Is It Just Me...

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Nov 26, 2009

To the original poster, From what I have read there is not alot of places hireing nurses right now and all the ones that are hireing are looking for specific people alot of new grads have been out of school for months with no job yet, so for the people who are going into nursing just to have a job they still have to prove them selfs in school and even after that they will have to be patient for a job and if they truly go into nursing for the wrong reasons they most likly wont last.
I am one of those people who would like to become a CRNA right away, I want to do it because I like the idea of the career and the dutys, I wouldn't consider it a bad thing to have a dream to become a CRNA as soon as posible.

Of course--why should extensive clinical experience count?

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Nov 26, 2009

Is it just me or does it seem like there are many more people wanting to go into nursing now for all the "wrong" reasons? I feel like anymore everyone I hear wanting to go back to school for nursing just want to do it because they know they will have a job. I understand the economy is horrible right now, but I'm kind of getting irritating hearing all these people becoming nurses just because. Does anyone else feel this way?

No.

My little sister is an Army JAG. She joined the Army because she was a lawyer looking for a job. No one asks if she joined the Army for the right reasons. She's considered a hero, even though she spends her days in an office in New York. Why do nurses have to be so altruistic?

I was spurred to go into nursing because I liked working with people, and I definitely wasn't going to retire, or even advance, as a customer service rep. I thought "If I'm going to be a servant, I'm going to be a well-paid servant." Yes, I see nursing as a service job. I don't consider that demeaning. "Callings" are for nuns.

curiosity123 · Dec 5, 2009

This is an interesting question - in it for the love or the money. I have always felt incredibly fortunate because I make very good money at something I love.

I work at a top teaching hospital in an advance practice position, and staff that are not "passionate" about their practice at worst do not last and at best have limited professional options. Nursing is not just the technical skill required to cath a patient or change a dressing. It is an investment in the patient and the clinical outcome. For example, really listening to the immobilized patient complaining of leg pain means that you pick up the early signs of of a DVT that the physician missed. Demonstrating competence, intelligence, and yes compassion means that the physician, administrator, and your colleagues will listen to you when you advocate for your patient or your professional practice.

At my institution there are posters all over the place - "Every nurse a leader.'"

There is a reason that nursing is often tops of the list of the most respected professions and that nursing is a well compensated profession. I believe it has nothing to do with the basic technical competency of a being an RN.

Nursing the Caring Profession

http://www.rnjournal.com/journal_of_nursing/caring.htm

husker_rn, RN · Dec 5, 2009

I know the subject of calling vs. job security has been beaten into the ground; there are valid points on each side. Fortunately most nursing schools are able to weed out many who look for job security without realizing what the job entails. I went to a private college and first semester we had 160, second semester there were about 40. After that the 17 of us that remained, finished and passed our boards.

emmalou* · Dec 6, 2009

I can see where the OP is coming from actually .. I mean I don't think everyone necessarily needs to say they want to help people in regard to their career, and certainly, being attracted to a job for security and decent pay is fair enough ...

The fact is though, you really need to have a realistic perception of nursing and be someone who likes people to do the job well. You do need certain personality characteristics, morals and values to be a nurse (ideally). Just like you need to be a certain type of person to be a teacher, lawyer or social worker.

Still, as long as people do their best, the end result is the same, whatever reason you went into it for.

The worst thing I ever heard was someone in the public service saying she wanted to do nursing so she could become a drug company rep! Talk about selling out, not to mention the conflict of interest in using nursing as a springboard to drug rep. I was horrified by this and thankfully she never did it. That's an extreme case though.

Scrubby · Dec 6, 2009

I have a confession to make...

Yes I got into nursing mainly for the money. I did not have a stable job, my dream was to own my own house and I wanted a career that was stable. However, I did my research before enrolling into university, I asked some of my nurse friends what to expect, I looked on the internet before making my decision.

The way I see it is that if you're in nursing primarily for earning a living with the hopes of going higher up the food chain then you have to be realistic enough to understand that if you want promotion then you have to be a competent nurse by working hard to gain skills and knowledge. Anyone who thinks they won't start at the bottom like every one else needs a wake up call as well. If you're one of the types who clearly doesn't care about your patients, leave tasks undone and your patients are complaining about you then you will probably go nowhere.

I think it's wrong of people to judge anyone on their motivations for getting into nursing or any career. I'm going to go as far to say it's narrow minded and even childish to say that if you're a nurse for the money then you are not going to care about your patients. Yes we get some people who ONLY care about the money and nothing else, they are bad people to work with and clearly couldn't care about their patients at all but don't lump us all in the same bracket.

And also some of the holier than thou nurses who are in it for the calling get a very rude awakening once they become nurses as well.

witty_online_moniker · Dec 6, 2009

So....what are the right reasons for going into nursing? I'm a prospective nursing student and just want to make sure that I'm not offending those that are in it for the right reasons. How disappointing to know that nursing school does not guarantee a fabulous, high-paying job immediately upon graduation. :end sarcasm: Seriously, though, we are all motivated by different things. Maybe I'm being naive here but if a person is a competent professional that provides excellent patient care, should it really matter what prompted them to pursue nursing in the first place? I like interacting with people and the technical skills really interest me. I like science, I like math (heck, got a degree in it 10 years ago) and poop, puke and blood don't scare me. The sheer diversity of jobs available to nurses is very appealing to me. And I'd also like to get a paycheck every two weeks. Are those good enough reasons to consider a career change or do I need to dig deeper for something more altruistic?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2009

Nursing is the only profession that heavily scrutinizes the motivations of its members. Are you doing it for the money? Are you a nurse because you love people? Are you a nurse because you're a passionate angel of mercy?

Take a close, calculated look at the most of the other educated professions in society. People aren't questioning the motives of the physician, college professor, engineer, librarian, social worker, physical therapist, businessman, linguist, or pharmacist for the career choices that they have made. Other members of their professions aren't bothering them about selecting their respective career fields for the love of the job itself or other altruistic reasons.

This might sound blunt, but another nurse's personal reasons for entering the nursing profession are absolutely none of my business. We, as nurses and professionals, need to take a lesson from the other professions and stop beating each other down like nosy old cranks. Self-respecting professionals have confidence in their worth and, therefore, will negotiate for competitive pay. I do not work for free, and I fully expect to be paid for the all of the services that I provide.

emmalou* · Dec 7, 2009

I guess the reason nursing is so scrutinised is because, a) the perception by so many people of nursing being altruistic; and b) the fact that nurses see their clients more than any other health professional. To deal with people 8-12 hours a day, good or bad, is reason enough to expect that someone going into the job would be a people person.

I'm not into the whole Florence Nightingale perception of nursing - in actual fact, I think people who are pragmatic, less emotional and straight shooters make very good nurses - however you still need to like and respect people for the most part.

FYI - I hate that people think nurses are altruistic and endlessly kind - apart from being completely impossible to live up to, it usually means we miss out on pay rises or get paid less than other professionals; the perception being that we are somehow above needing money or practical life needs (kind of how people look at nuns or something).