I became a nurse because of the perceived notion of job security, but not necessarily the actual take home pay. Also the flexibility to relocate and find work... and maybe a little because of multiple options for career paths, if bedside nursing wasn't as glorious as it appeared. I was a home health aide first to make sure I didn't have aversions to doing the hands on care for strangers.
I love bedside care at the med/surg level. I am glad there are other kinds of people who go into nursing though... because I don't want to work in ICU or L&D or dialysis. I don't want to be a nurse manager or director and go to meetings all day...
I appreciate a good manager who still pines quietly to do a little bedside care. Unfortunately, there are a lot of new nurses who seem eager to get the next degree, promotion, or certificate just to get as far away from the bedside as possible, as fast as possible. Envying the charge nurse position because they see it as a way to not be assigned patients...
I am not against nurses moving up. I would just hope they see the value of doing the job they agreed to do (that they are getting paid to do), and do it well. Some seem to have no ability to put the patient first.
