how old were you when you realized you weren't going to make real money as a nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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Laid off pilot use to make 12K a month, sitting in nursing school. That's when

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In nursing school, read an article about the profession of nursing and realized from the statements in that article, that my prospective pay was most likely never going to reach the level of a "professional" even though, I was supposedly getting a "professional" education. The article was correct and so was my realization back then.

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Specializes in ICU, Trauma, CCT,Emergency, Flight, OR Nursing.

Anyone who goes into Nursing to make "Real Money" has made the wrong career choice. Nursing never has been a career where money should be the motivator and it never will be. The last 5-10 years have been good to nurses in terms of remuneration, however the tide is turning and many nurses are suddenly finding themselves without jobs and employers are refraining from providing lucrative raises and bonuses. Many 'travel nursing' agencies and registries have or are going under. Sorry, but the bubble has burst. Those that truly want to be nurses for the right reasons ultimately will be the ones who remain in the long term. If you are looking for "real money" or good or Big money, you should probably choose another career.

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Specializes in ICU hopeful!.

I think that "real" money is relative. For a single mother struggling to make ends meet working nights at a Texaco station for $8/hr, the wages that she will make as a nurse are probably considered "real" money to her - not to mention, nursing has numerous specialties that do allow more money to be made than regular bedside nursing, and I think that is another important point to consider.

It's just frustrating to me, as a pre-nursing student, to see so much negativity about nursing and the job, posted HERE, by nurses! Nurses may not get RICH, but they make more than minimum wage, which is probably all some people need and/or want.

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I don't understand why people complaining that nurse's don't make money. My sister is making 43/hr and she's only working for 3 days. She can still look for other job if she really wanted to. .

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Specializes in ICU hopeful!.

Also, I think that the aspect of pay versus education required is something that alot of people consider. If you qualify, financial aid can pay for the 1-1.5 years of pre-reqs and the two years of NS, leaving you probably at least $40k per year, starting, before taxes.

Just my :twocents: again :)

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

When the HIV, hepatitis B/c patient was slinging poop at me in full detox in 4 point restraints, who went into renal hepatic renal failure and it took 4 of us to insert a foley, drop an NGT for Kayexallate, only for her to sling the poop at me in full blown restraints and spit at me while I tried to do an assessment.

No money, no money, no money... is worth that.

get real noobs... this is what it is. There is never enough money to do what we do... period. That's what it took, and I never looked back. noobs

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I work in journalism right now, and if I complete my goal of becoming a nurse, I'd probably be making twice what I do now. (Not to mention more than what I'd ever make if I stayed in this job.) As a single person, my current wages are enough to get by and even save some money. So, I think a nurse's pay would seem like a lot to me. I suppose it's all relative and depends on your expenses. Though I will say that nurses are underpaid when you take into consideration the hard work that they do and the knowledge and skills it requires.

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Not a nurse yet, but for a 22 year old such as myself, making $35 - 45(Socal) an hour IS real money to me.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Nurses earn real money. For example, I earn more money with my measly associate degree than my counterparts who have attained masters degrees in certain majors such as sculpture, philosophy, religion, humanities, womens' studies, history, creative writing, sociology, and liberal studies.

In addition, the demographic is important when discussing pay. I'm assured that the man who supports his family on $12 hourly at a warehouse believes that the nurse who is earning $30 is earning real money. Compared to other people in society, we are a little more fortunate IMHO.

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Specializes in ICU hopeful!.

Oh, I definitely agree that from what I have seen/heard on these boards, nurses should maybe be paid a little more.

Maybe each state can collaborate with the state's BON to come up with a form we fill out when we do our taxes, documenting each time a chunk of poop was thrown at us, and we get a $500 tax credit per fling....yes, I meant per FLING :lol2:

LOL.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.
Not a nurse yet, but for a 22 year old such as myself, making $35 - 45(Socal) an hour IS real money to me.

see my post, and think twice about what "real money' is, when you're potentially infected with life threatening diseases daily and bring it home to your family.

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