Is there any nursing job that'll make $30,000+/yr for the FIRST job?

MrsMommaRN · Aug 10, 2006

my dear matt, you can't go into nursing with the delusion that you will love it because of the money. you have to go into nursing for the right reason your reason seems a bit askew.

RN2B07 · Aug 10, 2006

Nursing is definitely something you MUST want within....you will get a wake up call if you are just doing it for the money. If you really want to be a nurse, then yes...it is very possible to make that amount. But you have to want it from within yourself. Good luck!

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Aug 10, 2006

You won't love it solely based on the paycheck, but it does make it easier to take some of the BS. You have job security and you are doing work with immediately tangible results. I like making people feel better, but I have not found nursing to be a "calling". There are other things I can do with my life where I'd make as much money as I am now, but I enjoy nursing. I'm sure there are some here that would disagree with my motivations for being a nurse, but yes, I am in the field because it pays well in comparison with the level of education received.

There is no shame in being seeking out adequate compensation for a difficult job. I am a professional as opposed to "just" an angel who is there to wipe fevered brows - I mean, I do that too, but there is way more to it.

Good luck to you,

Blee

PS - if you are curious about what goes into the job, you could take a job at a hospital if you can swing it with your course load. Then you'd know for sure if you wanted to do it.

begalli · Aug 10, 2006

An RN or LVN "major" pretty much anywhere in the country can make $30k a year right out of school.

~$16/hr x 36/hr wk (3-12/hr shifts/wk) = ~$30,000

CNA's where I live make much more than that.

ukstudent · Aug 10, 2006

Matt you seem to have no understanding of nursing. There are no different majors in nursing there is only nursing. We all come out at the end and need to pass nclex. You learn to specialize after getting a job. Before changing your major to nursing, find a local hospital and find out if you can shadow a nurse so you can see where you would be heading. In nursing you have to multitask and keep several ideas open at all times. Computers are very linear ( a always leads to b then c etc.) if you wanted to go into computers (sit in an office) then nursing may not fit with your personality. Wages depend on what part of the country you are in.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Aug 10, 2006

Hey Matt,

It's always great to hear of another guy interested in nursing. Like the other posters have hammered you with in previous posts, you really have to want to do nursing for the right reasons, or you'll be miserable. You'll work long hours, fill out tons of paperwork, and not always be treated well by patients, doctors and other nurses. The money's there if you want it, but your heart has to be there. There are a lot of benefits to nursing, including making a difference in someone's life. Try to shadow a nurse in an area that may interest you, whether in the ER, an ICU, cardiac, Oncology, etc. Nursing is similar to computers in that there is almost always a "set" of rules for each diagnosis. You need to know disease processes, and how to work to "fix" them.

Nursing IS the major. You either get your associates or bachelors degree in nursing after 2-4 years. You may have to do some prerequisites before entering a program, but it's individual to the school you want. Once you graduate, you'll take a national standardized exam, which if you pass will give you a license to practice in one state that you choose (you can add states later if you want) Then you can apply for a job in the area you want. (see areas above) Most hospitals have classes and an extended orientation in ICU's and ER's to teach you the "real world" stuff that school can't. I graduated in 2005 with my bachelor's in nursing (BSN) after 4 years, and worked in a neonatal ICU with preemies for the last 14 months. I'm transferring to a day shift job in our Trauma ER for a new experience. Most RN's can make $40-50k a year right out of school, depending on the area of the country you're in, and how much overtime you're willing to put in. Well, I hope this helps, PM me if you have any more questions!

RNgirlie · Aug 10, 2006

Matt,

what state are you in? I'm in new york and i graduated with as associates in nursing. most of my graduating class including myself make 60,000-70,000 base salary (and with overtime you can only imagine how high it can get). i thought the title of this tread was a joke. do a search there is pleanty of salary info already 'threaded'.

and money is certainly not every single thing there is to it. you have to as least like working with people, seeing sickness, and of course be able to stand on your feet a lot. and there are tons of other things to being a nurse. wanting job security and financial ease is fine but it should not be your ONLY reason, because you may end up being very very miserable later.

rach_nc_03 · Aug 10, 2006

Matt-

I subscribe to Blee's school of thought- you don't have to be an 'angel of mercy' to be a nurse. That being said, you do, indeed, need to want a career in nursing to be able to stick with it, although there are a variety of legitimate reasons to 'want' it (read the thread on 'what exactly ARE the wrong reasons?').

