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

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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?

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
To all those of us who judge people who are 'in there for the money only', how many hours will you work on the nursing floor if you knew you would not get paid for every minute of it?

*** Kinda hard not to look down on anyone who got into NURSING for the money. The money, except for CRNA, isn't nearly good enough for that. there are so many better paying occupations if one wants to do it for the money.

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I don't see why the thought of a nurse who doesn't want to do bedside nursing and wants to pursue advanced nursing practice for the money is "so scary."

I'm in the ED because I despised med-surg bedside nursing. I don't think being in a '2nd year ADN' program really qualifies you to make judgements about someone's potential for nursing...I hated floor nursing, does that make me less of a practitioner? I picked this profession because I liked the stability, the money, and the opportunity to do something that I felt was important...not because of some warm-fuzzy altruism that inspires me to come to work for free. Posts like these drive me insane.

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There seems to be a lot of judgements being cast on BOTH sides here: those complaining that nurses who are in it for the money don't care about nursing, and those who dont factor in a salary are Saint Bleeding Hearts. What's wrong with wanting good pay AND a desire to help others? A lot of you act like these things are "wrong", and that someone cannot possibly want both. But there are many of you who ARE both, which is fantastic, and proves all these generalizations WRONG. I don't understand the polarization on this topic. Who cares what other people do with their lives? Honestly! lol

If anything bugs me on this topic (though somewhat off topic), it's those who enter nursing school with visions of grandeur, and then drop out. That's a seat someone else - who would have succeeded - could have had.

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I'm just in my first semester in an ADN program, so I may not even qualify to answer this question, but I will say that I began taking my prereqs because I wanted to become a nurse for the stability, the salary, the benefits, and the 3 12-hour night shift schedule option.

I was scared of dealing with things that may gross me out, I was scared about dealing with difficult patients, and I was scared that I would be a bad nurse because my intentions for going into the field were not pure.

Well, again, I'm still just in my first semester with clinicals on an oncology unit, and I've only had maybe 15 patients altogether, but my attitude has already made a complete 180. I'm not as scared as I was the first time I knocked on a patients door announcing my entrance, and I'm finding it so rewarding connecting with patients and seeing how I am making their lives just a little bit more manageable during this difficult time in their lives.

I'm not the sweet, patient type of person naturally, and just the past couple months has already shown me a totally new way to view people, talk to people, and act toward people in general. I'm finding that I don't have to be the "sweet, patient" type, because those people can be really annoying sometimes when you're hurting. It's enough for me to just have a genuine concern for the physical and emotional well-being of the patients, and I know it's enough for me, because the nurses on the floor already told me that patients ask about me after I leave.

People do things in life for many different reasons, and they will come out of doing those things having learned new things, having seen new things, and maybe even having a completely different view on it from how they went it.

I don't think you should worry about your friend; she'll be fine. If she likes it, she'll get through her schooling and stay in the field, and if she realizes it's not for her, she'll find whatever suits her better. Instead, focus your energy on your schooling so you can graduate and do whatever it is that you want to do with your life.

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.
*** Kinda hard not to look down on anyone who got into NURSING for the money. The money, except for CRNA, isn't nearly good enough for that. there are so many better paying occupations if one wants to do it for the money.

Exactly. There is not that much money involved in nursing, and the way the job market is going these days, you may very well be working for free (or not working at all). now let's talk about "being a nurse for the money."

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Retirement Residence.

It does bother me... I can't help it.:rolleyes: But I would say something like "It doesn't bother me when someone goes into nursing for the money, but it DOES bother me when someone goes into nursing ONLY for the money" :mad: When someone's #1 priority in a job is money and they become a nurse only for that reason, ugh:uhoh3:, that I really don't get! There, I've said it!

When I made a decision to become a nurse, money was #3 for me. I do care how much I'll be making, hey, we all gotta make a living, and working as hard as nurses do a fairly decent pay is a must! If money was the #1 priority in my life I would go into business or something, there are jobs that pay ALOT more than nursing! :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I couldn't care less why one of my fellow nurses got into nursing. Part of the reason I chose nursing was that it was a stable profession and easy to get into (well at the time it was) and a job that I could help people.

All I care about is that a nurse is safe in their practice, treats patients with respect , and I don't have carry their workload as well as my own because they need constant spoonfeeding.

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I'm not concerned about why my co-workers became a nurse.

I'm more concerned if they are team players and pitch in and help when needed.

I'm also more concerned if I'm a patient and going into cardiac arrest, do they know ACLS? It wouldnt help me if I'm having a massive MI and some nurse is pillow-fluffing and holding my hand instead of getting the crash cart and running for help.

Better yet, if they were to take care of my family member, will I feel comfortable leaving my family member in their care? That's what I'm more concerned about instead of their motives as to why they became a nurse.

To each their own.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

I don't think it's anyone else's business *why* someone wants to go into nursing. Me? I totally went into it for the money. I graduated HS in 1974. There weren't a lot of professions easily available to a woman living in the deep South in those days. Pretty much teacher, secretary, nurse or babysitter. I picked nursing because I figured I could always get a job(and thankfully, that has held true) and I thought I could *tolerate* the work. Lucky for me,I did fall in love with nursing,but it wasn't love at first sight. In fact, I was more than halfway through school before I became comfortable with my chosen profession. Heck, even now, 34 years later, I could say I'm in it for the money. Who would do this work if the pay wasn't at least decent?

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

When I was in school, I too thought people should have to have a passion for nursing. Now, it would be nice if everyone did, but I do not think it should be a requirement. I want some one that is competent, and if compassion comes along with it then great. We have an anesthesiologist who is know to be a total jerk off by all nursing staff, but he is great at what he does and I would be his patient any day.

As far as the money part, I have friends who work at another hospital that make almost $10 more an hour than me and have way better benefits; but their hospital is run like the military, it is all about numbers, and administration is up everyones butt....they joke that what they make is a sin; but they both want OUT.

Nurses do not make that much money. Sorry. My friend who is still working on her AA in accounting is the office manager of a local branch of a national auto dealer and makes twice as much as I do as an RN-BSN working in a specialty department.

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Specializes in ICU, APHERESIS, IV THERAPY, ONCOLOGY, BC.

Are we overlooking the core competencies required for a sucessful and SAFE career as a CRNA? Personally, it is a career which i find interesting and challenging and a speciality which I regret not exploring. Working in a PACU and ICU, the role of the CRNA is vital to safe and effective anethesia, pain management, and all of the known and unknown variables which can arise with anesthesia ranging from the presumed " simple, straightforward" to the more complex. Your friend deserves kudos for choosing such a rewarding and stressful career choice - if there is a financial reward, ultimately, that is further influenced by how well she will perform and the margin of safe practice in relation to the patient.

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You are absolutely right and one year is not even enough, most schools take2-3 years as a minimum. Just curious though-whats grosser than poop?LMAO, cant think of anything grosser:)

Well the first surgery I watched as a student was a "dirty" case, they said. The patient had PID, and when the surgeon opened the whatever he opened down there, and about a gallon of really awful smelling pus came gushing out, I really almost fainted. The anesthesiologist turned very pale too. So I think it's odors of infection that is worse than poop, including the odor of an infected decutitus (that I encountered in home health nursing). Really, really gross!

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