Ethics: Does it bother you when people are in nursing to make money?

[CaLLaCoDe]

I just wondered if others as I do feel there are some in our line of work who look at money, security of earnings first rather than having a passion for their patient's welfare or wanting to work at finding ways to improve their performance as a nurse.

Any thoughts? Comments? Rants?

[GilaRRT]

We live and work in a capitalist country. Nothing wrong with somebody taking advantage of this concept. Provided you do you job well and provide good care, why should it matter if you are in it for the money?

[RNDreamer]

money was one of the top reasons why I chose to go into nursing...I live in NYC and condos are being built everywhere I look, it seems. ....answering the phones for $13/hr is not going to cut it when I am 50 years old.... the hours are another reason why I chose nursing. I love the fact that I can work 3 days a week, and spend 4 days a week watching my (future) children grow....none of this would matter, though, if I didn't feel that I would like nursing.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

There's no way in hell that I would do this job for free. As much as I enjoy nursing, I would walk away with no hesitation if the pay does not remain competitive. I strongly feel that nurses deserve middle-class comforts for all of our hard work, sacrifices, stressors, triumphs, and tribulations. We are often the difference between life and death for our patients, so I feel we should be compensated.

We, as nurses, need to stop denying the importance of the paycheck. Without money, I become homeless and hungry. I fully expect to be paid for all of the services that I render.

[EmmaG, RN]

To be perfectly honest, I find this sort of mind-set to be rather insulting (not referring specifically to the OP, but in general) that we somehow must have a 'calling' in order to be a good nurse. And again, it perpetuates the long-suffering, martyr stereotype. If we can't respect ourselves enough to care that we are paid well and have some semblance of job security and mobility, how can we expect others to respect us--- management, doctors, patients and their families?

Many wish to view nursing as a profession. I don't believe it's there yet, and this is but one aspect that is keeping us down, IMO. Do you see other professions castigating their members for wanting to make a good living? For demanding they be adequately paid for their services? Questioning their motives for entering the profession?

[Glina]

I am not a nurse yet but I hope to be one in the future. I will be in it for the money, job security, flexibility and being able to be with my kids 4 days a week. I do not have a passion for it and I do not know if I ever will. If I do, great, if not, it’s a job as any other. I do not feel guilty about it and I never will, but, other people might reading and listening words like yours. What is wrong with doing you job and doing it great, whether I like it or not or have passion for it, it is nobody’s business. I also think that a lot of people are not honest with themselves when saying they are in nursing only for helping people. If that’s the only reason they are doing it, they can do that for free and not be paid 30$/hr. Why is there so much pressure on having passion for it?

[lamazeteacher]

It's refreshing to see that someone 20 years younger than I am, feels that way. When I went into Nursing, I knew I would not be a big moneymaker, but satisfaction doing my work well, more than made up for that. Then I married a law student who excelled at school and was a "workaholic" who became obsessed with making money, but spending it for a huge house, expensive cars, and not on me or our children, divided us and eroded our love. When I married him, he wanted to work for civil liberties, but wealth and alcohol became his demise. We're divorced now.

Money doen't buy happiness, let me tell you!

Observing the "what the traffic will bear" attitude of insurance companies (especially healthcare), doctors, lawyers and others, I see that society now respects those who get away with overcharging, as in "He... (not she).... with the most toys, wins". I couldn't believe the humongous "Hummer" a Medical Assistant drives to work at a Public Health Clinic. Granted, she bought it with her husband, and he drives another one, but it does give pause............ That statement makes it obvious that financial gain is their goal - which doesn't necessarily mean quality of care is sacrificed, but from the (lack of quality) work I saw that M.A. do, and they way she was last in, in the morning, and first out at closing time, one could make some pretty accurate assumptions.

One's accoutrements tell the story regarding what's important in their lives, for most individuals, but who am I to criticize? Only if their work suffers, can I judge others, as their supervisor. The stress of overspending makes some people very ill, and then all is lost, as we see in the current housing loan crisis, and those without health insurance.

The saddest thing about our monetary system (?), is that money is now printed in the USA without anything backing it, and we're all playing monopoly! Nurses are paid more than ever, teachers make considerably less, comparatively than equally educated others, and society suffers from lack of appropriate priorities. The kids are in charge - look at the spending power of adolescents!

What we lack in leadership for this country, we achieve in spending more money than we have, and who does that hurt? Contribute as much time as possible to support the presidential candidate of your choice, after reading as much as possible about that person's platform. If an election seems "fixed", we must protest, and get recount after recount, if necessary!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, thankful that what you may lack in material things, you have in your hearts and souls. If you have material things, well, I hope you can afford them, and that they last a long time......

