Career switch - from 6 figure salary

career2 · May 18, 2004

"Well, if Bush et al have their way, Employers will be under no obligation to pay time and a half."
Im not talking a higher rate for the overtime. In the IT industry as "exempt" employees we can work 80 hours a week and get the exact same paycheck as when we work 40. Oh but maybe we get to keep our job.
"As far as outsourcing, foreign nurses are being insourced in. Hospitals and others are clamoring for relaxing immigration to allow them in."
Yes but the foreign nurses still have to pay rent here! One can live pretty nice in Bangalore on a 5K salary. Thats not happening in Oakland, CA. I do worry about this but its not the threat that outsourcing is.
"That's the way to fix the nursing shortage, not by improving working conditions. And unlicensed personnel are being trained to perform nursing duties, like giving meds and catherizing patients. Nursing is being deskilled. It is far cheaper to bump up the skills of a CNA, use LPNs/LVNs, than hire on RNs."
In Cali we got mandatory staffing ratios for RNs. Of course the Adminstrators are lobbying against it. Thank god the nurses here seem much better organized that the poor tech workers.
"So don't be so smug about nursing's rosy future. There are many issues going on right now, none of them particularly optimistic."
Cheer up, the fact of the shortage is optimistic for you. Its Basic Economics, low supply of nurses = high pay.
"As I stated in an earlier post, one should not enter nursing merely because it seems like a "good opportunity," or think that they can have convenient hours, or for any other reason than that they truly wish to work as a nurse. Otherwise, it will be sheer misery."
I'm happy you work as a nurse just to save the world and don't care about pay. My Sister took this approach to Medicine. As an MD, she makes less money at a clinic for poor people than RNs make around here. Good for her. Sorry I am such a selfish bastard!

Soonstudent · May 18, 2004

Right on!!

A lot of the above posts made me fuming mad! Melly, a lot of these people are angry at life, not nursing. :angryfire
The most laughable comment has to be about nursing not having any job security because we are usually employed "at will" meaning we can be fired any time. Newsflash: 99% of the people in this country are employed "at will." You clearly have no idea what it means to have no job security.
I used to work in IT. To give you an idea, imagine that you've just spent 20 years becoming a kickbutt ER nurse. And then imagine that all the hospitals on the planet just stopped doing emergency medicine. That's what IT is like. (Just substitute ERP Software for ED Nursing.) In nursing, even if your ER closes, you can always go across town and get a new job.
When was the last time someone posted on this board about not being able to find a job?
Oh, and the people who complain about not having enough flexibility. Hello?! Do you know what it's like to work 6 12's? With no overtime compensation? For weeks on end? That's what many of my IT jobs were like.
And then of course people complain about the money. Well, a lot of them are probably not willing to work OT. What do you expect for 36 hours a week? No one is going to pay you 6 figures working 3 days a week with a bachelor's or less. No one.
People have these fantasies in their heads about what a working day is like for people with "normal" jobs. They have this infuriating notion that there are people out there who put in 40-hour work weeks in stressfree jobs and pull down 6 figure salaries. And even better, they think these people can take time off anytime they desire. And the best part: They think they have job security.
And a final piece of advice: Don't take advice from anyone over the internet.

ClimbingNurse · May 18, 2004

First, I want to reply re: the comment about nurses potentially not getting compensated for OT. Hello?! Do you really think that will happen? Don't you think that hospital would have a bit of a hard time finding adequate staff? Hospitals are bending over backwards to attract people!

And another thing: In nursing, the vast majority of what you do on a daily basis has intrinsic value. What you are doing at work matters. If you have trouble believing that, you should probably find a new job. Let me know how you feel about spending over half your waking hours achieving little more than "increasing shareholder value."

Again, to respond directly to to the OP: Think about it, if these people are so unhappy with nursing, why are they all still nurses? There are TONS of people making personal sacrifices right now to switch careers into nursing.

