Nurses Make The Big Bucks

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I get this a lot and I'm sure you guys get this too! When I tell people that I'm a nursing student and that I want to be a nurse, they starting telling me, "You are going to make so much money!" One guy was rubbing his fingers together signaling that nurses make a lot of money. I was offended by it. I never got into it for the money and I keeping telling them it's hard work.

What do you guys think? Do you also get that too from friends, family, relatives and strangers? How do you respond to them?

Specializes in Critical Care.

Just had my hair done yesterday, and my stylist brought up the topic of income. She said she makes $65k/year (Denver suburb). She works in a reasonably nice salon, but not some big bucks sort of place (or I wouldn't be able to afford getting my hair done there!).

She was shocked to hear she makes more than I do, and more than a number of my peers. Most of us have to put in regular overtime to make what she does per year. She does have to rent her space, and that is an expense nurses do not have. Also has to pay 100% on her own insurance. Still - the rent is a business tax deduction. So she probably makes what a nurse makes, with less education/stress/etc.

It did make me falter a moment when it came to calculating her tip...

:D

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"Make The Big Bucks"

little makes me cringe more than that phrase

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Specializes in Med/Surg,.

I think it matters very much where your at. My brother works in a factory on the line, has been at his job the same amount of time I've been employed as an RN, and makes the same as I do. This factory is also not union. So sometimes even for "just" two years of college in some areas we're not making more than the average person. :twocents:

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Just had my hair done yesterday, and my stylist brought up the topic of income. She said she makes $65k/year (Denver suburb). She works in a reasonably nice salon, but not some big bucks sort of place (or I wouldn't be able to afford getting my hair done there!).

She was shocked to hear she makes more than I do, and more than a number of my peers. Most of us have to put in regular overtime to make what she does per year. She does have to rent her space, and that is an expense nurses do not have. Also has to pay 100% on her own insurance. Still - the rent is a business tax deduction. So she probably makes what a nurse makes, with less education/stress/etc.

It did make me falter a moment when it came to calculating her tip...

:D

I was a hairstylist for 11 years and I had not seen anyone earn that kind of money.

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My cousin has been in IT for 15 yrs- Associates Degree. She makes 6 figures. ALOT more than me and I've been an RN for nearly twice as long & have my BSN. Not to mention her healthcare/dental plan blows mine out of the water!

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Yup tell them for "big bucks" how about dealing with exposure to all sorts of not so nice things on a daily basis-stool, urine, blood-sputum, angry pts and their abusive family members, management who does/doesn't back you up depending on the day of the week and if you're one of their favs. Twelve hours on your feet non stop often without food or bathroom breaks-kills me when people say such things- there is a reason there is a shortage in nursing! I always respond by saying its not like anything you've seen on TV! I've had days when I actually thought I'd repeat my deployment to Iraq if given the choice-then come back and have to deal with some of these pts and their crazy a** family members!:argue:

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They say that because nursing is a highly lucrative job for the amount of required education. There are very few associates or even bachelors programs that allow for one to make $55-80K nearly right out of school these days.

To illustrate, here's a bad joke: What do you call somebody that graduates with a bachelors in philosophy? Barista. :p

To further illustrate the median household income in the USA is $41,994 according to census.gov.

Most new grad nurses exceed the median household income their first year out of school.

While no one's getting rich off nursing, compared to the bulk of the labor force nursing is quite lucrative.

To sum it up, they say that because quite frankly they're envious.

----

Now that's not to say nursing isn't tough or that often job demands exceed the level of pay, but that's another story entirely. Compared to other careers with similar education, nursing is at the top of the pay scale.

We drop the ball a bit with our masters and doctorate prepared nurses, however. Many of them get paid less or equal to what a staff nurse makes-- clearly their income to level of education does not compare favorably when compared to other graduate level programs (excluding academia, which pays poorly all around).

Fast forward 15 or 20 years and see how much the average nurse is making. Compared to other professions, not much.

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Specializes in ICU.

Off topic of money, but on topic of what people say to you when they hear you are an RN or a student.

I was at work the other day and it came up that I am starting NS in a couple of weeks and a stranger on line said..."ohhh you must be a smart one!!"

I was so suprised because really, nobody really appreciates the amount of work and dedication it takes to get into a program (and stay in one! LOL) and so it was nice to have that aspect appreciated by someone other than those that SEE first hand how hard we work. I dunno, it made me smile!

Kim

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Fast forward 15 or 20 years and see how much the average nurse is making. Compared to other professions, not much.

Depends on who you're comparing to. Like I said, the median household income is $41000. By household, that's including dual-income families.

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I was choosing between pharmacy and nursing school. I end up choosing nursing and everyone keeps telling me why? pharmacy makes more money. Blah I'm sick of explaining myself.

They don't get it that when I shadowed a pharmacist, I really didn't enjoy it much. I would enjoy the paycheck loads!

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Depends on who you're comparing to. Like I said, the median household income is $41000. By household, that's including dual-income families.

What r u getting at? In the U.S. only 22% of the working population have any type of degree. U do realize that a RN requires some type of education?

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What r u getting at? In the U.S. only 22% of the working population have any type of degree. U do realize that a RN requires some type of education?

Mr. Croaker, of course everyone on this site realizes that you need an education, and a very tough education at that, to become an RN. We're all RNs/NS/or future NS. (That's just not being very nice).

There are tons and tons of statistics out there about this, that and the other thing, some of them very accurate, some not so much. But we don't want to fight about numbers! :redbeathe The main thing is that nurses and people putting in the education for nursing put in a lot of hard work, sweat, and tears, and it's tough when someone blows it off as saying "oh, it just for the 'big bucks'".

There are a lot of professions out there, along with ours, that don't get paid what they deserve for what they put up with. Teachers, police officers, and firefighters for examples. They educate, protect, and save lives (sound familiar? :rolleyes:). While the people that entertain us are paid ten times the amount of us "normal folk". Kind-of sad if you think about it...

:heartbeat

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