Anyway, you can make $30K a year as an RN in most markets that i know of. CNA's in a lot of states don't make that much, but some states do pay them that much- comes out to something like $14.42 an hour for 40 hours a week (although most nursing and CNA positions do 3 12 hour shifts per week, which comes out to 36 hours/week).

Remember that in the tech industry, if you do something that *requires* an employee to physically be on-site - like network engineering- your job isn't going to be outsourced to india.

One thing you should think about, though, is the fact that most people think of 'working in the computer industry' as a desk-job environment, and the majority of nursing jobs involve being on your feet most of the day- it's much more tactile. That aspect of nursing appeals to people who don't want to be chained to a desk all day, but it's not for everyone.

I would agree that you should get an idea of what nursing work is like before making your decision- personally, I'd see if you can shadow a nurse (or CNA, for that matter) for a few days at your local hospital before you even decide to pursue CNA certification (a lot of nurses work as CNA's before they become nurses). At my old hospital, it was common for high school and early college students to come in for shadow days, and people were very helpful and informative with them.

You're going to get a ton of 'you can't go into nursing for the money' responses to your post. Personally, I think the vast majority of people who have *any* job do it for the money- maybe not exclusively, but it's always a big factor. That being said, it's not the best job to have JUST to make money- you can make much more money doing other things- although, as I'm sure you know, the higher the pay, the more 'crap' you have to deal with...my husband (who just left the army) has received offers of 200K/year to go work in iraq. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but not worth it to us. Conversely, nursing generally pays fairly well for a new college grad, but you have to deal with things a lot of people don't want to do- dealing with a lot of bodily functions (yeah, nurses clean up a lot of poop, generally), standing on your feet for 12 hours a day, being treated like a servant by some families, patients, doctors....it's all about what price you're willing to pay.

I wish you the best of luck in your search.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Aug 10, 2006

I am 15 months out from graduating. When i graduated, i made 17.05 an hour (no exp whatsoever). 17.05 an hourx 36 hour weeks x 52 weeks a year=$31917 a year, before taxes/insurance/403B. I now have had a system wide nurse raise, and my annual raise and make more than that. plus overtime.

By no means rich, but it pays the bills.

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Aug 10, 2006

$30,000 phew - that is a fairly "low" salary for RN. The advice about "doing it for the money" is both correct and incorrect.

I know that with MONEY as your SOLE motivator - it will be apparent and you will be "discovered " in short order - I doubt that you'd be very successful or last very long. I find the desire to be a caring PROFESSIONAL with assessment and technical brilliance a good mix!

:innerconf

Money as the only motivator is a bit weak, but....it can motivate you will little else will. Sure, "I'd be overjoyed to do my 5th 12 of the week, cause I just know how much those poor, deserving, downtrodden souls need and appreciate all my life saving efforts - no, no - applause and kudos are not necessary" Right..... :barf01:

But, gee "I'd hate to have my co-workers work short and now that you mention it - The DOUBLE BONUS and DOUBLE TIME do seem - oh, okay ~ you got me ~ I'll do it!" Cha-ching!

I find a lot more men that choose nursing, excel in the critical care areas - ED, ICU's, OR. Those areas also tend to be the among the areas with the greatest staffing needs. :)

But, I'm putting the cart before the horse here - ! :idea:

You need to focus on school, do well, pass boards! The $$$ will work itself out if you are willing to work - AND IT SOUNDS AS IF YOU ARE!

Finding a job is the pretty easy part. (It is a sellers market!)

There are employers that will even pay off those pesky loans for you - IF you are the right, committed candidate. Do some soul searching, is this what you want - job shadow (even more useful if you can find another nurse that happens to be a man in a position that you aspire - a "mentor" can be a great asset!)

Good Luck to you! Go Matt!

Ann RN · Aug 10, 2006

Guys, it seems like computer jobs are going to be outsourced... (from what people have said to me...) and i wanted a job into computers... but now i dont want to.
anyways, i was wondering what kind of nursing job that'll get me $30,000+ /yr ? right after I graduate from college with a certain degree in (sugessted major).
Why so high, you may ask.? Well, it's really to pay the college loan as fast as I can when i graduate and to support myself.
I'll take any nursing job really. I just wanna pay off that high college loan...
(unless u have some good ideas to pay off college)
Im going to be a junior in college, so I'm very worried now... please help. I know college isnt going to be here for a while, but still, I want to have some plan early and ready. I need to choose my major now, so I dont do my generals first for 2 years, and spend X years for the major when i could take generals + major at the same time.
Basically....what's a nursing major that can earn 30,000/yr right after graduating from college?
THANKS! :balloons:
a whole lot. !

Wrong reason to go into nursing.