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 Geriatrics.

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

I don't know about that. I love my job but it's definitely work. Some days I feel like walking out but I'm all better by the next morning. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
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.

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Why should you apologize?? That sounds like a perfectly reasonable and well balanced approach!! :up:

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I finished Law in my home country Philippines, but when I migrate to this country in 2006 and was employed as a Legal Assistant, I was only getting $10/hour. With that amount of earnings, how would I be able to support myself if I lose my husband who is currently earning 6 figure a year? That $10/ hour wouldnt be even enough to pay-off our property taxes annually! So I took the LSAT, and planned to pursue my lawyering here, however, it would take me another 4 years in the law school and/or go back to Philippines and pass the BAR then go back here and take the BAR exam in New York. That would probably take a while. So, the door lead me to Nursing.

I know there will be physical contact with patients who may poop and vomit once and a while, but I never see it that way. These patients need competent and passionate nurses. I would be happy to make their stay in my care worthwhile.

Kudos to all nurses!!!! and soon be nurse....

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I finished Law in my home country Philippines, but when I migrate to this country in 2006 and was employed as a Legal Assistant, I was only getting $10/hour. With that amount of earnings, how would I be able to support myself if I lose my husband who is currently earning 6 figure a year? That $10/ hour wouldnt be even enough to pay-off our property taxes annually! So I took the LSAT, and planned to pursue my lawyering here, however, it would take me another 4 years in the law school and/or go back to Philippines and pass the BAR then go back here and take the BAR exam in New York. That would probably take a while. So, the door lead me to Nursing.

I know there will be physical contact with patients who may poop and vomit once and a while, but I never see it that way. These patients need competent and passionate nurses. I would be happy to make their stay in my care worthwhile.

Kudos to all nurses!!!! and soon be nurse....

Sometimes you will be working with "poop" more than once in a while. Maybe daily? But that is OK. When my son was just a little guy I never once changed a "poopy diaper" because it grossed me out too much. I did take him out an a couple warm days and use the garden hose to clean him though. now it is nothing at all to me I have dealt with it so much.

Two days ago at work a nurse I work with came out of the bathroom and we had a converstion about the bloody BM she had just had. Later in the shift I had to laugh to myself because it seemed like a totaly normal conversation to have at that moment. Years ago I would have run out the door grossed out.

Someday if I wind up in the hospital I dont care if my nurse is passionate just as long as he knows his job and can do it well. Part of it is acting like he cares even if at the moment he doesn't.

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Haha WOW you've gotten lots of responses on this--I didn't read through them, but I bet lots of people are maaad!!! Lol. I have always wanted to become a nurse for the nursing...BUT I am also excited at the prospect of good pay. I don't think it's bad to want to get into it for the money, though---that's the point of a career--to make a living!! If you're not into it though, you'll probably be miserable...but that's true of any career.

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Specializes in OB/Gyn, L&D, NICU.

$100k per year? You will likely go your whole career and not make that much, even if you get an MBA, MSN, CNP, here where I live - but we have a cost of living of less than half what you do in CA. You can get a VERY nice 3000 sf brand new home for less than $200k, starter home for $100k. (I am a loan officer in TX and was an insurance agent & property appraiser in CA, among other states). My mom is an RN with a Master's in gerontology and never made more than $25 an hour. When she lived in the Bay Area (CA), she could not even find a job. $100k may sound like a lot, but with the cost of living where you are, I would not go into nursing solely for the money because it is not going to seem like a lot after you pay for housing. I wish you luck, and also hope you find joy in your career in addition to good pay!:twocents:

I already have a BA in Communications, and a minor in creative writing. I have great people skills and am academically competent. I live in California's Bay Area which is one of the top paying regions for RNs. Yes, i know i will have a few years that aren't so glamorous. But after the first years, i'm sure everything will be alright. I know nurses that are making low 100,000 a year after working only ONE years in a long term care facility, then moving on to a hospital. So yes, the first few years might be a bit "dirty" but after that, getting into a area of interest will become enjoyable. Also, i would love to be a doctor or a lawyer, but that takes time. I'm all about the instant gratification, and right now about 3 years in nursing school are as instant as they get for sooner than later 100,000+ salary range.
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Specializes in GYN/GON/Med-Surg/Oncology/Tele.
$100k per year? You will likely go your whole career and not make that much, even if you get an MBA, MSN, CNP, here where I live - but we have a cost of living of less than half what you do in CA. You can get a VERY nice 3000 sf brand new home for less than $200k, starter home for $100k. (I am a loan officer in TX and was an insurance agent & property appraiser in CA, among other states). My mom is an RN with a Master's in gerontology and never made more than $25 an hour. When she lived in the Bay Area (CA), she could not even find a job. $100k may sound like a lot, but with the cost of living where you are, I would not go into nursing solely for the money because it is not going to seem like a lot after you pay for housing. I wish you luck, and also hope you find joy in your career in addition to good pay!:twocents:

ADN nurses make more than $25/hr. That's ridiculous that with a Master's your mom didn't make more than $25...what year was that?

