Members are discussing the stress levels and compensation in various nursing specialties. Some members mention that nursing is a practical means to earn a living, while others share their experiences in different nursing roles such as hospice nursing, med/surg, and occupational health nursing. There is also mention of the importance of clinical experience, finding one's niche in nursing, and managing stress through coping mechanisms and self-care.
This is my first post here so bear with me. I am a current RN student and while my main focus right now is finishing the program I am nevertheless interested in finding out more about different specialties from nurses who have been there.
I have yet to decide on a nursing specialty for sure. To be honest money is a big motivator for me..but a post I read from forum member THE COMMUTER really struck me as exaclty how I feel. It stated id rather love my personal life and tolerate my job than tolerate my life and love my job. By this I mean im never going to enjoy work, I mostly enjoy traveling, exploring , cars..etc..(hence money motivated).
So begs the question...what nursing specialty out of the seemingly hundreds...would be very low stress on a daily basis and very good pay ( even if masters level as I have considered the NP route after RN school).
Any suggestions? ( I know im kinda asking for the best of both worlds here but im looking for things closest to what I seek). Thanks in advance everyone.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Luv2baRNurse said:
If you're already thinking about higher pay and less stress, then are you in nursing for the right reason? Nursing is a calling, not just a job.
For me, nursing is a job and a means to an end. It was never a childhood dream or higher calling. Rather, it is a practical way to earn a living.
I find it curious that no one really expects pharmacists, speech language pathologists, physicians in lucrative specialties, physical therapists, hospital dietitians, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals to arrive at the table with that intangible calling.
Let's assume your employer abruptly announced that you'd no longer receive pay for the services you render after today. However, the employer also announced that "compassion will provide a place for you to live and caring will result in food on your table." Would you continue to report to work day after day, year after year without monetary compensation?
I sure as heck wouldn't. If an employer could no longer pay me, I would refuse to provide even one minute of my labor to that entity. Again, I was not called to this profession. Nursing is an avenue to a decent livelihood.
For me, nursing is a job and a means to an end. It was never a childhood dream or higher calling. Rather, it is a practical way to earn a living.
I find it curious that no one really expects pharmacists, speech language pathologists, physicians in lucrative specialties, physical therapists, hospital dietitians, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals to arrive at the table with that intangible calling.
Let's assume your employer abruptly announced that you'd no longer receive pay for the services you render after today. However, the employer also announced that "compassion will provide a place for you to live and caring will result in food on your table." Would you continue to report to work day after day, year after year without monetary compensation?
I sure as heck wouldn't. If an employer could no longer pay me, I would refuse to provide even one minute of my labor to that entity. Again, I was not called to this profession. Nursing is an avenue to a decent livelihood.
I agree to some extent but strongly disagree in others.
You know why no one expects a calling from the other healthcare professions? Because none of them have adopted patient advocacy as their primary role to the extent nursing has. There is a reason why nursing is the most ethical and trusted profession in the entire world.
I work to make a living, I nurse to make a difference.
I feel like you're setting yourself up for a negative self fulfilling prophecy if before you even start you're expecting not to be able to love your job and your personal life. Like it or not, if you work full time you're going to spend nearly a third of your life at work. Low stress jobs can tend to be dull jobs. My job isn't low stress, but I work with a great group of people and get some fantastic stories out of it. You might as well aim for more than tolerable.
You need three years in an acute setting to even consider yourself independant. Nursing is a career, not a job. Almost every position builds from the acute setting. Can you have a career without acute setting? Probably, but you don't want to limit yourself. I see SO MANY posts from students and new nurses that want the best of everything yesterday. Don't try to live your life in one minute, don't shortchange yourself or your patients. It will come, and sooner than you know it. Nursing is very hard if your primary motivator is $$$, you may outpace your peers early in your career, but you will soon find that nursing is not as lucrative as you think and your peers will be in that top 5% of income after 15 or 20 years and you will have reached your salary ceiling. Hard truths, but easier to accept when you know them. Good luck on your education and your career.
Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.
I am a new nurse, having graduated from nursing school just short of two years ago. My first job as a floor nurse was extremely stressful. My current job is as a clinic nurse. My hourly wage is a bit more than what I was making at the hospital. I work three days a week with no weekends at all, though I do sometimes have very long days. I am a lot happier.
Having said that, I cannot say my job is without stress or even that it is low stress. Nursing, at least where you are directly involved with patient care, is stressful and the ways that it is stressful cannot easily be imagined before you experience it. Before I took my current job I imagined it would be very low stress in comparison to what I experienced on the floor. But I now realize that, for me, no nursing job is going to be low stress at this point in my career. I now look for my stress to be manageable. In the beginning of your career you might be very stressed. But there are different kinds of stressors and you will have to learn what you can manage and what is the best fit for you. How you do that is to gain experience, be stressed, learn to manage it, and make future job decisions more carefully and wisely than you are often able to do with that first job. Best wishes to you.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
Until you begin working as a nurse, you won't know which areas are stressful
to you.
Each persons tolerance is different. As for me, psych was awesome! I had a high pt load (over 16 - >50) but the way our facility was set up, with good techs doing a great job, I felt empowered to be able to do a good job.
Stress, for me, as a nurse, arises from feeling like the work load is too much, and feeling like there's no way to ethically and competently complete my work. As long as I'm in a setting where this is possible, I'm not super stressed.
