Negativity toward nursing as a career choice

jcol1460 · Mar 9, 2014

I don't know what your sources are, but expect a much lower figure as a new grad RN. 18-22/hr is what my west palm and Miami nurse buddies have made as they've started their careers. And in SE Fl, they had to be bilingual, work nights/weekends and sign contracts to do it.

I've gotten my info from the career development department at my college, talking to friends who are nurses as well as the nurses at my current place of employment, and the classified ads which post hourly rates, so that number is surprising. I'm in the west palm area. How was the job market for your friends? Did they have a hard time finding a job? I'll be doing the part time asn program at pbsc followed by the rn-bsn bridge and maintaining my full time employment. If anything, I know I'll have time to find something suitable without having to worry about how to survive after school.

nekozuki, LPN · Mar 9, 2014

A month after graduating, the only people in their class with jobs were those who were already employed as techs or CNAs with hospitals. By six months, everyone had jobs, but mostly in home care, rehab or LTC. After a year, he did find hospital employment, but new grad pay and pay for a nurse with 2-5 years of hospital experience is very, very different. Currently, most of his classmates are still stuck in LTC, as even that experience can't help them land jobs in acute care.

Classified ads can be INCREDIBLY misleading, and can be left open indefinitely because the hospital doesn't actually care to fill them. I can't express how misleading the salary averages are, because the gap between new grad and a seasoned nurse who is specialized is tremendous. However, you said that nurses are employed where you work. Couple that with your connections, and it sounds like you have a leg up on other new grads.

It's not terribly uncommon to find people who landed amazing positions as new grads, so who can say?

PVCCHoo · Mar 9, 2014

I'm kind of glad to see all of the discouragement on here sometimes. It makes me feel like I have a much more realistic view of things than most of my classmates. For example, I started a post asking if anyone else on AN had applied to the same program as me (a big community college that will get about 500 applicants for the upcoming class). Not one person responded to the post. In my mind, that means I am getting all this information that they are not. Some of the guys especially are under the illusion that they will have no problem getting jobs because they are men. Where does that idea even come from?

I know it's going to be tough for new grads, but I have a plan that is based on large part from the insight I get from the seasoned nurses on these forums. I plan on being one of those "lucky" new grads that has a job lined up BEFORE graduation by doing the things that I have seen work for others on here. Yes, that might sound overconfident, but if I do what has been proven to work, then I have to at least have the faith that it can work for me.

jcol1460 · Mar 9, 2014

I actually started this process 4 years ago. At that time I was switching fields out of desperation. And then an opportunity landed in my lap which told me it wasn't time for me to leave my field. I put school on hold at that time. Fast forward to now and my outlook on why I'm doing this has changed. It's no longer desperation but a desire to expand my career choices that I began this process again. Add that to the fact that unless something drops in my lap again which I would be stupid not to take, I don't plan on looking for employment as a RN until I've finished my BSN. That will take me 4-5 years to do and by that time I'm figuring that the baby boomer generation of nurses which had to stay in the job market due to the economy begin to retire officially and increase demand for nursing services as a consumer rather than a provider. I don't think this will result in another 'shortage', just a shift in supply/demand paradigm currently in place. Just my logic which I admit could be faulty or never come to fruition.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 9, 2014

SOME pre-nursing and nursing students need to take off their rose-colored glasses and look reality in the face. Not all, but some. And we experienced nurses would be remiss if we were to take the time to read someone's post outlining their outlandish and totally out of line with reality expectations and NOT warn them.

The pay isn't as wonderful as some folks clearly expect it to be, although it is a decent living. It's hard work for the money, but it does allow me a comfortable lifestyle. Anyone who thinks they're going to be making more than $100k their first year clearly needs a reality check. (Or a lot less overtime!)

I've never said -- nor do I believe -- that nursing is a bad career choice. It was a great career choice for me. That said, people do need to understand that if they wish to work in a hospital or LTC facility, nights, weekends, holidays and driving to work in snowstorms or staying at work during hurricanes will be part of the package. Folks who identify themselves early on as too special for those particular parts of the package should be discouraged from going into nursing. Yes, there are jobs out there that don't require nights, weekends, holidays or being essential staff, but they usually require some experience to qualify for them.

As far as being treated like crap -- people treat you pretty much the way you show them to treat you.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 9, 2014

I'm kind of glad to see all of the discouragement on here sometimes. It makes me feel like I have a much more realistic view of things than most of my classmates. For example, I started a post asking if anyone else on AN had applied to the same program as me (a big community college that will get about 500 applicants for the upcoming class). Not one person responded to the post. In my mind, that means I am getting all this information that they are not. Some of the guys especially are under the illusion that they will have no problem getting jobs because they are men. Where does that idea even come from?
I know it's going to be tough for new grads, but I have a plan that is based on large part from the insight I get from the seasoned nurses on these forums. I plan on being one of those "lucky" new grads that has a job lined up BEFORE graduation by doing the things that I have seen work for others on here. Yes, that might sound overconfident, but if I do what has been proven to work, then I have to at least have the faith that it can work for me.

Or it could mean that they're more aware of possibly identifying themselves.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2014

I have been a nurse since '07. I would say the idea of a nursing "shortage" can and in some areas does exist. When someone tells a student there is NO nursing "shortage" they are basing this on what? Their place of employment? Many parts of the country still need nurses. The newest nurse in the area I work was unable to tell me of any student she was in school with who did not get a job. Does this mean there is or is not a "shortage"? Nope. I am saying there MAY not be in your particular area. Blanket statements like there IS or IS not a nursing shortage is stupid. Go to North Dakota where people by the boatloads came to make money in the oil fields. They are way short all types of services including nursing. What I would tell someone is investigate the area they are planning to live in and also see if moving is an option. Some areas are saturated...others are not.

