Becoming a nurse for the money...

Nursing Students General Students

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...just wondering who's becoming a nurse for the eventual excellent pay???

I am. :D

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
I don't elicit negative responses wherever I go. I don't know if you were referring to me or just speaking in general. It is a known fact, in the field of healthcare especially in the hospital setting that there is a hierarchy. They are very big on titles! Not only does the public have negative attitudes or views toward nurses, the staff within the hospital does as well. Why do you think nurses are treated so horribly? No one respects nurses. They run around like a chicken with their heads cut off! Nurses bust their tails for 12 hours and hardly get a break to go use the bathroom. Let alone eating a healthy meal. Why do you think most nurses are overweight? So do you consider that respect from your administration or colleagues? They just plain out don't care about the well being of nurses. Nursing is a very abusive profession. After doing all that hard work, nurses still don't receive any appreciation/respect from patients, family members, doctors, or administration. On top of not receiving respect, the pay is not even worth all the hassle. I know of too many nurses who are miserable. I hear about a lot of people disliking their jobs, but not on the level of how nurses HATE their job. HATE is a very strong word, and many nurses use it! Most people would rather work at a mall than to deal with all the stress nurses have. No amount of money is worth the hell nurses go through. Which brings me back to the original topic of this thread.

I don't know where to even begin to respond to this post, nor do I want to waste my time convincing some one who is not even a nurse but still thinks they know everything about nursing...the Nurse is still the most trusted professional. Come back when and if you ever become a nurse and see if what you continue to write in these threads still holds true for you, until then your opinions don't really hold much considering there is no way you can know what you are talking about.

I receive respect and appreciation from my patients and those that I work with, and that is one of the many things that can sometimes make the bad pay not seem so bad. Sure I would like to see the nursing profession get paid more, but there are many rewards other than a paycheck that come with nursing that still make it worth it.

Specializes in Geriatrics.

I don't believe in going into nursing just for the money but money is a factor. I have to get my bills paid and put food on the table, KWIM? I haven't applied to the nursing program yet (still taking my pre-reqs) but plan to apply for fall 2010. Right now I'm a CNA in a nursing home. It's not because I have to be--I have an AA in criminal justice and could easily be making double what I make now. I went into healthcare because it feels right to me. I love helping people, especially elderly people who can no longer help themselves.

If you go into a line of work that you don't love, you could very well find yourself miserable within a couple of years. I work with a nurse who only went into it for the money and she's horrible at her job. She doesn't care about her residents. I'm not saying that's how you'll be, you may turn out to be an excellent nurse. It's just something to watch out for.

Specializes in Med-Surg, LTC, Rehab, HH.
Technically this website is for nursing students as well as those considering nursing. Not just for people who are already nurses.

So its okay that someone can voice their opinion about nurses like she does, when she is not even a student? That kind of negativity isnt needed here. Not only is it not true, its innapropriate. Its apparent that there is some bitterness there.

Oh and I did NOT say this website was just for nurses. I said nurses and students. I do feel that lately there have been ALOT of posts(some on the negative side) from people apparently considering nursing. It really takes away from this website. We do like to debate and have discussions, but some are just getting out of hand.

The cost of living in CA is outrageous. So when you consider that in, its really not "lot more."

That is not correct. there are many sites you can go to that allows you to compare areas rather than just assuming what people that live in depressed areas are saying is true. LVNs make up to 32 an hour where I live and my rent is about 18 percent of my salary. I live in Norcal. My son lives in the midwesr and the cost of living might be 20 percent less(at the most)(i researched it) and wages for nurses are more than 50 percent less. His taxes are higher but real estate is much cheaper. Food, cars, clothes ... is the same. His gas is the only other thing cheaper.

