Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
The people who go into nursing who have no real desire to be nurses eventually leave the profession.
Let's face it, no matter what profession you choose to examine, there will be people going into it because they are looking for a steady paycheque and job security. We don't question their decision, because it's what most people want from their career.
You will probably disagree with me, but I no longer consider nursing to be a "calling". To do so devalues nursing and relegates the education we undertake and the professionalism to which we aspire to the level of servitude, and not deserving of just financial compensation. We do not take a vow of poverty to become nurses. We are educated and deserve to be fairly compensated for the level of education we have, just like physicians, police officers, teachers, lawyers, dentists, etc. are compensated for their education and training.
The sooner we recognize that and start respecting and valuing ourselves and each other as nurses, regardless of our motives for entering the field of nursing, the sooner we will garner the respect of hospital administrators and other parties who help decide what nurses get paid. To come in with the attitude that "we do this because we've been called to nursing" (ie, because we are masochists/co-dependent/love cleaning up you-know-what) sends the message that we don't value ourselves enough to be paid for what we do.
Maybe you've got a passion for hands-on delivery of nursing care, while others have a passion for the science that nursing entails. It's not my place to judge another person's motives for becoming a nurse, nor is it yours. Just know what your own reasons are, be passionate about them and your nursing practice, and be the best nurse you can be.
I am not a bleeding heart. I do not suffer the emotional ups and downs of some nurses because they get wrapped up in their compassion and I am a good nurse. I am a blue collar guy that had no interest in nursing until I found out that they can make $50 plus per hour in this area. I was going through my mid life crisis, was bored with my life, needed a new challenge and I said to myself, Yea, I could be a REAL good nurse for that kind of pay.
Turns out I was right. I am not bored, make good money, get good reviews and complements at work, like my job and am a very good nurse.
It is just as important to be technicaly proficient, in control of youself, know when and how to treat your patients(and others) with respect and compassion as it to have longed to be a nurse your whole life.
So someone was "drawn to nursing"; They don't care about the money, are willing to work for low pay just to help others and that makes them a better nurse? That makes them broke when it comes to retirement time.
I was in the top of my class and used to watch some of the students that said it was "in their blood" to be a nurse". They would say "My Mom was a nurse and I knew as a little girl/boy I would be a nurse also"
While I watched some of them stumbling about during clinicals and struggling to be good nurses (many failed out) I would say to myself - Self, I am really glad I am not like them.
Don't get me wrong, if you are in it "only to help others" that is great and I know some facilities that would LOVE to hire you. I do believe it is okay to "have it in your blood" and really do respect you for it but I am as good a nurse as you and probably make more money.
Yes Virginia, it IS okay to be in it for the money.
i'm not exactly proud to be a nurse, and i keep it to myself at all costs. ultimately, i would like to go into some other career field, granted i can make the same amount of money or more. nursing is not my calling at all. with all of that said, i really do my best to take care of my patients. i sure do. i keep them pain free, i answer their questions, i ease their anxiety (usually with medicine, lol). i take a few minutes out to listen to them. i in no way come in grumpy and put on a grumpy face. is this faking it? i don't know. to me, it's geting the job done. i get compliments from patients for my "caring and attentive" style, but i really don't feel like i am doing that.
i really try my hardest not to get burned out. i take my time, do the things i'm supposed to do, but at a normal pace. i'm only one person. if management doesn't agree with this, well then too bad. they can find someone else to hire to help ease the load, or fire me and find a replacement person willing to break his or her back. i'll just go down the street and find another job. to me, breaking my back or being completely stressed out all of the time is unacceptable.
you are the kind of nurse that gives nursing a bad name. if you aren't proud of what you do then you shouldn't be doing it. "easing anxiety "usually with medicine, lol" does not strike me as caring and attentive nor is it good nursing practice. i would not want to be working with you, would not want to depend on you in an emergency and certainly would not want you caring for me or one of my family/friends. by all means, go find another career..stat!
Specializes in Cardiology, ER, Hospice, Pediatrics.
Every nurse has a different reason for being a nurse. I respect that. I have learned valuable lessons from nurses that were just there for the "paycheck". I have learned compassion and invaluable life lessons from those who would do it for free. I tend to take the best from both and move on with what started for me as a temporary job. Yes, I started 25 years ago for the paycheck. I do it now for the paycheck, the challenge, the learning and to give back in some small way to the world as a whole.
As a night nurse working OB (L&D, Mother/baby and Nursery) it burned my tiny behind (well, it was tiny then) when the younger nurses on nights were working those nights so they could go to school during the day. They were all obtaining their Masters Degrees so they could get OUT of Hands On Patient Care. They would invariably choose to "guard" the nursery. There, they could sit in a comfortable rocker, hold a baby and fall asleep. If a baby started crying in the nursery their usual response, was "Naughty baby". As with you, my blood boiled. At first I would go in and simply wake them up - "Hey, you are holding precious cargo. What if you should drop that baby while you are sleeping?" But that wasn't enough. They were all BSNs and I was an ADN (although usually in charge). Finally I decided it was just too darn dangerous and disgusting as well. When I saw a nurse sleeping with a baby in her arms I would give a call to the House Supervisor. She would toddle on up with her Polaroid Camera and take their picture. Soon that nurse would be gone. I was certainly not best friend of any of them, but they too had gone into nursing only as a stepping stool to something "better". Personally, I have never found anything better. BTW - that House Supervisor and I are still very close friends.