This.

I also live in an area that is understaffed as far as nursing goes. Our local ER is short all of the time. They cannot find people. They are building tons of new hospitals and medical pavilions out here, all needing nurses. Plus I live in an old GM town. The retirees are starting to age and in desperate need of medical care. LTC facilities are popping up everywhere. One of the ones in town here is rated the best place to work in Indiana period for several years running. I understand some areas are having problems but not all. You need to research.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Mar 10, 2014

OP's observations about the education level required for PT, OT, Pharm, etc is absolutely accurate. However, each of those professions also have an "assistant" level that can be entered with a BS. Those 'assistant' jobs are in the same salary range as RNs in many organizations. Other BS-level healthcare jobs such as Radiology/Ultrasound and Laboratory science have much better career trajectory than nursing -- check out mid-career salary statistics and compare to the very flat compensation ranges for nurses.

Frankly, if I had any young ones with an aptitude for science - I'd point them toward computer science or engineering... much better options than anything in health professions these days.

Sammy Jankis · Mar 10, 2014

I honestly don't see the posts as negative. Some people have unrealistic expectations when deciding they want to pursue a nursing career. The people on this board are passionate about their career or career path and give them the facts rather than sugar coating things for them, which can save a lot of people time, money and stress. Its all based off perception.

inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Mar 10, 2014

The posts that generally inspire us to tell people to take off the rose-colored glasses are the ones who think there's still a nursing shortage

My only issue here is that may be true for your area. Where I live, and MUCH of the south there is a HUGE shortage. Every day, I see thousands of jobs posted in my state alone for nurses (and many are hiring new graduates.)

Beyond that, I will agree, I have seen a plethora of posts (especially regarding the low GPA comments) that do not understand that succeeding takes hard work and maintaining good grades is IMPORTANT.

I had a teacher who told me once that "C's get degrees." No one, and I mean no one, wants a Nurse who made C's in their classes. To me, that's alarming!

PrettyGirlLexi · Mar 11, 2014

I understand where the OP is coming from but I think it's all of what you make of the "negative comments". I'm a pre-nursing student and this is my 2nd semester, I already hear the unrealistic expectations of nursing from my fellow pre-nursing students, let alone what it will be like as a graduate nurse. Some of my classmates seem to think as a RN you will NEVER clean up poop, vomit, change diapers or bathe patients.. "that's the CNA's job" is what I hear come out of their mouth's on a regular basis. There's a girl I my AP class who has a A.S in Paralegal Studies and she believes after getting her ADN she will be a charge nurse or case manager nurse and never do any beside nursing because "that's beneath her at this point in time in her life/career", but she laughs at me because I'm ok with working at a LTC or Rehab center after graduating. She also thinks she is going to lease a 2017 Mercedes or Audi A8 when she graduates too :sneaky: .. but that's another topic LOL

I don't knock anybody's dreams or goals but nursing is something you do have to have some sort reality or you will be shell shocked and just burn out. Students like that need their eyes opened to know what they are getting into. Why waste time and debt going into something thinking you're going to get this dream job at a hospital, make $120,000 at entry level and this stress free job with little patient contact? That's the dose of reality most of the seasoned nurses on AN are trying to give.

I hear negative comments all the time about nursing, is that stopping me? No. Discouraging? Just a bit. But I know what I want. Yeah after graduating I might not get in my dream unit or job or may 6 months or more, but I sure will pray about and certainly not give up. I'm ok with LTC job, working part-time or even volunteering if that's what it will take to make myself more marketable. Will I make 70k (average in my area) my 1st year? It would be nice, but $18- 22 would be a major upgrade considering I work part-time at Sears and I have a 4 year old daughter.

I've always wanted to be a nurse, and it's been my dream since the 5th grade and I love to help/care people. I'm ok with bedside care for awhile or most of career. But it's the students who feel bedside care is beneath them who get overly offensive when a seasoned nurse just tries to point out a few things they should be aware of. They tend to think they are better than students who have more reality of the situation. Every career has it's pros and cons it's just all of what you make of it.

That's just my 2 cents though!

inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Mar 11, 2014

I understand where the OP is coming from but I think it's all of what you make of the "negative comments". I'm a pre-nursing student and this is my 2nd semester, I already hear the unrealistic expectations of nursing from my fellow pre-nursing students, let alone what it will be like as a graduate nurse. Some of my classmates seem to think as a RN you will NEVER clean up poop, vomit, change diapers or bathe patients.. "that's the CNA's job" is what I hear come out of their mouth's on a regular basis. There's a girl I my AP class who has a A.S in Paralegal Studies and she believes after getting her ADN she will be a charge nurse or case manager nurse and never do any beside nursing because "that's beneath her at this point in time in her life/career", but she laughs at me because I'm ok with working at a LTC or Rehab center after graduating. She also thinks she is going to lease a 2017 Mercedes or Audi A8 when she graduates too .. but that's another topic LOL

I hope to work in Psych or Developmental Disabilities. Trust me, I get the same look from Clinical and Nurse Managers. There's such a need for it, and I feel so pulled to it. But, I do hope to one day work as a director. HOWEVER, I don't even think that'd be possible for me (or realistic) until 10-20 years into my career.

Having goals is one thing, it's a total different story when people truly think that it's possible to make 150,000 their first year of nursing. :down: