We had this huge discussion at work today, and i thought i'd get your opinions.
The statement was this: "We have to many people becoming nurses for the money. Its not like it used to be, where a nurse chose to be a nurse because they liked helping people. Its all about the money,."
We were talking about the increased patient complaints, and an older nurse stated the above and thats the reason for increased patient complaints.
Well after reading a few more of these, it might sound idealistic but one thing is for certain. You spend an incredible amount of time at work - for love or money. I promote the concept that you can love nursing and earn a decent living. Alternatively, you could do it primarily for the money which is perfectly viable. However with the latter, I would hope that you essentially liked your job. Working just for money in a difficult profession - emotionally, physically, psychologically and not liking it or as another on this chat line indicated "I hate people", is personally debilitating. It may seem altruistic but you would be better working for less and liking what you do - surely this would provide you with a rich life rather than a mediocre one. I'm also surprised that people in nursing stay in places they hate. There is such scope in health care, such flexibility - move on!
Whether working for love or money, you will inevitably have to care. Caring is an ambiguous concept. You will care differently. You may feel detached from your patient, yet you will be giving physical care. You may feel incredible empathy and make mistakes. I have one concern however for people who believe they can go into nursing and not care. Be careful. You are responsible for the lives of other people. You administer medications - that can potentially kill or create devastating side effects. You may not care in the florence nightingale sense but I hope nurses will always care about the practice of nursing.
Caring is an ambiguous concept. You will care differently.
*************
A voice of reason at last! :balloons:
I was going to leave this thread alone but felt compelled to comment.
I do the job; all aspects of it! What I really find distasteful is some of my esteemed colleagues who get bent out of shape because someone isn't meeting their idealistic view of "caring". There are a lot of different ways to meet people's needs and not all of them involve a loving embrace.
I'm likely to get my head lopped off if I try to embrace someone anyways. I am 6'1" and muscular. I'd probably get kicked. The sweetie, honey, precious, darling routine just does not work for me.
As I was reading through this thread I kept thinking to myself, who am I to say anything about these people who want to improve their lot in life. I have a suspicion that some of these "money hungry" people are looking to stabilize their own personal situations and are putting a lot of effort into doing that.
When they start meeting their needs for financial stability then the money priority will lessen and return to it's rightful place.
I haven't met too many people who would do this job for free. :selfbonk:
I am a new nursing student. I actually don't start until the end of this month. However, my reason for pursuing this career is because of my love of people. When my 4 month old had to have a diaphragmatic hernia repaired it solidified my reason for choosing nursing. I saw how the nursing staff not only cared for my son, but cared for me also. The tenderness and compassion they showed made me realize how much I wanted to be able to do that. I have always taken care of others my whole life and I think nursing will only make me better. I have found through talking to others that are pursuing nursing that they're just doing it for the money and that bothers me. I don't think that the want of money makes for a good nurse. I got an excellent piece of advice from my sister-in-law an OB nurse-she said don't do it for the money because if you do you will wind up hating it. I share the pain of the experienced nurses who see incoming nurses that are only doing it for the money-I sympathize and wish it was different.
We had this huge discussion at work today, and i thought i'd get your opinions.
The statement was this: "We have to many people becoming nurses for the money. Its not like it used to be, where a nurse chose to be a nurse because they liked helping people. Its all about the money,."
We were talking about the increased patient complaints, and an older nurse stated the above and thats the reason for increased patient complaints.
We had this huge discussion at work today, and i thought i'd get your opinions.
The statement was this: "We have to many people becoming nurses for the money. Its not like it used to be, where a nurse chose to be a nurse because they liked helping people. Its all about the money,."
We were talking about the increased patient complaints, and an older nurse stated the above and thats the reason for increased patient complaints.
So, what do you think.
I'm not a young nurse, and I'm not female, but I do have an absolute passion for nursing. My specialty choice is in palliative care, an area of nursing I would suspect to be almost impossible to work in without being very, very commited to "caring".
However, there is what I feel to be an almost universal reality, the public and healthcare industry demand nursing staff be highly skilled and professional people. In this country at least (New Zealand), minimum entry qualification is at degree level. Not only does that cost in terms of commitment and money (in an environment where women finally have much greater choices of work than previously), but so does the requirement to maintain a portfolio of continuing education, with further study to Masters or PHD to achieve specialisation.
It should not be expected nurses (male of female) meet these standards without expectation of financial reward. It seems rather ironic healthcare bosses will openly boast at the need to pay top $$$ to attract the "best" specialty physician, but not use the same rationale when recruiting nurses. There is no incentive for that philosphy to change though, when they can see such statements "bobnurse" has made.