I would like to extend an invitation to anyone here who is so profoundly unhappy with nursing to leave! Go back to school and get a degree in IT, business, accounting, whatever. Come back and talk to me in 3 years after you've had time to experience the other side of the fence. Let me know what you think of the grass.

career2 · May 19, 2004

...
And another thing: In nursing, the vast majority of what you do on a daily basis has intrinsic value. What you are doing at work matters. If you have trouble believing that, you should probably find a new job. Let me know how you feel about spending over half your waking hours achieving little more than "increasing shareholder value."
..
I work in a field that is all about talking venture capitalists out of their money for business schemes that wont work -- Dot Bomb work. On the off chance that our business succeeds we will help few very rich people get a little bit richer -- managing their stock portfolios for them.
But of course in the meantime I make 150K to sit around all day and take two hour lunches. I have no stress, never work night or weekends and I go home at 5pm every day.
Cheer Up Everyone :)

Gldngrl · May 19, 2004

First, I want to reply re: the comment about nurses potentially not getting compensated for OT. Hello?! Do you really think that will happen? Don't you think that hospital would have a bit of a hard time finding adequate staff? Hospitals are bending over backwards to attract people!
And another thing: In nursing, the vast majority of what you do on a daily basis has intrinsic value. What you are doing at work matters. If you have trouble believing that, you should probably find a new job. Let me know how you feel about spending over half your waking hours achieving little more than "increasing shareholder value."
Again, to respond directly to to the OP: Think about it, if these people are so unhappy with nursing, why are they all still nurses? There are TONS of people making personal sacrifices right now to switch careers into nursing.
I would like to extend an invitation to anyone here who is so profoundly unhappy with nursing to leave! Go back to school and get a degree in IT, business, accounting, whatever. Come back and talk to me in 3 years after you've had time to experience the other side of the fence. Let me know what you think of the grass.

Even though you were responding to the OP, I'm going to respond as well and simply state that there are those of us that are "making personal sacrifices" switching careers OUT of nursing... why? Not because we were profoundly unhappy with it, but because (I speak for myself here) feel that I can do more for the profession by working outside of it; to improve conditions. In my law class alone, there were two of us that were nurses, one NP, and two MDs. One of my colleagues is a public speaker and works to help nurses understand how the law affects their practice. I'm taking a bar in 2 months and looking to practice in labour and employment law, specifically dealing with nursing unions. I fulfilled two internships with state agencies while in law school and enjoyed both immensely and while any job will have its share of both pros and cons, I definitely know that the grass (and myself)will be less trampled upon in law than in nursing. There's a reason that half a million RNs are choosing NOT to work in nursing currently and many nurses remain in the profession because they don't have the option of another career.

ClimbingNurse · May 19, 2004

Gldngrl, thank you for working to improve things! I'll call you if I ever run into any trouble with an employer. (Assuming I can afford to pay your billable hour.) :)

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · May 19, 2004

... with your professional background I would think that you could go into nursing informatics. That would enable you to apply your past experience to the nursing field and... earn more out of the gate...

Good advice, Mel.

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · May 19, 2004

"I have been a R.N. for only 7 months and out of school for a year and since I have been out of school I started working on the med-surg floor I currently work on now. I have flexibility on my job. I am able to trade a night if I need to. At my job we only have to do 1 major holiday and 1 minor holiday per year. I only have to work a TOTAL of 3 weekend nights a month. Not every other weekend or anything like that. I literally got to choose my schedule and I can even change it now if I wish."

:rotfl: :rotfl: I find this amazing, that you have carte blanc, at such an early point in your career. Consider yourself licky. While we may only work 3 shifts a week, i found it almost impossibe to get the days off I needed (and I'm not talking about weekends or holidays). While I'm not discouraging melly from entering the profession, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Some people never adjust to nights. And some people may never get a day position (depending on where you work, and who's on days- that may never leave). Holidays stink- but it's part of the job. You need to understand that going in to the profession. I personally prefer the weekends. Depending on your schedule w/ hubby, weekends may work out better. And I love my weekdays off- the mall the supermarkets and the bank are empty!!