I have never heard of an LVN making that much. Most make under $20 in my area of NorCal. My friend is starting out at 58/hr in S.F. but the cost of living is astronomical. In my area I get 29.40/hr which includes NOC diff and the cost of housing is one of the most affordable in the state in comparison to the average income. The average home in my town was $358,000 in March of 2008. For a 30 yr loan at 7% a mortgage payment would be $2,381.78 a month. This does not include home owners insurance. Working full time I can make $4,233.60 before taxes (about $3,000 after taxes) and not including deductions for heath insurance. Then there are other bills other than a mortgage that have to be figured into the cost of living; gas is expensive than most areas in the state ($3.15/gal) and this is a rural area where nothing is close, our food is more expensive than most areas too. And simply living in the state of California you are taxed more than most states.

I dont know where in Norcal you live(it is as big as some countries) but if you contact me privately I can tell you the names of facilities that pay 32/hr.(not in San Fran. but still Norcal.) I have not met an LVN in my area making 20/hr. My oncall CNA friend makes 17/hr.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

this one is going to get me flamed, so i'm donning my asbestos suit now!

i think all these folks who are clamoring about other people's motives for going into nursing just need to feel superior to someone. they know they can't compete with any of us "old dogs" on knowledge base or experience, so they'll compete on "calling" or lack thereof. anyone who went into nursing for the money or any other reason other than (read less than) a true calling is automatically inferior. that makes them and their "calling" superior. they have all kinds of arguments to back up their sure knowledge that they are superior -- my favorite is that anyone without a calling or who chose the career for something as base as money lacks compassion. there's no evidence to back up that assertion and plenty to disprove it, but they just know it's true.

my advice -- and i know once again i'm going to get flamed -- is to stop worrying about other people's motives for becoming a nurse and worry about expanding your own knowledge base. no matter how true your calling or how much compassion you swear you have or will have, if you don't have the knowledge base you might kill someone. compassionately, of course.

For the record, anyone can visit this website and, if they choose, become a posting member. In addition to nurses and nursing students, we have doctors, patients, high schools students, teachers, firefighters, and the list goes on.

Yes, it can be irritating when someone makes bold pronouncements about an area with which they have had little experience, but doing so doesn't violate our Terms of Service. People who are more familiar with the topic usually put their :twocents: worth in rather quickly, and that often makes for some interesting debates.

But do remember to stick to the topic and not go after each other. Ripping another poster to ribbons IS against the Terms of Service, no matter how valid your point may be.

As Gerald Ford said, "You can disagree without being disagreeable." Good words to live by.

In the long run, I think I would be a miserable nurse if I was only in it for the money. The job requires so much out of you although rewarding that it would suck just doing it for the paycheck. This is just my personal opinion. It doesn't make you a good or bad nurse if you are in it for the money. You really can't say that a nurse is a bad nurse because she is in it for the money, as long as she provides the care necessary then that is what counts. I just know for myself that I would hate waking up everyday going to work as a nurse for the money. Kudos to those that can do it. Honestly there are alot of jobs that pay even more then nursing that I can think of. Now those jobs I might do for the money but no way would I do nursing for a paycheck. I am currently in nursing school and have worked as an CNA in a hospital for several years. I got to see alot and after seeing everything that nurses go through, I knew I would have to want to become an RN, not soley based on a paycheck.

In the long run, I think I would be a miserable nurse if I was only in it for the money. The job requires so much out of you although rewarding that it would suck just doing it for the paycheck. This is just my personal opinion. It doesn't make you a good or bad nurse if you are in it for the money. You really can't say that a nurse is a bad nurse because she is in it for the money, as long as she provides the care necessary then that is what counts. I just know for myself that I would hate waking up everyday going to work as a nurse for the money. Kudos to those that can do it. Honestly there are alot of jobs that pay even more then nursing that I can think of. Now those jobs I might do for the money but no way would I do nursing for a paycheck. I am currently in nursing school and have worked as an CNA in a hospital for several years. I got to see alot and after seeing everything that nurses go through, I knew I would have to want to become an RN, not soley based on a paycheck.

