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

Ya, i guess i was a little harsh on him . I just think, as others have mentioned, if you're going to go into a profession for the money, why not go all out and go with the real moneymakers?? I strongly believe that you need to go into a field that you are passionate about in order to live a happy and fulfilling life. . and nowhere did i read that the OP actually wants to help people. What is disturbing to me is that they went out of their way to post ( brag!) on an allnurses site that they are only going into the career for the money. From what I've learned about nursing thus far- it takes a lot of dedication and perseverance . . and i think there should be a little more motivation than the money involved. I guess im a little too optimistic to think that people should actually pursue a career that they love, and that the pay should be like the icing on the cake. JMO :rolleyes:

Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.

i agree with you yell418!!!! ouldnt have said it better

Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

you my start being a RN for the" big bucks" but in the end if you don't like it you will end up quitting.. you have to love people for this job...

To the opener of this thread, you seem to have a lot of creative gifts. You mentioned that you have a degree in communications and creative writing. Why not pursue a career that is more on the creative side? Well, there is nothing wrong with finding a job that helps you to be self sufficient. Yet, you need to realize with nursing that they can never pay you for what you will deal with, because it is a highly stressful demanding job. The reason why people are stating, on this thread, that you need to have some other interests in nursing besides the pay, is because whatever salary you earn will never be equivalent to the hard work you will put in. I suggest you to do some soul searching and find out what you really want to do. Write down some things that actually motivate you and figure out a career that lines up with those things. I just got accepted into nursing school myself, and I'm trying to figure out if my motives are right. I have a lot of creative gifts as well, and I'm looking towards doing something with my interests. Also, I don't know if this is the right time for me to go back to school full time because I have bills to pay down. Anyway, to sum up everything I said, Don't do nursing for money if you aren't excited about it! There are plenty of jobs that you can make great money outside of nursing. If you go into nursing strictly for the money, you will be miserable and would rather work at a Wal-Mart than to deal with that amount of stress. I know people that have gone into nursing for the money and they HATE it! You might have to experience this for yourself like someone else mentioned on this thread. Experiences are usually the best lessons. Anyway, good luck.

Specializes in NICU.

while pay is definitely a great perk to being a nurse, i chose to pursue it as my second career because i want to make a difference in people's lives. as hack and cliche as it sounds, it's true

Just because nursing isn't someone's "passion" doesn't mean they wouldn't be a good nurse.

My friend just graduated from med school and is going to be a surgeon. His main motivator for this is making a boat load of money. Helping people is the least of his concern. However I know that he would make an excellent surgeon. He is technically superior to any of his classmates, he graduated in the top 1% of his class, and he is one of the most capable persons I know.

I would rather have him operate on me than a mediocre surgeon who thinks its his/her "calling" to be a doctor.

Specializes in Case management, occupational health.

Personally I do not think nurses are paid very well at all. An average salary of $24 an hour is not very good pay for the amount of work both mentally and physically and the emotional stress that nursing puts on you.

I would be very worried about burn out if you are in this for the money.

Specializes in LTC.

I must say this as well even though I'm sure others won't agree. I think thats it's completly wrong for the student to get accepted into a nursing program just to work as a nurse for the money over a student that can care less about the pay but want a career that he/she is passionate in. What about those students whom always dreamed of being a nurse and really have a passion for people and don't get accepted to nursing school. Then you have those students who don't really have a passion for others and are just doing it for the money but then they get accepted right away. Is there something wrong with this picture? I met a fellow nursing student of mine who plans to work as a nurse only three days a month. When I asked her about her specialty she immediately said " OH I won't be doing bedside care" and she stuck her nose up.

I do tend to disagree with your statement.

Ideally passion should be matched by academic excellence but if I can't have both I'll take brains over passion any day. If it's me lying on that stretcher I want a nurse who can figure out what is wrong with me over a nurse who is simply passionate. I have friends and family enough to care about me. What I want if I have to go to the hospital is to be able to come out ALIVE, with all of my parts, and with my health intact if possible.

Reminds me of a passionate nurse at my job who is always bragging about how she cares so much more than everyone else. Great you care a lot but uh try and not do things like make constant med errors, make residents wait more than one full hour for their prn pain relief that is due because YOU think they are drug seeking, and how about the time you called 911 and ran a full code on that DNR hospice patient? :selfbonk:

Passion has to be matched with intellect and if a person doesn't have the intellectual aptitude to be a good nurse then they need to be kept out of the profession for the good of the public.

I must say this as well even though I'm sure others won't agree. I think thats it's completly wrong for the student to get accepted into a nursing program just to work as a nurse for the money over a student that can care less about the pay but want a career that he/she is passionate in. What about those students whom always dreamed of being a nurse and really have a passion for people and don't get accepted to nursing school. Then you have those students who don't really have a passion for others and are just doing it for the money but then they get accepted right away. Is there something wrong with this picture? I met a fellow nursing student of mine who plans to work as a nurse only three days a month. When I asked her about her specialty she immediately said " OH I won't be doing bedside care" and she stuck her nose up.
Specializes in geriatrics.

Not the "excellent" pay, but job security and flexibility and medical benefits. I have always dreamed of being a nurse, and think I have a real aptitude for it.

Pay is a consideration, though. I also loved being a CNA, but the crummy pay drove me out of it.

hey, it's a free country. you are entitled to do as you please. however, as with anything, if you aren't at least somewhat passionate about it, it could be your atrophy.

Specializes in geriatrics.

True - at one time I considered studying accounting because it is one of the most "recession-proof" occupations. I came to my senses pretty quickly, though.

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