You'll definately be making sacrifices. I recently was speaking to some mommies about money- I kept my mouth shut after one of them was talking about a friend who made >100,000- she then said, "I'm not saying that's a lot of money". I guess I don't make as much as I thought I did. But we're not living out of a cardboard box. :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

Gldngrl · May 20, 2004

Gldngrl, thank you for working to improve things! I'll call you if I ever run into any trouble with an employer. (Assuming I can afford to pay your billable hour.) :)

Well, I'm going to try and apply with a state nursing union, I don't want to go the traditional law firm route, so I'm not apt to be rich, will probably be poorer than I am as a nurse :chuckle , but I didn't go into either profession to be wealthy. The way the market is, I'll be literally begging for a job, some of my law school colleagues (non nurses) still don't have jobs or are temping. Everyone within the nursing profession and from outside can work to improve their corner of the world, from different angles! That's why this bb is a great place to congregate and get inspiration from others (and a healthy dose of realism too).

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · May 20, 2004

.. .The way the market is, I'll be literally begging for a job, some of my law school colleagues (non nurses) still don't have jobs or are temping...

That's what I've heard also. Lots of JDs out there.

Good luck!

heart queen · May 20, 2004

mel, if you're still out there?

Husband works IT, I'm a nurse, we have a real good comparison to what you're looking at trading off, feel free to pm me.

IT hubby, works ungodly hours for salary, takes non reimbursed call, and yes he get calls all hours. He's always promised "comp time" for the extra hours, yet only can cash a small portion in, due to "todays's schedule demands'. He is just starting out, 1 year in, but his time is long and uncompensated like yours.

me RN- now we made a trade off, I could have free family health insurance, if I signed on full time and had my schedule dictated to me. But hubby carry's it for $400 per month so i can work two per diem jobs. I make my schedule. period. only two holidays per year,between the two, four weekend shifts in a 6 week period. On the days, and ONLY on the days I SAY SO! Now mind you, I gave up all benny's and took a $4 per hour pay cut to have this controll. BUT, I work four shift a week sometimes to bring in extra money for vacations and purchases. Perdiem is VERY lucritive in many states, not mine. So we made sacrifices but I controll my work days. to me this is priority.

Point is you have a choice to change IT employers to have more home time, but this is VERY unlikely, or take a 50% or more pay cut to have controll of your schedule. Which is more important and what you can afford and what is the priority, are all entirely up to you and your husband. Plus, don't burn your bridges. Nursing is nothing like you'd expect it to be. You have to have been there done it, to understand.

hobbes · May 21, 2004

Melly,

I'm in the same boat as you and I would take with a grain of salt some of the responses you see hear. Only you truly know your situation and what will make you happy. Most nurses here who don't know someone in the IT field don't have a clue about how tenuous your 6-figure salary truly is. Yes, it may be nice but you can't count on it because any given day you can be out the door without any good prospects of making that kind of money again. That's just a fact of life. With that in mind, I made the decision a couple of years ago to pursue nursing with the full realization that it would be a big change in lifestyle but also realizing that I may not have a nice 6-figure job in a couple of years. I immediatlely started cutting back and getting my familiy used to living on less. I started taking nursing prereq classes on the side, while putting away extra cash to tide me us through my nursing school stint (I'm the sole provider). Now, two years later, I will start nursing school in the fall with an expected graduation date of 12/2005. It hasn't been easy the last couple of years, but when I got my layoff notice a couple of months ago my wife was very greatful that we were prepared and had plans in place. I know that I will not have the flexibility of an IT job in most respects (i.e. working at home at will, laptop computer, etc) but I also know I will be able to separate work from family life as a nurse. No more working all hours of the night and weekend on miscellaneous projects that bring no satisfaction. So, just follow your heart and do what you feel is best. Good luck.