Does it bother you when someone wants to be a nurse just for the money?

[KhloRN2be]

I have an acquaintance that wants to be a CRNA. No mention of being an RN first or how long it would take her to do it, just wants to be a CRNA. She's mentioned not wanting to work as an RN in the middle to avoid bedside nursing and "butt wiping" and just wants to go and get her Master's. She thinks being a CRNA is easy.

As a nursing student in an ADN program, I value bedside nursing and no matter what my wage may be in the future, I would like to stay at bedside. I don't think this person really knows what nursing is and I think she just wants to be a CRNA because of the money. She never seemed like a caring person, is quick to throw tantrums and has no patience at home. I do wish her the best with whatever career she likes, but it feels like she is turning up her nose at the line of work that I want to do. Does it bother you when you meet people like this?

[coast2coast]

The scary thing is this person will probably finish her R.N. do her 2 years ICU and graduate from a CRNA program. I wonder though in her application mission statement or interview will she tell them what she told you? God help us all........

Why is this scary? Just because she doesn't nobly enjoy butt-wiping doesn't mean she can't be a good CRNA.

I see this so often on AN. Conflating personality and ability makes for a poor argument.

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

I'm just sad for her if she's only in for it for the money. She'll never be happy. I've never met anyone doing a job "just for the money" who seemed content. There is much more satisfaction in doing a job you love even if the pay is not stellar.

[sunnycalifRN]

No, doesn't bother me at all. Everyone has their own reason for becoming a nurse and I don't think that I have any right to stand in judgement.

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Immediate response; yes, I have a problem with nurses entering the profession solely for money and status, which is all too frequently the case where I live. Many of our "new age nurses" don't care about their patients at all, they only see them as necessary evils to be tolerated as part of the path to the next pay check. I'm talking about RNs here, not referring to CRNAs at all.

I wouldn't worry too much about your acquaintance's motives. Once she experiences first hand the hard, rocky road towards becoming a CRNA, one of two things will happen; either she will gird up her loins and find the dedication it requires to enter what has to be the most demanding field of nursing-related study, or she will sink under the sheer weight of knowledge which is required to succeed in this field.

Many people see certain areas of nursing as "glamour professions", but acquiring the skills levels is a wake-up call.

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

Honestly, you will meet lots of people like that. I have met so many. Often though they have no background and no idea what the job entails. And it's just a big fluffy cloud up in their head. She may enjoy it. But honestly, I would ignore any opinions from someone who has no background in the subject.

I meet people often who say "I want to be a nurse." There's a big difference between want and actually doing it. And it seems most people nowadays are soley interested in the money. I do like it inpart because of the money, but it's not the only reason I do it. And I do think most nurses are underpaid.

[brielle776]

It bothers me. Becoming a CRNA is what everybody says they want to do these days, and the majority do it for the money. I think it's stupid for people who aren't already nurses or student nurses to say this, because it's hard to become a nurse period much less a CRNA. Plus, you never know what area you'll end up wanting to specialize in until you go through school. If you don't have the passion to be a nurse then why become one? I'd never do anything just for money, especially if I didn't enjoy it. Not to mention, It's not fair to the patients to have a nurse that hates the job and is only doing it for the money.

[klone, MSN, RN]

The scary thing is this person will probably finish her R.N. do her 2 years ICU and graduate from a CRNA program. I wonder though in her application mission statement or interview will she tell them what she told you? God help us all........

I don't understand why that's scary.

Actually, I think a CRNA is an excellent job for someone who isn't really into the touchy-feely bedside nursing interacting with pts/family thing.

At least she knows her limitations and interests.

I see nothing wrong with it.

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

To the original question: Yes

But if someone's goal is to be a CRNA then I don't really expect them to be excited about being RNs. (Even though that is a requirement to get into CRNA school.)

I think this is an unfair and untrue generalization. I know plenty of CRNA's that love being nurses, it just so happens that when they were advancing their practice, anesthesia was the route they chose.

To OP

I don't think that wanting to be a CRNA is bad thing. Sure there are nurse's whose motivations are only money, but other people have different reasons. Perhaps this person had an interaction with a CRNA that made a lasting impression and now that's what she wants to do.

As the other poster pointed out, not all nurses enjoy bedside nursing. That is one of the great things about nursing is that there are so many different areas you can get into if you don't like a particular one.

[nursel56]

I don't really concern myself with the "whys". I concern myself with what I see in their job performance. The fit of person to job is not as simplistic as it appears on the surface.

But I wonder how the CRNA job became so widely known by people not even in nursing school! Some sort of word-of-mouth buzz about the salary vs time invested in education ratio? There are alot of Advanced Practice jobs out there that pay pretty well, yet you rarely hear an 18 year old announcing the big news that she intends to be a Wound and Ostomy care specialist. IDK. The system seems to work well to weed out people who aren't qualified so I wouldn't take it too seriously.

[50caliber]

Each to his own.

If they can do their job, I'm fine with it.

[oneLoneNurse]

I went into nursing over 25 years ago because of the money. While the rewards have not been that great, I enjoy it some days. I don't think nurses should be paid less because they are nurses; I think we should be paid more. The whole idea that since we are caregivers we deserve less money is just plain wrong.

[RNperdiem, RN]

I would just accept that you and your friend have different career interests.

If she is truly not suitable, she will probably not succeed in jumping through the many hoops between nursing school and finishing as a CRNA. If she does, congratulate her.