Are you in Nursing for the Caring or the Cash?? Be Honest

Audreyfay · Jun 27, 2004

I went into nursing because all of my friends were. However, the longer I am in it, the longer I am nursing, the more I realize I am in it because I like to work with people. If there were absolutely no money in it, or if it was a minimum wage job, I would be looking for something else. Every job has to compensate a person for what they think it is worth. I've been an RN for 28 years, so it must be compensating me fairly. However, I don't just work part time. Then you know I was in it for the money only. (Actually, I have a full time RN job, an 8 hour a week RN job, a consulting job 6-8x/year doing nursing conferences, and a consulting 1-2x/year job as an RN.)

RN,BSN,MSN · Jun 27, 2004

i dont think many nurses are in it for the cash..........pay is dreadful especially here in the uk. it is most definately not easy money i asure you.

sorry to hear that uk nurse...maybe you need to move to the us...the pay is great here...my wife is a 22yr old rn here in tx. and has been a nurse for a little over a year and is already making 52k a year. and she only works six days out of every 2 weeks. and i say again she has just started..she is going for her masters next fall. so ..i would have to disagree with you on the area of pay.....$52,000 anually for a 22yr old female is not bad money. the average income per capita here in the city that we live in is something like 21k a year and we live in a very large city...about 2 million in population...so yes i believe nurses are well compensated here. and the advanced practicing nurses here(msn) are making a little over 75k a year, so for about 2 more yrs of school almost a $25k return+more with experience..count me in!

rn,msn,np= $$$,$$$

"it's never to late to be what you might have been"

Jailhouse RN · Jun 27, 2004

You didn't really think any one of us would do this job for free did you?

cajunnga · Jun 28, 2004

I am going to school and working a full-time third shift job in plant where unless you are the plant manager or the office personnel you are a peon. I am a lab technician in one of the nastiest plants in the town where I live. I want to be a nurse because of the caring, knowing that what you do does make a difference, and the knowledge--the income will be better also as well as the job security. The main reason I am replying to this though, is when I am truly exhausted and sitting in class I write this Bible verse: Philippians 4: 13-- it is on my notebooks, my text books, the clip board I use at work and my children hear me say it quite a bit. --cajunnga

6 years ago I wanted to be a nurse for the "taking care of people" part. I didn't even know how much nurses made. A divorce, a baby, and 6 years later, hmmmm....I will say it's the need for cash that got me into nursing school. I would have gone back to school eventually for nursing had I stayed married, but now that I am a single mama getting no child support, I need a steady paycheck ASAP. Why? Because the MOST important people I need to take care of are my son and I...no one else is going to do it. My family is first...I don't care how many people say it's not about me. The people that say that need to work without a paycheck, see how they like it when it TRULY isn't about them, ha:chuckle

Lisi-LPN · Jun 28, 2004

hello i am currently in nursing school and the weirdest thing is how future nurses talk about how they are going to be getting paid!! it's as if caring is not involved in their frame of mind, this type of mentality is not going to help the nursing shortage it's only going to aide it because as we know we do not get paid for our actual services, but this younger generation feel since it is a shortage this is the field to go and make some quick money, so i'm curious and please be honest what are you in it for, caring or cash?

what cash? i know i only get paid if i work 80hrs/week+.

Lisi-LPN · Jun 28, 2004

Lisa, are you in a LPN-RN bridge program? Maybe that's why your fellow students are talking about the money. Let's face it- a $10/hr pay increase is reason enough to go from LPN to RN.
I don't understand why people knock the young ones who are actually in school, and making very wise career choices. At least they're not hanging around their parents' basements doing nothing, or out committing crimes, etc. How many of us have had other degrees, other careers, and later chose to go to nursing school? At least they're getting it right the first time. I say more power to them, no matter their reason for choosing nursing.

Thanks for saying that because I am 24, I graduated nsg school when I was 23, and honestly everybody I hear from says "Why don't you get your RN?" "You're just an LPN?" That sucks to hear sometimes. So thank you for saying kind words about people like me. I appreciate it. :)

LisaG21 · Jun 28, 2004

I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 5. I always played doctor and nurse and have had a huge intrest in it. Now that I am in school I am def excited about the money, however only people the most I have ever made an hour is 12 dollars lol. I just want a job to give me a paycheck so I can get married and buy a house and move on with my life. However, I love nursing. I love the idea of being for people when their signifcant other is dieing..I feel I can give a great deal of help to them. I also love the fact I get to interact with people so much! Of course it is challenging at times however, I want to be the nurse that everyone says :balloons: "Wow thats a great nurse".

