Money or helping lives?

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Would u rather be a nurse without a salary say in a third world country to help the sick and the poor or be a nurse solely for the money? Or both. But what is your real purpose of becoming a nurse?

Your replies are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Maddfaiz92.:specs:

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I see nursing as a service. It is a service that I provide to clients. Just like any other service, this service is not free and I expect payment for the service provided. If I could not pay my bills as a nurse, I would no longer work as a nurse. It is that simple.

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Thank you for your reply.

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If I were rich enough to do without nursing income, then of course I volunteer to help the third countries. But I'm not in such position, so I work for both saving lives and making a living.

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Specializes in CRNA.
Would u rather be a nurse without a salary say in a third world country to help the sick and the poor or be a nurse solely for the money? Or both. But what is your real purpose of becoming a nurse?

Your replies are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Maddfaiz92.:specs:

Why would anyone do a job if it were not for the money? Why would anyone do a job that did not provide some sort of benefit to homosapiens? I became a nurse to visit exotic places. Meet interesting and foreign people...then kill them. Just kidding, Full Metal Jacket quote snuck in there. (Freudian slip if you will) I became a nurse so that I could have fun, meet chicks, "save lives", play with toys, and have lots of cool drugs all at my fingertips.

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Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.

Strange question. I think everyone's dream as a nurse was to save lives. Then we started nursing and came back to reality. Nursing is not about saving lives, its about helping ppl to live them, with quality.

I would love to help overseas. But if you had no money you would be the same as the one's you are helping. They have no money, they can't support themselves. We would need some sort of support.

There are alot of 'buts'. I honestly wonder how those who do it manage? How? I know, due to my medical history that I couldn't as my medications would be unobtainable in a third world country...

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I wouldn't forgo a salary to work for free, because I fully expect payment in return for all of the services that I render to my patients and their family members. Without money, I would soon become homeless and hungry. I bust my butt at work, and never in a million years would I do this for free.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with expecting payment in exchange for one's hard work. Some people in the nursing profession like to berate the nurses who would even dare to take the pay into careful consideration. Other professions actually encourage their members to advocate for competitive pay, so why should nurses be any different?

I'm not a volunteer or a martyr. I'm a paid employee, and there's not enough of a "higher calling" or passion for my work to do it for free.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Many nurses do indeed do missionary work or volunteer their services to third world countries, or even here in the USA. We have a free-clinic here in St. Pete that nurses and doctors donate their time to help the poor. But most of them can't do it full time. We need to provide for our families food and shelter.

Many people do indeed have the best of both worlds. Our very own Stevielynn, a longtime member here, has been to Vietnam the past two years participating in a medical mission.

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i have always dreamt of nsg in a third world country.

but acknowledging it as a dream, i don't have to think about expenses, food or other necessities for survival.

but truthfully, nursing has fulfilled my desire to help others, as well as providing me with a satisfactory income...

truly, the best of both worlds, for me.

leslie

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Specializes in SICU, EMS, Home Health, School Nursing.

I would drop everything and move to a third world country right now if I knew the I would be able to a support myself. Right now my life is here in the US, but I do try to take a 2-4 week trip to Thailand once a year to do mission work and I help out with what I can from here in the US.

There are also a lot of sick and poor here everywhere, so you don't even have to leave your home in order to help someone like that. My county is actually in the process of trying to find and attempt to help the homeless in our area.

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Specializes in ER/ICU, CCL, EP.

IMHO, Nursing is a profession, and deserving of professional wages. A trip to *insert third world country here* for a week or two as part of a humanitarian effort is not out of line, because professionals often do pro bono work for the less fortunate. I cannot say that I am guilty of a whole lot of altruism about nursing. I care a whole lot about people, but I want a fat paycheck for it. ;)

This does not mean that I would expect to be paid for CPR on a downed guy in a shopping mall.

It has been said that the perfect job for you is a job you would do for free and still be happy. That's a terrific sentiment, I suppose....but I have a mortgage and two kids.....and a designer purse habit. ;)

:w00t:

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