The profession as a whole needs to stop being its own worst enemy, be proud of who we are and the skills we possess. Stop underselling us all....
Specializes in private duty/home health, med/surg.
To all those who have mentioned classmates who talk about how much money they are going to make when they are nurses, please consider that they may be in dire straits right now.
Up until I started getting my paychecks in January of this year, we lived on my husband's unemployment checks, as he lost his job that was supporting us while I finished nursing school. For a family of five (six including my stepdaughter) that was tough. We didn't starve, thanks to food stamps; thanks to Medicaid, I didn't have to worry about paying any medical bills, including the prescription for my daughter's anti-seizure meds.
I became an RN in January, and the minute I started receiving my paychecks it was like a switch was flipped. While finishing my degree, I kept the extent of our strained financial situation to myself, but especially towards the end I was thinking "I can't wait until I'm getting paid." If I had voiced my eagerness to start making money to any of my fellow classmates, I may have been wrongly stereotyped as being in it only for the money. I care deeply for my patients, but I'm not going into nursing as charity work either.
My point is you may not know where your fellow nursing classmates are coming from. Even if they aren't financially strapped, it isn't wrong to be eager to make money.
Specializes in med/surg, cardiac/tele, critical care.
Just my .02. I came into nursing because I was tired of working for minimum wage and poor job satisfaction. I have been a nurse now for 10 years and cannot see myself doing anything else. I agree with the proposition that nursing for monetary gain or caring for people should not be mutually exclusive. There is much more to it. I am a travel nurse and like the flexibility of being able to work where I want; when I want. However, this doesn't mean I "chase the money". I am making $11 an hour less on this assignment from the previous because it is in an area of the country where I want to be. I tell my wife that there is more to life than money. IMO, taking care of people is only 1/3 of the equation. Staunch professionalism and adequate compensation make up the other 2/3.
I agree that money isn't everything but it is part of the equation like you said and put very well. I was a nutritionist for many years, I was always doing cartwheels to do more for my patients. I went to the mayors office when I heard one of my dialysis pts. could not have a cat where she lived...she got the cat. I had patients tell me they just longed to go to the Red Lobster, I took a few of them.... both who died that year. I mean they really wanted to go and had no way of going. I got donations from area businesses at Christmas, I had free raffles, if they needed money, I got it donated....there was no end. I never made a dime more than the girls who sat at desks putting check marks on menus. I decided to do something more for the people I took care of and I figured nursing was the way to go .... for them and for me. I always worked two jobs, now I can work one. I am not the traditional nursing student as I am a lot older so I think the degree means much more. I have a shot at really making a difference in a whole new way. I am a quality type person .... I hope I can do it. I just interviewed for my first job yesterday...I will hear tomorrow. I purposely picked the hospital I did for the primary reason that they take good care of the people in the community. I used to work at a major medical center and it was exciting all the time but the care was not always possible. I am starting small but it is still acute care. I would like to try travelling nursing....I wonder what it is like with a new environment all the time. How long do you stay in one place....months? weeks? Do you go places just because you want to travel, for ex. Hawaaii?Is it difficult to get oriented to new policies and proceedures?Also, are some travel agencies better than others and why? which one do you work for?
I hope you have time to answer back because I don't know anyone doing this.
I would like to try travelling nursing....I wonder what it is like with a new environment all the time. How long do you stay in one place....months? weeks?
The "typical" assignment is 13 weeks. You can extend your contract from there if you choose (if they still need you) or you can move on. You can also find contracts longer or shorter than the typical (there are 4, 6, 8, 26, + week assignments). It just depends on what the unit needs and what type of assignments your company/agency handles. Some handle short-term (under 13 wks), which are usually vacation/maternity coverage for staff. Some handle a little bit of everything, and some handle only the 13+ weeks.
Do you go places just because you want to travel, for ex. Hawaaii?
Depends. You will find the "tourist" spots do not pay as well b/c they figure that people want to be there badly enough to accept lower pay. It also depends on your specialty and what assignments are available. For example - med/surg, yeah you could go pretty much anywhere you want. Other specialties, you have to go where there is an assignment available. Some specialties are harder find assignments than others. I look at what assignments are available, whether I want to go to that place, what I have heard (if anything) about the facility, what the pay is, length of assignment, and several other factors. Most Hawaii assignments are for at least 6 months and it is very expensive to live there. Traveler pay is nothing to write home about and transportation can be an issue. There are MANY things to consider before accepting an assignment - particularly if you will be a long way from home and/or on a long-term assignment.
Is it difficult to get oriented to new policies and proceedures?
