Nurses that “only do it for the money”

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

What is your thought on nurses who only join the profession for financial gains?

On 4/1/2019 at 5:27 AM, ThatChickOmi said:

Heh.

I'm not even a nurse yet and I hear comments similar to this one often.

"Oh??? An RN?? It takes a special person to be an RN I am so proud of you!!"

Me: (Thinking) Ummm...well, I'm tired of driving a box truck and lifting a bunch of heavy crap and jacking up my shoulders and elbows, and delivering to people and I want to make more money,and nursing sounds like a decent way to make a living and so many options too, and I've always been a science dork and find the human body fascinating, so...[/run on sentence]

Me: (Outloud) Oh, yeah. Totally.

I think regardless of the reason, becoming a nurse does take a special person. We work hard and have a ton of responsibility, and let me tell you, nursing has giving me a comfortable lifestyle but the pay is never enough for the responsibility one has. Just my personal opinion.

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7 hours ago, turtlesRcool said:

I think this might be a factor of geography as well. I've read enough threads on here to know there are places where RNs are only making $20/hr. I would consider that seriously underpaid.

I started at $35/hr as a brand new nurse still on orientation. That's $65K to start for a job that requires a two-year degree. I think that's pretty good. With seniority, shift differentials, some overtime, and high clinical ladder scores, there are bedside nurses making over $100K. It's not Bill Gates territory, but it's comfortable.

And which part of the country do you live in ? Costs of living matter , $35/hr for a new grad , you probably don’t live in a low cost area.

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2 hours ago, AFJ32780 said:

I think regardless of the reason, becoming a nurse does take a special person. We work hard and have a ton of responsibility, and let me tell you, nursing has giving me a comfortable lifestyle but the pay is never enough for the responsibility one has. Just my personal opinion.

I agree that it does take a special person to be a nurse.

First, you must be willing to study, or you will not pass nursing school.

You must possess self-discipline.

Some people don't.

Secondly, you must be able to deal with bodily functions.

Some people can't.

Thirdly, you must be flexible because you will meet all kinds of people as patients.

Some people can't be pliable.

I could go on, but I think you all get the point.

But it is still a job.

Just like engineering.

I could never be an engineer.

As Robert Palmer said:

It takes all kinds of people, to make the world go round.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
1 hour ago, Lil Nel said:

I agree that it does take a special person to be a nurse.

First, you must be willing to study, or you will not pass nursing school.

You must possess self-discipline.

Some people don't.

Secondly, you must be able to deal with bodily functions.

Some people can't.

Thirdly, you must be flexible because you will meet all kinds of people as patients.

Some people can't be pliable.

I could go on, but I think you all get the point.

But it is still a job.

Just like engineering.

I could never be an engineer.

As Robert Palmer said:

It takes all kinds of people, to make the world go round.

Beautifully stated, Nel!!

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
4 hours ago, AFJ32780 said:

nursing has giving me a comfortable lifestyle but the pay is never enough for the responsibility one has. Just my personal opinion.

PREACH.

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On 3/30/2019 at 6:51 AM, FolksBtrippin said:

I think people who like money enough for it to be the sole reason they work tend to go for careers in Finance.

It is interesting because I switch from finance to nursing years ago and I have to tell you that the pay was not good unless you were in sales, investment and making commissions. I chose nursing because I wanted job security, financial stability and flexibility. I also knew that I was a people person and love helping others. Nursing was the best choice for me , I enjoy the paycheck but I also enjoy making a difference in my patients' life. I didn't know I had so much patience until I became a nurse. I treat patients with dignity and respect and like I would want a nurse to treat my family. While looking for financial stability, job security and flexibility, I also found my passion.

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Not sure there will be financial gain unless you live in California, and are in California Nurses Assoc. they are the highest paid RN's. When you think that you can make 50-80 per hour, with an associated degree that is not bad... you can be head of house hold and support a family of 4... Nurses that admit their in it for the money are just being truthful.. its not like it was. patients are difficult (personalities), heavy (weight) and the administrators can be a pain... many nurses are finished with their career at a young age, because of injury... take it from a RN who's been there for 30 plus years

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I find that disrespectful, osceteacher. I am manager of the same 24-bed CVICU/ Open Heart unit where I practiced compassionate nursing for 20 years before becoming manager. My face has nothing to do with it. I've been practicing nursing 41 years and they pay me well to do it. I'm good at it as well.

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Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.
1 hour ago, Gr8flRN said:

not sure there will be financial gain unless you live in California, and are in California Nurses Assoc. they are the highest paid RN's. When you think that you can make 50-80 per hour, with an associated degree that is not bad... you can be head of house hold and support a family of 4... Nurses that admit their in it for the money are just being truthful.. its not like it was. patients are difficult(personalities), heavy(weight) and the administrators can be a pain... many nurses are finished with their career at a young age, because of injury... take it from a RN who's been there for 30 plus years

But the cost of living is higher. I made ~25/hour starting as a bedside new grad, and I still was able to support my family. That's over 50k/year, and in a lot of the country, that's a decent wage to live on. It's not going to be luxury, but it can pay the bills. I now make a lot more, but in contrast, when I made 25/hour, I lived in a nice suburb with good schools, a 5 bed/2.5 bath house that was >2500 sf and my monthly payment was ~1500. Now I live in a 1 bed apt with <700sf and I pay >4k/month.

So, there are factors to consider, beyond just what the wage is.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
On 3/30/2019 at 1:55 PM, AFJ32780 said:

No. I just need them to do their job and correctly. I absolutely love nursing and it pays well!!! So ??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️ It’s perfect.

Then you are either delusional or in the honeymoon stage! It is so far from perfect! Also, I think we are seriously underpaid for all the stress and crap we have to put up with.

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On 4/1/2019 at 5:46 PM, brandy1017 said:

Then you are either delusional or in the honeymoon stage! It is so far from perfect! Also, I think we are seriously underpaid for all the stress and crap we have to put up with.

Umm Excuse me? Lol

Neither.

Far from delusional and way past the honeymoon stage.

when I said perfect I meant that to me it pays well and the job itself is perfect FOR ME. Yes, it’s hard work but it can always be worse. Just grateful I have a decent paycheck and health insurance. Of course, as nurses we can always get more money but....

Thanks.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
9 hours ago, Lil Nel said:

I agree that it does take a special person to be a nurse.

First, you must be willing to study, or you will not pass nursing school.

You must possess self-discipline.

Some people don't.

Secondly, you must be able to deal with bodily functions.

Some people can't.

Thirdly, you must be flexible because you will meet all kinds of people as patients.

Some people can't be pliable.

I could go on, but I think you all get the point.

But it is still a job.

Just like engineering.

I could never be an engineer.

As Robert Palmer said:

It takes all kinds of people, to make the world go round.

I think you said it best!

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