I hope this doesn't get too many people fired up but is nursing REALLY THAT bad!? I, like a lot of people, are considering the NP or MD route (I already have my bachelors) so I just found this website. It's a little unsettling to read all of the negative information concerning being a nurse. I thought nurses were paid well? Are the avg salaries you find online incorrect? 50K-70K seems like a decent salary for the amount of time you have to spend in school to get a nursing degree. What's the difference in salary between a RN and NP?
Anyway, my main thought is, "If nursing is soooooooo bad, why don't you quit and find/start a new career??" I'm a career-changer and I don't have a problem working my butt off to start a new career but I don't want to enter a field KNOWING it's going to be hell. I know a lot of medical students (and MD's) would rather leave the field of medicine ( I guess everyone has their complaints) but they've invested years and years of school and are in waaaayyyy too much debt due to student loans; nursing school is different (it's only 2 yrs) so why don't you just quit?
I'm just trying to figure out if it would be stupid of me to go into the field of nursing or if the people complaining about the field would complain about any job.
Who works in a children's hospital? Are things just as horrible in a pediatric setting? I know sick adults are difficult to deal with; is it any easier dealing with children?
I work as a rep/liaison for a homecare agency. In this role, I focus on developing relationships with health care providers, long-term/short-term care facilities, and health systems to facilitate referrals to the agency. I also make visits to patients that are institutionalized, once the provider refers to us, to assess their needs, order durable medical equipment, and explain the home care process. It is not necessary to be a nurse in this role, but it is preferred.
I feel very lucky to have this position because my schedule is flexible, I set my own hours and decide what I'm going to do for the day, I can have a bathroom/lunch break whenever I please, I can do some of the work from home, and it is relatively low-stress. And I am making much more money than I ever did as an acute care RN and the benefits are great (2 wks paid vacation the first year, 15 sick days, 10 paid holidays, great retirement plan), but that's just the icing on the cake. One downside is that a lot of driving is involved, but it can be minimized with proper planning. Another thing that I had to adjust to was the feeling of being a bit like a salesperson, which is essentially part of the job (selling homecare services). People are not always welcoming when I make cold calls to facilities. There was also an adjustment in getting used to focusing on numbers (how many referrals you bring in and the type of reimbursement) and the idea that healthcare really is just another business.
I hope that it helps to know that there are other things that you can do with your degree. You just have to be open to unique opportunities. I believe that a lot of nurses are afraid or unwilling to look for different types of employment situations. There is more than just acute care nursing out there.
Thanks healthyRN for your insight. I will graduate in May and working as an aide and seeing the hospital environment is already making me think of options outside of direct patient care. Do you mind sharing what it is you do? I'm glad you've found something you love and enjoy doing.
Specializes in ICU, School Nurse, Med/Surg, Psych.
Yes, there is that big of a difference between the salary of a Registered Nurse and that of an advanced practitioner. I have been a nurse for 14 years and work in the outpatient psychiatric setting in IA and get paid $35K a year- if I was a family nurse practitioner with my own practice I would be bringing home $110K a year. I have a Master's Degree- same level of education required for APRN. There are a lot of veriables for pay- national averages are that- AVERAGES. Look around and find what you want in a job. There are plenty of opportunities in nursing all over the globe.
WOW - I know we vent a lot here, but I love my work LOVE IT. I chose not to go to med school and I am so grateful. I respect physicians - have a few in the family - but as nurses we really play a different role in our patients lives.
When you have the experience of a patient who has had bilateral below knee amputations due to trauma, look up and you and say how blessed she is for her life and the care she's receiving - YOU KNOW YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE. It can take your breath away at times.
OF COURSE we have bad days - it's frigggin hard work. That can kick your a#$)(%*#$ at times.
HealthyRN
541 Posts
I work as a rep/liaison for a homecare agency. In this role, I focus on developing relationships with health care providers, long-term/short-term care facilities, and health systems to facilitate referrals to the agency. I also make visits to patients that are institutionalized, once the provider refers to us, to assess their needs, order durable medical equipment, and explain the home care process. It is not necessary to be a nurse in this role, but it is preferred.
I feel very lucky to have this position because my schedule is flexible, I set my own hours and decide what I'm going to do for the day, I can have a bathroom/lunch break whenever I please, I can do some of the work from home, and it is relatively low-stress. And I am making much more money than I ever did as an acute care RN and the benefits are great (2 wks paid vacation the first year, 15 sick days, 10 paid holidays, great retirement plan), but that's just the icing on the cake. One downside is that a lot of driving is involved, but it can be minimized with proper planning. Another thing that I had to adjust to was the feeling of being a bit like a salesperson, which is essentially part of the job (selling homecare services). People are not always welcoming when I make cold calls to facilities. There was also an adjustment in getting used to focusing on numbers (how many referrals you bring in and the type of reimbursement) and the idea that healthcare really is just another business.
I hope that it helps to know that there are other things that you can do with your degree. You just have to be open to unique opportunities. I believe that a lot of nurses are afraid or unwilling to look for different types of employment situations. There is more than just acute care nursing out there.