Currently working acute med/surg and it's not too stressful because I have good team members and a very reasonable pt:nurse ratio and my pts aren't critically ill. I stay busy and often worry about whether or not I'm doing what I'm supposed to, but I like my job and feel much less stressed than when I worked in a poor quality SNF with over 30 pts and so much stuff falling through the cracks / not being done correctly.,
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Aliens05 said:
Thx cat. I do imagine that stress is in a way subjective..I was kind of thinking of something along the lines of the nurses at my work (6 person non behavioral group home ). They don't wear uniforms..deal with mentally challenged persons who are non behavioral etc,but don't rlly use any nursing skills. Their job is almost the easiest job u can imagine but the pay is relatively limited at 28 an hour salaried no overtime. I wouldnt want to cap my earning potential anywhere near 40-50k.
IDK much about research or nursing informatics. I've heard a little but don't know anything about it rlly. Same goes for CRNA altho low stress would not at all be describing CRNA work.
You're still in school, but that's no excuse. Practice good writing now, and it will come more easily when you're at the end of a very busy shift and staring at a blank box on your computer screen contemplating the nursing note you need to write.
I think it's a little premature to be thinking about which specialty can get you the most bucks for the least effort. Finish school first. Figure out what you enjoy about nursing and what you dread. You probably will have to get an actual job before you figure that out.
As far as what's stressful -- we can't answer that for you. My friend considers anything involving babies to be low stress . . . but even a perfectly healthy baby sends my blood pressure and anxiety levels soaring through the roof. Lots of folks on here think school nursing is the bomb, but anything involving kids stresses me out. Home health is often recommended as a low stress specialty, but if I never have to enter another patient's home, it will be far too soon. Lots of folks consider ICU to be maximum stress, but that's MY happy place. Your milage will vary.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Luv2baRNurse said:
First, let's be realistic. If you are a new nurse right out of school with no experience, you probably will not be in a position to demand high pay. I live in a small town with 3 prominent hospitals and on average a brand new ER nurse commands $25-26/hr (I live in Texas); other specialties may pay more. If you're already thinking about higher pay and less stress, then are you in nursing for the right reason? Nursing is a calling, not just a job. Critical care areas such as labor & delivery, NICU, ER, ICU, Telemetry, CCU pay more, but are stressful, require skill, experience and knowledge. You'll have to earn it! Hospice, home health, rehab, prison, school nursing, office or clinic nursing, are less stressful, but not necessarily more money. You may try working in occupational health, an immunization clinic, an insurance office for a less stressful job. But if you're commanding the higher pay jobs, then get ready to work for the higher pay. Your pay will also be determined by how you decide to work: M-F 8-5; 12 hours shifts days or nights because of shift differentials and weekend differentials. Travel nursing pays well, but will require experience. Find a good preceptor program in something you think you'll enjoy (perhaps a favorite part of clinical) and gain some experience. After a year or two of experience, you can apply for travel nursing jobs, make great money, and do what you enjoy (traveling, exploring) to have the best of both worlds.
While you are perfectly correct about a new grad not being in a position to demand high pay, I'd take issue with the "nursing is a calling" comment. Nursing is a job, a career and for some folks a passion. It is NOT a calling.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
TheCommuter said:
For me, nursing is a job and a means to an end. It was never a childhood dream or higher calling. Rather, it is a practical way to earn a living.
I find it curious that no one really expects pharmacists, speech language pathologists, physicians in lucrative specialties, physical therapists, hospital dietitians, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals to arrive at the table with that intangible calling.
Let's assume your employer abruptly announced that you'd no longer receive pay for the services you render after today. However, the employer also announced that "compassion will provide a place for you to live and caring will result in food on your table." Would you continue to report to work day after day, year after year without monetary compensation?
I sure as heck wouldn't. If an employer could no longer pay me, I would refuse to provide even one minute of my labor to that entity. Again, I was not called to this profession. Nursing is an avenue to a decent livelihood.
I'd really appreciate a "Like a dozen times" button.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Aliens05 said:
What is text speak, sorry if its something obvious, but ive never heard that term before...are you meaning like the thx for thanks type of deal?
When you are posting on a professional forum to people with experience in their field, you are posting to professionals. It is considered rude not to make an effort to communicate clearly and professionally. That means typing out "thank you" or "you", using proper grammar and punctuation, capitalizing appropriately, etc. Not only is it more respectful, but it is good practice. One day, you will need to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both verbally and in writing. It makes sense to start now.
Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
I figured out the highest paying, lowest stress field of nursing there is! I ride there every day on my unicorn.
All joking aside, nursing is a profession where you are dealing, in one capacity or another, with the health/lives/wellbeing of other humans. Stress is part of the job. Every specialty has its demands and like so many have mentioned before, which demands are more stressful depends greatly on the individual.
I don't think you are alone in wanting to make enough money to pay for your hobbies and leisure time. That's a pretty universal desire, I think. It's a little odd to me that you felt the need to highlight that.
Also. This.
Ruby Vee said:
I think it's a little premature to be thinking about which specialty can get you the most bucks for the least effort. Finish school first. Figure out what you enjoy about nursing and what you dread. You probably will have to get an actual job before you figure that out.
TheCommuter, BSN, RN
102 Articles; 27,612 Posts
For me, nursing is a job and a means to an end. It was never a childhood dream or higher calling. Rather, it is a practical way to earn a living.
I find it curious that no one really expects pharmacists, speech language pathologists, physicians in lucrative specialties, physical therapists, hospital dietitians, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals to arrive at the table with that intangible calling.
Let's assume your employer abruptly announced that you'd no longer receive pay for the services you render after today. However, the employer also announced that "compassion will provide a place for you to live and caring will result in food on your table." Would you continue to report to work day after day, year after year without monetary compensation?
I sure as heck wouldn't. If an employer could no longer pay me, I would refuse to provide even one minute of my labor to that entity. Again, I was not called to this profession. Nursing is an avenue to a decent livelihood.