CRNA's make well over $100,000 a year!

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$100k per year? You will likely go your whole career and not make that much, even if you get an MBA, MSN, CNP, here where I live - but we have a cost of living of less than half what you do in CA. You can get a VERY nice 3000 sf brand new home for less than $200k, starter home for $100k. (I am a loan officer in TX and was an insurance agent & property appraiser in CA, among other states). My mom is an RN with a Master's in gerontology and never made more than $25 an hour. When she lived in the Bay Area (CA), she could not even find a job. $100k may sound like a lot, but with the cost of living where you are, I would not go into nursing solely for the money because it is not going to seem like a lot after you pay for housing. I wish you luck, and also hope you find joy in your career in addition to good pay!:twocents:

What country do you live in?

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Specializes in OB/Gyn, L&D, NICU.

I live in San Antonio, TX. We have an extremely low cost of living, as well as low pay! LVNs make about $12-$15 an hour here, and RNs $25-$30 depending on the specialty. That is less than an elementary teacher per hour!:twocents: I have checked the classifieds as well as placement services, and here is a site to refer too:

http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-RN-l-San-Antonio,-TX.html

You can see back in January we were well below the nat'l average, but it is coming up.

Oh, my mom lived in San Jose in 1995-1997 and could not find a job after looking for 2 years.

What country do you live in?
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I live in Marin County (right across the GG Bridge from San Francisco). The starting pay for a staff nurse in San Francisco is $104,000/year. I am going into nursing because I like people, science, and am interested in working with cancer patients. However, if nursing paid $10/hr, I would run the other way. Maybe $104,000 isn't going to make me rich in an area where rents are starting at $2000/month for a ONE bedroom in a decent area. However, after volunteering for a long time with cancer patients, I feel I am good at working with people, and I understand their plight considering I have lost family members to cancer. I am also really good at science. I agree with Ruby. If everyone just worried about themselves, maybe we would have a more productive world in all aspects. So what if the OP is in it for the money? He can be my nurse if he is smart and motivated. Someone with his confidence will be able to make a quick decision in a tough situation without putting emotions first. I think an overly emotional nurse can actually be a hindrance. I am definitely an empathetic person, but I am not going to preach that this is my calling and I would do it for free. I wouldn't mind being a Biochemist and doing cancer research, but don't want to spend years getting a Phd, etc. Anyway, I know the OP was looking to stir the pot. HA HA. To the OP, marc, how do you like USF? USF is my first choice, and I will be applying for this upcoming Spring.

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To add on to my post, I have a BA in Political Science, and it's not doing much for me. I've worked in corporate, and despise it.

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I live in Marin County (right across the GG Bridge from San Francisco). The starting pay for a staff nurse in San Francisco is $104,000/year. I am going into nursing because I like people, science, and am interested in working with cancer patients. However, if nursing paid $10/hr, I would run the other way. Maybe $104,000 isn't going to make me rich in an area where rents are starting at $2000/month for a ONE bedroom in a decent area. However, after volunteering for a long time with cancer patients, I feel I am good at working with people, and I understand their plight considering I have lost family members to cancer. I am also really good at science. I agree with Ruby. If everyone just worried about themselves, maybe we would have a more productive world in all aspects. So what if the OP is in it for the money? He can be my nurse if he is smart and motivated. Someone with his confidence will be able to make a quick decision in a tough situation without putting emotions first. I think an overly emotional nurse can actually be a hindrance. I am definitely an empathetic person, but I am not going to preach that this is my calling and I would do it for free. I wouldn't mind being a Biochemist and doing cancer research, but don't want to spend years getting a Phd, etc. Anyway, I know the OP was looking to stir the pot. HA HA. To the OP, marc, how do you like USF? USF is my first choice, and I will be applying for this upcoming Spring.

You can commute from Novato or Petaluma and save alot of money even after the extra gas. I know a couple of girls commuting from Santa Rosa together and they love it.

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