My only concern w/nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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Okay, I am huge science lover...as you can tell by my sn. I have said since I was 5 that I was going to be a teacher when I grew up. It wasn't until 8th grade that I became extremely serious and researched teaching until I couldn't research anymore....you name it, I can tell ya about it. Retirement, insurance, salary, curriculum requirements, etc.

Now, in 10th grade I knew that I would absolutely love to teach high school Biology. And have all the plans for that laid out....but along the way I've always considered nursing my alternative career.

Here is my concern: In secondary education you must get your masters degree within 5 years of teaching. And with that (in my county) your pay increases $5,000 a year. Not too shabby, seeing as how you start off making roughly $29,000 a year. Teachers, at least here, have wonderful benefits and retirement.

If I do decide that I will go into nursing the only thing that I have concerns about is retirement. You dont make much more in nursing than you would teaching, and you dont have the retirement to feel good about.

Like, with teaching, your retirement, you take the 2 highest years of salary and divide them by 2. You get that salary (60% of it for 30 years) each month for the rest of your life. Thats a wonderful thing.

With nursing youd have to take a huge chunk and put it away each month to have even a decent retirement, wouldnt you?

And yet, another factor. And I'm only 18 now so maybe I'm thinking too far ahead, but I like to be prepared, lol. When/if I get married and have children I would like to stay at home with them until they enter school. With teaching, you can leave for 1 year and still have a job when you come back...but nothing beyond that.

So, I'm not sure what to do. I'd jump at nursing if the retirement was there....because I dont think I'd ever have trouble finding a job. And, while staying at home with my kids, I could still work at night on the weekends...

So, if someone could tell me how ya'll handle retirement....and, could you please tell me what benefits nurses get? And, if ya'll dont mind me asking how much would a single person pay a month for vision/dental/health insurance? What about when you have a family, what does the price jump up to?

Sorry for this long post....just wanting to get my ducks in a row. Thanks for putting up with me :lol2:

It seems that your passion lies in teaching.

I work at a VA hospital and we have very good retirement benefits. I will be able to retire in 20 years. I have only been here approximately 8 months and already have 3000 dollars in my retirement fund. So there is help with retirement for nurses. My insurance is thru my husband, so sorry can't help you with that part. Also, my starting salary was 41,500, that's alittle more then want you quoted for teaching.

You seem very mature for your age. It's nice to hear a young adult wishing to make something of themselves instead of wondering where the next party is. I commend you. I also think it's great that you wish to stay in GA near your family.

I'm not sure if any of this helps, but I would just say to go where your heart leads you. The best thing you could do is pick a career you would enjoy. I know alot of people who have to go to a job they HATE everyday.

Consider doing both....There is a critical shortage of nurse educators....As a public health nurse you could work in the school as a nurse or teach biology. Nursing involves a substantial amount of direct teaching to patients, families and other staff. Follow your passion and the money will follow.

One of the reasons teachers have satisfying lives is that they tend to buy a house and pay it off. They also have a joy and love of learning which tends to carry them off into retirement.

I applaude you for considering the long term financial aspects of these careers. I think what is most important for you is to consider which job you will enjoy doing the best. Interestingly, I have know many teachers who have become nurses, and many nurses who have become teachers.

Since you clearly are an excellent planner, and you are keeping the long term goals in mind, I have no doubt that no matter which field you end up in you will develop your own plan for retirement.

What about being a school nurse? Some districts (at least where I live) include school nurses on the teachers contract.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

i think you've been concentrating your searching efforts regarding retirement in the wrong direction. there is no law that says you have to accept the retirement plan that any employer offers you! at your age, the smartest thing for you to do is to go to a financial planner and start your own retirement account and planning now for your retirement. then, it doesn't matter if you are a teacher or a nurse or who you work for. you would contribute to your own retirement savings yourself over the years. that would be the smarter thing to do. the best retirement plans for employees are usually offered to those who work for the u.s. government and those who work for the large blue chip corporations.

by the way, there are a number of teachers in my family. science and math teachers are in great demand. one of my nieces is a physics and math teacher. she gets tuition reimbursement from her school district to continue the classes she needs to take toward her master's degree. the school district you work for will determine the length of time you need to get your additional education and certifications. also, i don't know what the job prospects are in georgia, but it is not always that easy for teachers to change or find jobs unless you are in an area that is really, really hurting for teachers. it took my niece 3 years of applying to a number of school districts in order to find another teaching job. it's different in nursing. you can usually get a nursing job very easily.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

This is kind of OT but I thought all young people wanted to get out and explore the world after graduation. You can always go back when you are ready to settle down and have children if you feel that the area and schools etc. are particularily good for them. I couldn't get out of "dodge" fast enough, lol. Best of luck with whatever you decide and I agree that it is admirable to see a young person planning so far in advance.

Another question:How much $ should I put away each month in building up a retirement fund? And is the best way to do it to use a 401k?

Specializes in School Nursing.

I agree with daytonite. You need to talk to a financial planner if you want to go into nursing, they can help you. I commend you for planning ahead.

One good thing about nursing if you want a family is the flexibility of working part time and off shifts while your kids are little. That's what I did, so my kids were never in day care. Keep in mind that I was very fortunate to have a husband who had a steady job with health benefits.

Now I work full time as a school nurse and I'm home when my kids are home. I'm not a teacher, but I get to be in the high school where I want to be and be with the kids and am part of the teacher's contract with all the benefits that go with it. I won't have that great of a retirement from the school, because I'll only have about 25 years in there when I retire, but we have been saving through other plans since we were first married.

Again, congrats on thinking ahead!

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