If you did not need the money would you work like you are? I was talking with a co-worker (also went to school with her). I don't remember the exact conversation but I thought it raised an interesting question that could get a good discussion going. We were talking about farthing our education and I made a comment about how it would be nice to make that much money. She got very high and mighty and said something like well nursing is not about money; money has nothing to do with me being a nurse.... She made me feel very small. But honestly, if nursing paid min wage then I don't think I would do it. I could not afford to.
If every job in the word paid the same and school was free, then yes, I'd pick nursing.
If I woke up tomorrow and won the lottery, I'd quit a few of my jobs and maybe take a weekend off (in the middle of a 25 day stretch right now-Zzzzz) but I'd keep at least one job. Because I do love so much about nursing.
But I'm sorry, if they stopped paying me, I stop showing up for work. I'm sorry, but a girls gotta eat!
So, if you did not need the money would you work like you are?
I would still work, some...but not full time. I would have enough time to do the things that I wanted and needed to do without the stress of fitting it into my work schedule.
Specializes in Medical Surgical/Addiction/Mental Health.
I am sorry, but I can’t stand the “holier than thou” people preaching that nursing is reserved for those who want to care for the sick without regards to compensation. While I do think the profession requires a certain caliber of person possessing certain attributes, the profession isn’t strictly recruiting saints or volunteers either. Nursing, like other professions requiring higher education, should be looked at as an investment. We pay money to attend a college/university to earn a degree. With any investment, we seek a return on it. The same is true with graduate studies. Again, an investment is made, why shouldn’t the person be appropriately compensated for it?
I left a really good paying corporate career to go into nursing. I reached a juncture in my life where I felt quality of life outweighed salary. Even if I go back to school to become an FNP, I still won’t be making the kind of salary I once was accustomed to making. That is okay, I accepted the tradeoff.
Another poster mentioned living within a person’s means. I cannot agree more. Before going to school, I sold my home (5500sq ft home worth 605K). I bought a 1100sq bungalow at 125K and was able to pay cash from the proceeds made off of my previous home. I live a very modest lifestyle now, but I choose to do so.
If your friend feels that money should not be a factor for nursing, there are plenty of non-for-profit organizations that would love to have her volunteer her time.
She only thinks that money doesn't matter because her checking account balance is not negative. I'm guessing her opinion would change if her income actually ceased.
I'd continue working, and probably doing exactly what I'm doing right now :) But I would definitely use my financial resources to help advance my career as much as possible: school, certifications, courses, etc.
I career-changed into nursing, and it's actually more lucrative than my prior field and provides a good sense of purpose, but boy does it come with a lot of other issues. I do enjoy it when I have plenty of time to give proper care, and appreciative patients. But, that frequently isn't the case and I end up feeling stressed and physically overworked. My back would not survive many more years of bedside care unless I switched into another area....you should have seen how big my eyes got when I took a pt to PET scan and saw the pace of the nurses down there. If I hadn't been interested in advancing my education I would have been hoping for a transfer!
That said, if I were rolling in money I would open up an animal shelter/preserve/wildlife rehab center. And yeah, I'd do a lot more school. I'm a happy nerd in school.
Nope.. the pay sometimes, sometimes.. make it worth it. Then again I do like the flexibility, the hours, and you can pretty much hop around until you find a specialty. That can't be accomplished with most other occupations. Kinda in the air, its give and take. More than likely no.
(Though we see how well
PediNurse3
142 Posts
I would still work, some...but not full time. I would have enough time to do the things that I wanted and needed to do without the stress of fitting it into my work schedule.
Maybe someday. :)