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

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

those who enter the field for the wrong reasons are a detriment to the profession. They give us all a bad name.

What are the wrong reasons? I keep hearing that, and I've yet to hear a satisfactory answer.

From what I figure, the wrong reasons are:

To snag a doctor

To snag narcotics

Otherwise, why does anything other than pure altruism have to be a "wrong" reason?

laynaER · Jul 1, 2010

How do you make $100,000 as a nurse? I have known nurses in management with several degrees & they don't make this much.
Have they done a lot of extra study?

Guess this depends on where you live as well. I know lots of staff RNs who are not in management that make 100K...they are being paid for their years of experience. Lots of them make 100K because they do 3/12s and have per diem work 1 or 2 days per week. It's very doable where I live. Some of them make 100K just by doing 3/12s because they work at a military hospital (which pays a lot) plus they're getting the experience differential.

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

Oh, when he got the "big" flying job, we didn't change our lifestyle much-went on nicer vacations(DisneyWorld instead of ValleyFair) and splurged on eating out more-never were big spenders anyway.

ValleyFair! Another Minnesotan?

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

I make about $80K a year (with 4 years' experience as an RN) working 3 12s at my fulltime job, and then picking up one extra shift a week through float pool. Not too shabby.

laynaER · Jul 1, 2010

What are the wrong reasons? I keep hearing that, and I've yet to hear a satisfactory answer.
From what I figure, the wrong reasons are:
To snag a doctor
To snag narcotics
Otherwise, why does anything other than pure altruism have to be a "wrong" reason?

My hairdresser was telling me about a guy she met who said "I'm going for nursing. They make mad money. I'm only doing it for the money I could care less patients and caring about people they have too much issues. I just need to collect my check and get the eff out."

Nursing isn't like other professions. I do not think nursing is a profession you can do just for the money. Especially since the money isn't extremely fantastic. How good of a job do you think someone can do if they got into nursing just for the money (they then realize it's not as much money as they thought) and they have a patient who needs compassion, who needs that nurse advocate? As the others said, wait until you have poop flying out at you. Like Zookeeper and others said, there is never going to be enough to compensate us for what we do! If you know you're not going to give a darn about your patients and you're only coming to work for a check then you're getting into nursing for the wrong reasons and you will eventually end up hurting or even worse killing someone simply because you didn't care enough to tend someone when they said "I don't feel right."

I have my opinion, you have yours. I think some people enter for the wrong reasons. If I'm going to say that entering solely on the basis of money and not caring about your patients is wrong, then I'm entitled to that opinion. I don't see why you and others who think like you seem to think that just because we don't agree with you it means we're not allowed to say "you got into it for the wrong reasons."

give me a break.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

Let's see I'm 22 and by my estimates I'll probably bring in close to $70,000 this year. IMO, for someone so young, that is very good money. I can live comfortably, pay my bills, and am able to save. None of my non-nurse friends make anywhere near this (and yes, they are all college graduates). My boyfriend and I both joke that when we get married I'll be the breadwinner because as a nurse I will always make more than him (he's a journalist).

I guess it's just a matter of perspective, but I have found nursing to be financially profitable. I didn't go into it expecting to make this much, but the income has been a nice added bonus.

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

I have my opinion, you have yours. I think some people enter for the wrong reasons. If I'm going to say that entering solely on the basis of money and not caring about your patients is wrong, then I'm entitled to that opinion, I don't see why you and others who think like you seem to think that just because we don't agree with you it means we're not allowed to say "you got into it for the wrong reasons."
give me a break.

Disagreeing with you is not the same as telling you that you're not allowed to have your opinion.

Your hairdresser's cousin's uncle's friend's boyfriend is an extreme example. Obviously someone who says "I don't give a damn about the pts, I just want the money" is not what I'm referring to. I'm just tired of people saying that getting into nursing because it makes good money, considering the education required, and it's more recession-proof than most other professions, is the "wrong" reason. Apparently we all need to be little Florence Nightingales, happily mopping up vomit and feces with a vacuous smile on our faces. Sorry, don't buy it. Nursing is not all kittens and rainbows, and it's OKAY to admit that one is not in nursing because they have a love of service in their heart. As long as you treat your patients with respect and you know what you're doing, that's good enough for me.

tntrn, ASN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

Am an RN with 33 years experience, married to a retired airline pilot, with 38 years in that profession..... maybe I can lend some light to this discussion. My husband retired after 38 years with Hawaiian Airlines (as the number one on the "list") and at that time he made about 12K a year. He retired just before the age limit was raised to 65, but he wasn't going to stay longer anyway. So to the OP: you say you were laid off as a pilot and making 12K a year, wow! who laid you off and that airline must be in real trouble because you had to be fairly high on their seniority list? That being said, it sucks to go on furlough, which most pilots have at least once in their career.