So, yes, it boils my blood to deal with nurses who don't give excellent, compassionate and quality care to every single patient - no matter what.
As long as this arguement exits, nursing wages will not rise to the level that they should. Being a competent professional requires more than feeling someone's pain. I never asked my dentist how they really felt about me. If they really like and care about me. I never asked my MD if if he feels my pain. I pay these providers for their professional services.
And, yes I am an RN. Do I really deep down like all of my pts. No. I get them all. The abusive husbands, druggies, criminals. You name it. I treat them all with dignity and respect. Not because I feel their pain, but because I have a standard that I hold myself to. I also work for a paycheck. And honestly, nursing really is not the killer money that you make it out to be. And I'm a second generation nurse. Second career.
IMO the ones who choose a nursing career without the love of nursing can either discover they love it and strive to keep increasing their knowledge base and level of understanding or... they get burned out and can't handle the stress that comes with the job anyway and quit.
The reason for going to nursing school really doesn't seem to affect the type of nurse a person will become. I have seen both ends of the spectrum and some that go for the love of the job end up being terrible nurses and vise versa. You really can't seem to predict which way it will turn out with some.
Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.
Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
:wink2: They will find out the hardway.........when they deal w/ blood , guts ,poops, and so many other things, that you do not have to in other jobs. It is definitely a calling, and not just a job! Let them find out the hard way . I just hope they do not kill any patients in the process !! Let your sister find out the hardway! The private schools for nursing is not a help either. You see when there are only the community and university nursing schools, there was always a long , waiting line to get in and selection was based from how may pre requisites you have finished of the science subjects and some experience in a hospital , preferably a nurse aid (patient contact) . Your points adds up as you finished the required sciences before gettin into the nursing training.They would prefer if you have already finished your chemistries, microbiology, anatomy,physiology, not to mention the maths and algebras before you can even get to the ones above. These are not easy task for the ones that just want to have a pay check!
Talk about paychecks ....we nurses must get together and lobby for a higher paycheck and a much safer nurse patient ratio-----the population we are dealing with now are older with multiple diagnosis and needs, and not as black and white in the older days. If we leave it to the hospital corporation , especially the one for profits. they will understaff you to death !!!! It is our license and you know how hard we got that license, huh?
I initially began nursing because my parents threatened to kick me out of home if I didn't get a job, and when I went to the local COmmonwealth Employment Office there were more nursing brochures than anything else - it pays (relatively) well, I'd get paid while I trained, you can travel, and nursing's recession-proof.
I think at some level you have to have compassion and empathy for others to stay in the profession for the long haul. I am not sure that there would be a lot of satisfacion in taking the job for a check.
In June I'll be twenty years in - full time, on the floor. Compassion and empathy aren't essential to being a good - or long-lasting - nurse, nor are they antithetical to desiring remuneration. As other members have posted, if money wasn't a motivating factor there's be fewer nurses and more volunteers. And believing that wanting to be paid, and paid well, is somehow incompatable with the philosophy of nursing is a key part of why we're inadequately recognised - both financially and in terms of status. I wasn't Called to be a nurse, I'm not a born nurse, but I'm a damn good nurse and I still find satisfaction in almost every shift.
I totally agree, and I have people say that very thing, "the pay is great and I am going to become a nurse"- sorry but find this crazy and yes insulting, it is a calling and for those in it for the money- they won't last and thats a fact. Thats the truth so there, I said it and I'm NOT sorry as this is how I feel- end of story!
The people who go into nursing who have no real desire to be nurses eventually leave the profession.
Exactly - for some people that desire is compassionate, or a calling, and for other's it's the challenge, or the skill development, or the desire to put food on the table and a roof over heads.
Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.
Exactly - for some people that desire is compassionate, or a calling, and for other's it's the challenge, or the skill development, or the desire to put food on the table and a roof over heads.
I guess that just proves , that we may have the same goals , but different reasons and pathways..................for the same purpose.... To take care of patients effectively ( your knowledge) and compassionately ( w/ empathy adn passion) .This is the difference ----- Big difference between the two , but if combined ....baby you rock !!!!!
HvnSntRN
89 Posts
The people who go into nursing who have no real desire to be nurses eventually leave the profession.
Let's face it, no matter what profession you choose to examine, there will be people going into it because they are looking for a steady paycheque and job security. We don't question their decision, because it's what most people want from their career.
You will probably disagree with me, but I no longer consider nursing to be a "calling". To do so devalues nursing and relegates the education we undertake and the professionalism to which we aspire to the level of servitude, and not deserving of just financial compensation. We do not take a vow of poverty to become nurses. We are educated and deserve to be fairly compensated for the level of education we have, just like physicians, police officers, teachers, lawyers, dentists, etc. are compensated for their education and training.
The sooner we recognize that and start respecting and valuing ourselves and each other as nurses, regardless of our motives for entering the field of nursing, the sooner we will garner the respect of hospital administrators and other parties who help decide what nurses get paid. To come in with the attitude that "we do this because we've been called to nursing" (ie, because we are masochists/co-dependent/love cleaning up you-know-what) sends the message that we don't value ourselves enough to be paid for what we do.
Maybe you've got a passion for hands-on delivery of nursing care, while others have a passion for the science that nursing entails. It's not my place to judge another person's motives for becoming a nurse, nor is it yours. Just know what your own reasons are, be passionate about them and your nursing practice, and be the best nurse you can be.