to expect that my "calling" overrides my regard for my own safety, my ability to provide for my family, or my ability to make life work balance choices, it's aggravating. (I've been known to incorrectly prioritize work at times, but it's usually more because I don't want my coworkers to be screwed).
Emotion can only take you so far, and sustain you through so much, and in this line of work it's not the healthiest approach, in my opinion.
More so for the money but I can also say I do love my job.
Yes, this. I wouldn't work as many hours if I didn't get paid, but I probably would volunteer my time & talent at least part of the time. My job is satisfying.
Yes. And that attachment issue often segues into a kind of martyr syndrome in which nurses put up with a lot of stuff that people in other jobs wouldn't...
Exactly. The whole “nursing is a calling” crap. It’s a profession and we should be treated as such.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I do it because I like a roof over my head and food to eat.
Sure, I care about the patients and *do* have a heart, but as time goes by, I am more and more ready to retire. I try hard to care for them as if they were family members. That usually keeps me on the right side.
And who says the two are mutually exclusive? People who have a heart for nursing are not doing it for free. Most have to support themselves.
I show up to my shifts for my patients, not just the money. I chose nursing because I feel called to it, and I love to serve others and nurture them. I work for money and don't just volunteer because I need money to survive and I also want to enjoy my life.
Would I continue to pick up extra without bonus pay or if I didn't want the extra money? No. Time is my most precious resource in this life, and it's yours too. Don't give it away for less than you deserve or out of a sense of guilt.
I feel like the title of the thread posts a false dichotomy - either you're a money-grubbing mercenary or a selfless angel. In the real world, most of us are motivated by more than one thing.
This job is time away from my family, wear and tear on my body and mind, and eats up a fair bit of gas in the hour+ I commute each shift. I've invested years of study (and tuition payments) as well as on-the-job learning to become a safe and effective nurse. I want to be compensated for those things. This is my career; I'm not a volunteer, and I'm not ashamed of that.
Anyone who wants to do something "from the heart" with no financial motivation should go lead a scout troop, or coach little league, or stock shelves at a food pantry, or clean litter boxes at a cat rescue. Not kidding - those people are awesome! But they're typically doing it a few hours here and a few hours there. I'm working full time.
Now, I also happen to like being a nurse. I like the challenge of putting together the clinical picture, and figuring out what a patient needs. I'm naturally a curious person, and feel like I'm always learning something. I love seeing people get better. I find fulfillment in helping patients and their families navigate difficult situations, like transitioning to end-of-life care. I am amused by the antics of some of my patients (not always in the moment), and my kids beg me to retell stories of the ridiculous things patients have done and said. I love the camaraderie of my colleagues and the teamwork that sustains us, even when we're short staffed and everything's a bit of a dumpster fire.
But no matter how much fulfillment I find in my job, if it weren't actual, paid employment, I would not be dragging my tired self out of bed before dawn day after day, week after week, year after year. I would not leave my cozy house for a white-knuckled drive through a snowstorm bad enough for the governor to shut down the highway to all but essential personnel. I would not ask my family to celebrate holidays on an alternative schedule because I have to work.
Honestly, I think neither mercenaries nor martyrs have what it takes for the long haul. Most of us stick with it because of a mix of fulfillment and payment. There are more profitable jobs out there, but I stay in nursing because I like the work. There are more enjoyable ways to spend my time, but I stay in nursing because I like the paycheck. The two motivations don't cancel each other out; they enhance each other.
And, how can you tell? I can't think of when a coworker has ever asked my motivation for working. I have some miserable coworkers that say they love nursing. Doesn't look like it to me, but it's also not my business. Sometimes if I pick up an extra shift it's because of a specific bill, or an upcoming vacation, sometimes it's just to help out my coworkers on a short night, sometimes it's even to try to work with a friend I haven't seen in a while. Doesn't change who I am as a nurse. I'm fortunate that I have a job with flexibility that allows me to make some extra if I need it.
I think someone already pointed out, for some reason we expect nurses, and maybe teachers, to have an emotional attachment to their jobs that we don't expect of other fields. I wonder if it's because they're traditionally more female dominated professions and we attribute more caring and nurturing to women. Whatever their reason for working, I judge my coworkers, and I admit I do judge, on their ability to provide competent care of patients and how they treat them while doing that. Why they show up to do it doesn't matter to me.
Why people do jobs that affect others, especially vulnerable people like kids, elderly, long term infirm does matter to me. Some people need protection from others. I don't want anyone being evil to those in their charge.
Everyone has to make a living and there is nothing wrong with being paid well for doing one's job.
Another thing - we have to think ahead to the time when we might no longer be able, physically or mentally, to keep working. We have to be putting away money for our anticipated retired years.
Also, we might have people dependent upon us, such as a parent or disabled child, for whom we have to provide. We should be well-paid for our work, which is often very hard physically and/or emotionally.
I have lately been reading every day in the news about police officers getting shot on duty. Is this just increased news coverage or are more actually being hurt or killed of late? They also should be very well-paid. As our society disintegrates, we will see more and more of this, I guess. And no guilt should attach for cops being well-paid.
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
11 hours ago, Kooky Korky said:
I don't want anyone being evil to those in their charge.
I don't think that anyone here is saying anything about being okay with someone evil providing care for patients. I believe that most people are good. And I do believe that most people that come to the medical field have good intentions of helping others. I'm just saying you don't need to be "called" to nursing as if there was no practical aspect to that career path as well.
Davey Do
10,666 Posts
A mind that mediocre and closed is a terrible thing to use.
Or, as my Dad use to say, "You're lettin' your bee-bee gun brain overload your shotgun mouth".