[DTCC PreRN]

I'm not doing it for the money. I'll be earning a significantly lower salary when I become a nurse.

I'm doing it because I want to do it.

[lamazeteacher]

Starbucks stocks ride due to carnivorous business practises! What a great point to illustrate the power of money. I used to live in Petaluma, where "The Deaf Dog" coffee shops (3) were being squeezed by Starbucks, and on a recent visit there, I found Starbucks where "Deaf Dog(s)" has been! The grizzly, passionate owner of the latter shops, after selling thousands of bumper stickers saying "Friends don't let friends drink Starbucks" either sold high, or law suits due to that slogan ruined him.

What has that got to do with Nursing? well, it demonstrates political games Nurses play too,these days. Someone wrote that they went into Nursing for security. They will discover that those who guard their jobs by playing up to the power brokers at their facilities, and no matter what the effect on patient care might be, their decisions are based on pleasing their bosses, first. In other words, the bacon on the table is bought through watching our "bacon". We are often bought, lock stock, and barrel, by restricting rebuttal to what our consciences tell us isn't right. Eventually, the angel on one shoulder loses to the devil on the other shoulder (remember that cartoon?). When the conscience loses too often, self preservation wins over ethics........ I've seen it too often, and loathe it!

[happydays352]

I entered healthcare because I was interested in medicine I was curious about disease processes and the human body. I intend to be an NP since this career will satsify me in that respect. However if it didn't pay well I would be doing something else in medicine.

I don't think we would ask a CPA if they love accounting and then deride them if they say they are doing it because it provides an acceptable income.

I love what I do now, I love it, and I won't be doing it for much longer because I make 10 bucks an hour. I see being an RN as a stepping stone to NP and as a job that pays well. Am I a bad person because of that, am I going to be a bad nurse? Is the CPA in the above example a bad person or a bad CPA.

Does the motivation matter if the work is of good quality, if a nurse is in it because she loves nursing and not the money, but is lazy is she a better nurse?

I say look at the results, I like anyone who does a good job regardless of their motiviation (as long as that motivation doesn't involve hurting people or infringing on other's rights).

[wayunderpaid]

No, if anybody comes to nursing because of money, they will be sorely disappointed. Hours can be bad. Flexible schedule is not as "flexible" when units need to be staffed, have to work weekends, holidays, nights, miss football, soccer games, and sometimes you are treated like nothing more than a waiter/waitress. I too, got a pay cut when I chose nursing over my previous career. You'll never get rich on nursing. It is not paid as well as it should, for the amount of responsibility that it is given to nurses.

As for nursing being a "calling", I don't agree with that concept either. Nursing in my mind is just like any other service profession, whether other people think of it as that or not.

People choose nursing for a lot of reasons, and who cares what those are. What is important is the kind of care that nurses provide. Is it safe? Is it humane and dignified? If the answer is yes, then who cares what the ulterior motives are.

As for the nurses who sit and gripe about everything, that is common from the truck drivers, to MD, to congress. If it bothers you, just let it slide....

wayunderpaid

[leslie :-D]

Ok OK you have a very good point EG! We earn what we justly deserve in salary; some of us think otherwise...that MDs earn exponentially more than us and that's just not fair.

i don't understand those who would even dare to equate a nurse's salary with an md's.

of course, md's would make lots more.

any nurse who compares their job to that of an md, needs to deflate some air.

but for what we are expected to do, some are underpaid, no one is overpaid.

it's interesting.

i contrast my thoughts from yrs ago, to now.

yrs ago, i am sure i would have resented anyone in the field, for the money only.

afterall, wasn't it our healing hearts that described a natural-born nurse....a calling, if you will.

these days, i fully appreciate the nurse who is savvy yet sensitive:

a person who knows what s/he wants, and knows how to attain it.

totally different concept of nsg, from yrs before.

so yeah....if someone wants to enter nsg for the $$, go for it.

but do your job.

and do it, damn well.

don't ever make a pt feel that you're in this profession, merely to collect a paycheck.

if your pts feel safe in your care, you have done your job.

and that's all that matters.

so go for those big $$.

i wouldn't ever take a penny less, ever again.

leslie

[RN1980]

there is nothing wrong with getting compensted for the job you do. as far as doing it just for the money, there maybe some folks who do, but i think they will burn out of the feild if they have no desire to do it. i like what i do and enjoy helping those who really need help it, but screw with my pay and i'll raise hell...