To others: it's very hard to go and just get another flying job....you can't just go to another airline who might be hiring.....even with all your thousands of hours of experience, you will still go to the bottom of THEIR list and you'll be making peanuts AND be the first one furloughed....again.

To all of those who think a flying career is so romantic: it's not always. We have been blessed to see some of the most fantastic places in the world, but we don't fly free, unless it's on our own airline....so if someone works for American or United, you can go "free" to more places, but if you fly for another carrier that doesn't have so many destinations, you will pay....and of course, it's always standby, and there's a dress code and you can get on the plane and then yet taken off again before it even leaves the gate.

Nursing and aviation couple are numerous, however...it seems to work.

And to answer the original question: I started nursing school in 1974. I needed to support myself and two kids.....I knew I could do that as a nurse....my spouse (now the ex) was a loser/abuser. When I got out of nursing school in 1976, my starting salary was $5.84 an hour.....now 33 year laters I am pushing $50 an hour as a perdiem nurse. I do not work fulltime, but probably could if I needed to or chose to.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

I only make 53 k a year after 15 years, but I set my own schedule, have a wonderful office, get all weekends and holidays offf with pay, deal with research subjects instead of patients and families, supervise myself, and LOVE what I do.

Sure it would be nice to make more, but I love what I have and I will enjoy it for as long as I can.

I think hospital (and LTC) nurses are under paid for all that they deal with.

New grad pay here in Texas is about 25 bucks an hour I believe for acute and long term care.....

Anne36, LPN · Jul 1, 2010

Carrolmaccas66,

I understand completely. I know how hard some people work only to pay taxes while others live off the system and bottom line have more money that way. My neice is a welfare Mom and has more disposable income than I do with my husband making over $50g a year. When I finish Nursing School I will still be tight with money because I know most of it will only pay taxes, gas, car payment, daycare, and make up for the lack of child support I get.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

My uncle was a pilot for KLM, then an American airline, in the 60's. When he was laid off from his airline pilot's job in America, he never worked in the airline industry again. As a matter of fact, he never worked again, as he could not deal with the reality. His wife had to support the family by herself. He wasted away, lost his health, and died an early death, like so many men who lose their jobs.

How sad!

laynaER · Jul 1, 2010

Disagreeing with you is not the same as telling you that you're not allowed to have your opinion.
Your hairdresser's cousin's uncle's friend's boyfriend is an extreme example. Obviously someone who says "I don't give a damn about the pts, I just want the money" is not what I'm referring to. I'm just tired of people saying that getting into nursing because it makes good money, considering the education required, and it's more recession-proof than most other professions, is the "wrong" reason. Apparently we all need to be little Florence Nightingales, happily mopping up vomit and feces with a vacuous smile on our faces. Sorry, don't buy it. Nursing is not all kittens and rainbows, and it's OKAY to admit that one is not in nursing because they have a love of service in their heart. As long as you treat your patients with respect and you know what you're doing, that's good enough for me.

I'm sorry, but I don't see where I said that "getting into nursing because it makes good money, considering the education required, and it's more recession-proof than most other professions" is the WRONG reason. Becaue I don't think that that's the wrong reason. It's nothing but common sense. I think the pay, stability, longetivity, are factors one should consider when choosing a profession. Any profession for that matter. I believe your education and time are an investment you should get a good return on and there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying "I got into nursing because while I may not have a true love for it, A) the pay is well, B) I don't have to be in school for long C) it's a job that will always be in demand. Heck, I'd be lying if I said that those factors didn't play a part in me choosing to go into nursing.

Secondly, I was simply sharing a story. There is no need to act like a child with the whole hairdressers cousins uncles boyfriends auntie whatever. Share your opinion like a professional, and I'll share mine in the same manner.