Nursing Salary...

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Whenever I tell people that I'm going to nursing school everyone immediately jumps to the topic of how much money I'm going to make and how I'm going to be so rich and asks me what kind of house/car I'm going to get. :o I didn't go into nursing for that so it really bugs me how people that are going into this profession (especially my classmates) want to be a nurse for the money and thats basically all they talk about it. It doesn't seem like they are the kind of future nurses that are going to be caring towards their patients at all. Does anyone find this somewhat disturbing or how to handle these kind of comments and misperceptions?

"Money won't make you happy, but it will keep you warm and feed while you contemplate your misery."- Sunnyjohn

Ignore those people flowerpower. They have no idea what they are talking about. :p

Agape

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Specializes in cardiac/education.

You know, not as many of my fellow classmates talk about "getting rich" as they fondly talk about how nice it will be to HAVE MONEY. I think oftentimes when students dream about the money it is not ALL they are looking forward to, it is just that as students many of us haven't had much money for a while. Believe me, in about a week I knew which students were truly shallow and which students just have been broke for a while..:rotfl:

But then again I am sure there are the really shallow people. I would never go into nursing soley for the money. I mean, what grunt work! Why not go into some other field? Maybe they mean lots of $$$ for not too much education/expense (monetary)? Nursing school is tough though and I believe people that say that you will never make it if you don't really want it...:)

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Thanks everyone for the quick replies! :w00t:

A girl in my class also told me that after she graduates she wants to move to the bay area where nurses make 80K. Well, in my area in CA, RN's make about $29-45 so I don't know how good/bad that compares to other areas. Let me know! Thanks...

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i didn't know nurses where known for making big bucks?

i just thought they made the "average"

(pre nursing student here)

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Well, I guess in my area.. professors, friends, fellow classmates, and family thinks thats where all the money is at...

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i didn't know nurses where known for making big bucks?

i just thought they made the "average"

(pre nursing student here)

in my area, people also tend to think that nurses make good money. and compared to many other professions that require a two or four-year degree, nurses do make a lot of money. there is really few, if any, other professions that you can come out of school with a bachelor's making $40,000-$50,000/yr. however, for the amount of stress and work that nurses actually perform, i don't believe that this is adequate compensation. not to mention that the salaries stagnate over time.

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Specializes in ICU, Tele, and OR.
In my area, people also tend to think that nurses make good money. And compared to many other professions that require a two or four-year degree, nurses do make a lot of money. There is really few, if any, other professions that you can come out of school with a bachelor's making $40,000-$50,000/yr. However, for the amount of stress and work that nurses actually perform, I don't believe that this is adequate compensation. Not to mention that the salaries stagnate over time.

I'll second that.... We make decent salaries. The majority of us are not rich by any means, but it beats what I made during nursing school-NADA....LOL... I hated it in school when nurses told me I was going to be just as broke after graduation. I may not be rich but I'm damn sure not living off the McDonald's dollar menu anymore...

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J.o.b.

Just Over Broke!

Lol

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Specializes in ED, ICU.

I imagine I would be very annoyed too if all my classmates ONLY talked about money all the time. I guess I'm lucky...most of my friends in nursing school and I always talk non-stop about what type of nursing we want to do, not how much money we'll make. I do think about the money though, I use it as motivation to study when I can't make myself read anymore. I used to work at a computer store when I was taking pre-reqs in Austin, TX, and I cant tell you how many guys I worked with that had engineering degrees from UT Austin and were still working retail b/c they couldnt find jobs! So knowing that I'll have a job when I'm done and that I'll finally be able to live comfortably is part of my motivation to study...but I've always known I wanted to be a nurse since before I realized how much nurses make..and ESPECIALLY how much a nurse does..because to be honest I had no idea before I got into school. To all those that want easy money...play the lottery...b/c I dont think good nurses ever make what they're worth.

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hello, im from the philippines and currently a nursing student. Im just wondering if nursing is a high paying job in abroad. thats the talk of the town. most of top notch doctors here are taking up nursing just to work abroad and earn dollars cuz here in our country, we are facing a lot of problems and the salary of a nurse here is only $150-$250 a month. eversince i was a child, a dreamed of being a doctor like my father but now things are different here. My father told me that newly grads doctors arent earning that much. to tell you the truth, their salary is not satisfying.

to get to the point... so all of you guys are saying that some of the people there believe that they'll earn a lot of money if they become a nurse? or they just made that up? :confused: im confused

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I was appalled in nursing school to hear all the talk of salary too and true a lot of new nurses are that way and just in it for the money. However, you truly have to work in the field to see how hard it really is and you find out the minimal amount of pay or any pay is not enough to compensate you if it is really not your 'calling'. Here is a copy of some of my comments made in the other post today as the subject of salary seems to come up a lot.

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NOT ENOUGH !!! But that does not mean that you are in it for the money, I just want to be compensated for what I do. I didn't go into it for the money, but 'comfortable' living and the job security/rewards of helping.

ON THE OTHER HAND, water getter, comforter, making you comfortable, talking to your family when you can't , talking to the doctor, giving meds that can help you but also potentially kill you, and making a mistake that can cost you your whole livelihood and the time and money of your education plus being recorded on your record, etc etc etc. You have to LOVE this job to be effective or it will destroy you. It is way too hard physically, mentally, emotionally. You are sometimes spending more time (16 hours a day) caring for others that your life and family suffer. You definitely need to be compensated for that.

The MULTITASKER title deserves to be paid accordingly.

I was shocked to find out how little I was being paid after the rigors of nursing school that after all the sweat and tears, THAT WAS IT when I could have been in school for something else and made more.

PS but for some people TOO MUCH. If you just sit around and do the minimal you will still get paid the same, but you decide what kind of nurse you want to be. You will see all kinds.

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I have a bachelors of science in applied arts and science and I having trouble getting a job! Currently working part-time at Wegmans (http://www.wegmans.com) in the seafood department. The only real job I had after college was doing inside sales but got laid off in 2001. We all know what happened in 2001! I am now 31 years old with 15 years of work history, mostly customer service/sales type jobs. Nursing is another one of those "customer service" job but it requires a professional degree. Unlike my other jobs, not anyone could be a nurse without some kind of professional training. That's what attracted me to this profession.

Nursing was something I wanted to do for a long time. I avoid it because of what my high school teacher said about how nursing and hearing loss don't mix. Now I am learning that there are deaf nurses and doctors with success stories! Pretty soon in a couple of years I will be one of those people that people will talk about because of my hearing impairment!

It all comes down to wanting to make a difference in people's lives. I believe nurses can do much more than say the social workers or other human service positions. Nurses wear so many hats, they're social workers, peace officers, advocates, counselors, healers, leaders, servants, and well as being nurses. The best thing is that job security exist in the nursing profession and yes it helps to have a decent salary helps.

By the way, my degree it was mixture of social work, criminal justice and quality management. Now I am working towards nursing degree so I truly wear many hats!

Tommy :idea:

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