So overall I think that the money is just another perk of the job.

ceecel.dee, MSN, RN · Jun 28, 2004

Began with the caring...first of patients, then of the nursing staff and trying to affect change...and now, after many years, I'm staying for "high in seniority" pay scale, and am happier just worrying about my patients. They just don't pay me enough to continue with the change-agent stuff.

FutureNurse2005 · Jun 28, 2004

for me, its to give back something to the world, combined with the endless opportunities that are out there. the good salary is nice, but not my reason at all.

Gromit · Jun 28, 2004

I am currently pursuing my BSN, and I interact with alot of nursing students on campus and for the most part all I hear is "you can make major money in nursing" or "I'm going into nursing just for the money" and to me that is the wrong reason I don't know how long you been nursing but even you know we are underpaid and if they are going just for this reason then honey they are in for a rude awakening and when I say students, I'm talking more about non-degree students not LPNs, and I am not knocking them I'm just letting them know we don't make this big money as we are perceived, at least most nurses I know don't, but the stability of knowing you have a job and caring for your patients is a plus. :)

Well, first off, I'm in it for both. I became an EMT, then Paramedic (or EMT-P) because I enjoyed it, but the pay was so low, that I was working two jobs to make ends meet. In short, I only went home to shower, get some ZZZs and back to work. You don't live long, that way. You certainly don't enjoy what life you DO live that way.

Now, about 8 yrs later, paramedics don't do badly, but my first year as an RN, I'll do better than if I'd stayed with the county. Is money a factor? You bet! I'm sick of only barely making my bills, and not being able to drive something newer than a 1985 Ford Diesel pickup, or a motorcycle with over 50 thousand miles. Neither is reliable, neither is comfortable. But they are all I can afford.

My primary reason is not financial, but financial is a big one. I've held some lucrative jobs, but after those that wear rags on their heads drove a pair of aircraft into a pair of buildings, my lucrative job (I drove a fuel tanker -to get through pre-reqs to enter the nursing program) dried up, as did the company itself. I've been laid-off and re-hired depending on the economy, and thats no way to plan a future.

You CAN make "the big money" in nursing, if you really want to, but it involves sacrifice -getting specialized, and traveling. For me, I'm not THAT interested. I may travel, but only if the wife decides she wants to see the country -I've seen it (drove long-haul for 2 years, all 48 contiguous states, after getting out of EMS). Otherwise? I'll stick it out here in the sunshine state, and enjoy my new career.

Those that are in it solely for the bread, won't last a long time. They will be beaten down by some of the less glamorous sides of our profession (hehehe. Yep, I'm talking about the smelly/nasties -its all part of the job. I don't have Techs and CNAs doing the bulk of the "dirty work". >I

Do I enjoy working in healthcare? Absolutely. But only a liar, a fool, or an independantly wealthy person with masochistic tendancies (haha) would tell you that the bread is no factor at all.

You worked (or will) hard to get that license, and to earn the respect of your peers (still working on that one. I'm new, after all. ) so you darn well deserve to get paid and enjoy some of the fruits of your labor.

Fair enough?

No new truck for a few more years, but I intend to replace my two-wheels with a new bike this summer.

hipab4hands · Jun 28, 2004

, so i'm curious and please be honest what are you in it for, caring or cash?

actually both at the beginning of my career. now, i appreciate the flexible hours, good pay and the occasional thank- you from a patient.

i became dishearten with nursing, when i realized how many patients have the "burger king" mentality ie. i want it now and i want it my way.

Gromit · Jun 28, 2004

Actually both at the beginning of my career. Now, I appreciate the flexible hours, good pay and the occasional thank- you from a patient.
I became dishearten with Nursing, when I realized how many patients have the "Burger King" mentality ie. I want it now and I want it my way.

not only that, but the families, they are getting as bad or worse.

got chewed on by a wife because I didn't "hop-to" and get coffee for her (I was busy passing drugs and doing accuchecks at that point. I'd told her I would get it, but medications came first -the coffee was for her, not the patient (who was NPO -personally, I'd have been ashamed to drink and eat in front of a family member (or anyone else) who was unable to eat or drink).

What really got my boiler running is that she told me that she was a nurse, and "we treat family better at MY facility!" (yeah, I'd like to treat her better.)

Nerve.

sorry, just a little vent (grin). The "only for the money" crowd wouldn't last long in this field anyway. I don't worry about them too much.