It can be. You will find that some facilities are really traveler-friendly and some are really not. Some welcome you with open arms, others treat you like crap because they are under the impression that you are making the "big bucks" (some places you are, some places not...usually you are making about the same as the staff, but your living expenses are paid - not that you don't still have living expenses back home...). Some will use travelers to take the crappy assignments the staff doesn't want, some will use them as float nurses (I have heard some travelers comment that they spent more time floating than they did on the unit for which they were contracted). It all depends on what is in your contract and the unit/facility that you go to.
Also, are some travel agencies better than others and why? which one do you work for?
Absolutely. It is a little hit or miss and sometimes you will have good and bad experiences based more on your recruiter than on the company itself, but there are companies with good and bad reputations. They all vary as far as what the rate of pay is, what benefits are offered (insurance, 401k, etc), living arrangements, extras (rental car, etc). You just have to research a bunch of companies and go with the one who can get you what you want. Much of it depends on what is important to you and what you want to get out of the experience.
There is a forum specifically for travel nurses (it gets much more traffic than the travel nurse forum here at allnurses) at www.delphiforums.com
In the search box, just search for travel nurses. The forum you are looking for is Travel Nurses and Therapists - No Recruiting. I don't find a way to log in to that particular forum as a guest (although you used to be able to), so you may have to create an account to browse the forum. It's free so no biggie.
Specializes in med/surg, cardiac/tele, critical care.
Honestly, money was a factor when I started traveling. I saw it as a way to pay off some bills and see the country at the same time. I saw it as a great opportunity that nursing has afforded me and my family. Acute care experience is a plus and most agencies require a minimum of one year experience in your specialty area. (I worked a cardiac/telemetry floor for five years prior to traveling.)
I work for Aureus Medical Group right now and they are really good about taking care of their nurses. Some of the others aren't. Most of the travelers I know work for several different agencies. That way they aren't limited to the area a particular agency covers. If you are serious about traveling, check out www.nursetraveler.org. They have a lot of good information on getting started and has been a big help to us. I hope this answers some of your questions.
I see people like this all the time. I even went to the one persons manager because they were dangerous but it fell on deaf ears. I'm also amazed at how many nurses stand there and take the behavior directed at them by doctors who shouldn.t be allowed to interact with humans either.
We had this huge discussion at work today, and i thought i'd get your opinions.
The statement was this: "We have to many people becoming nurses for the money. Its not like it used to be, where a nurse chose to be a nurse because they liked helping people. Its all about the money,."
We were talking about the increased patient complaints, and an older nurse stated the above and thats the reason for increased patient complaints.
If I did not care about making money, I wouldn't work at all. I would sit at home with my feet propped up. However, I do need to make money. Exactly like people in other fields, I went to college, earned a degree, and I expect to be well compensated. I chose my major based on my interests - not on a calling. If you think I shouldn't be a nurse because of that, well too bad - because I am a nurse and I'm good at what I do. I wasn't expecting to become a millionaire when I chose nursing, but I did (and still do) expect my income to reflect the fact that I have a degree and I expect it to be competitive with that of other professionals, not with that of some high school kid working at McD's.
As for the increase in patient complaints, I believe that reflects the shift in the focus of health care from treating illness to customer service. In the "good old days" of health care, patients were not led to believe that they were at the Burger King and could "have it their way". It was understood that a hospital was a place to get treatment and recover from illness and/or injury and was not a place to get your butt kissed.
here is a quote from a co-worker (LVN) at my first hospital job: 'this is a hospital, not a hotel; we give care not service.' Believe me, we worked hard and did a good job of caring for our patients.
Clementina
4 Posts
Well after reading a few more of these, it might sound idealistic but one thing is for certain. You spend an incredible amount of time at work - for love or money. I promote the concept that you can love nursing and earn a decent living. Alternatively, you could do it primarily for the money which is perfectly viable. However with the latter, I would hope that you essentially liked your job. Working just for money in a difficult profession - emotionally, physically, psychologically and not liking it or as another on this chat line indicated "I hate people", is personally debilitating. It may seem altruistic but you would be better working for less and liking what you do - surely this would provide you with a rich life rather than a mediocre one. I'm also surprised that people in nursing stay in places they hate. There is such scope in health care, such flexibility - move on!
Whether working for love or money, you will inevitably have to care. Caring is an ambiguous concept. You will care differently. You may feel detached from your patient, yet you will be giving physical care. You may feel incredible empathy and make mistakes. I have one concern however for people who believe they can go into nursing and not care. Be careful. You are responsible for the lives of other people. You administer medications - that can potentially kill or create devastating side effects. You may not care in the florence nightingale sense but I hope nurses will always care about the practice of nursing.