I got into nursing for the money and I looove my job. I am an LVN working towards BSN and there is no way I would be here if I was not paid to do it. I find it interesting that people will talk down on nurses that are motivated by money but not other professions. I suspect some of them are living in the past or have unrealistic views of what nursing really is and what it takes to be a nurse.

You do not have to be a touchy feely person that lives to give blah blah blah... Maybe back in the day when society considered it to be a womans job and no place for real men it was OK to think that. Now days you have to be technicaly proficient, have strong people skills, and be good at time management and stress management to be a good nurse along with a good theory background and be able to apply that theory.

Does it take compassion? I know that sure helps but I remember day one of school the Director of the nursing program came into class, commented on all the men that were present and then said " Don't worry if you dont think you have enough compassion to be a good nurse because by the time we pound it into your head everyday of this program you will either become compassionate or be able to fake it real well. Either way it works." In school my class started with 30 people and graduated 12 because alot of those people that were in it because "mommy was a nurse and I wanna be a nurse too so I can help people" failed out. Oh, by the way I do get a charge out of helping people but that had nothing to do with why I originaly got into nursing and I am just as good an LVN as anyone I have met and better than alot of RNs I know.

OK, I apologize. I told myself I was never going to reply to one "those" posts and I hope I didnt offend you. Maybe I get a little energetic on that particular subject. I just dont understand why nurses are supposed to not care about money when everyone else gets to. Not very realistic in my view.

why would i feel offended? your feeling are your feelings. just as mine are mine. i am not judging nurses that do it for the paycheck. i said in my paragraph that you quoted, that a nurse isn't a bad nurse that does it for the money, as long as the necessary care is given to the patient. just as the necessary care would be given by a nurse that loves her job. all the patients care about is if the nurse provides the proper care to them. i am just saying that i couldn't do it soley for the money and i don't think it is something that could grow on me. i will either like or i will hate it. if i hate it, i would be miserable. it would be hard for me to do the job. that is just me. i can't speak for all the nurses of america. more on the subject of the pay, i will definitely be smiling all the way to the bank. i am happy to work and get paid. with this particular profession and not speaking on any other, i couldn't just do it for the money plain and simple. no faking and baking with this as far as i am concerned. hope i didn't offend anyone. i am currently working on my bsn too. best wishes to you and your endeavors!

this is what i meant to imply as far as the underlined.

in the long run, i think i would be a miserable nurse if i was only in it for the money. the job requires so much out of you although rewarding that it would suck just doing it for the paycheck. this is just my personal opinion. it doesn't make you a bad nurse if you are in it for the money. you really can't say that a nurse is a bad nurse because she is in it for the money, as long as she provides the care necessary then that is what counts. i just know for myself that i would hate waking up everyday going to work as a nurse for the money. kudos to those that can do it. honestly there are alot of jobs that pay even more then nursing that i can think of. now those jobs i might do for the money but no way would i do nursing for a paycheck. i am currently in nursing school and have worked as an cna in a hospital for several years. i got to see alot and after seeing everything that nurses go through, i knew i would have to want to become an rn, not soley based on a paycheck.

edited for clarity

I am a third generation nurse (still in school) and my mother and grandmother both loved their jobs. However, both decided to continue on to a master's degree not because of how much money they would make, but because the job was so physically taxing on their bodies. That speaks volumes to me that not only is nursing a job that is worth all of that hard work (they are still doing it even with that physical toll), but it is never something that I can enter into for just the money. Also, I believe that nursing can be a calling on people's lives because there are some nurses who have an innate ability for the job. That being said, you may be surprised with nursing. My mom went into nursing for the money because she needed to take care of me when I was born. After 15 or so years working as a nurse, she has found that she loves her job, is a completely different person while working (more outgoing, etc), and is an excellent nurse. She has even been nominated for awards in our county for nursing. But she still doesn't make that $100,000+ a year that you're talking about ;)

Lastly, I'm not sure if this EXACTLY applies to nursing because it's hard work, but it is a good quote to consider.

"Find a job that you love, and you'll never have to work a day of your life"

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