Question for Students

fiveofpeep · Mar 20, 2007

I think alot of it is that. I will admit it that I have always always wanted a career in which I was always needed and the salary is nice---but not that nice in Orange county where I live.

Before I chose nursing as my major I kept writing off different careers but this one stuck because I have always been a nice, very very helpful person. My mom is also a nurse which influenced me. But as an a young adult, I was initially drawn in by the stability.

I can always tell if people are just in it for the money when they say "Im going to be a nurse practitioner right after I graduate."

Thats a generalization but I think alot of people in my school at least think about NP for more money.

I thought about CRNA school and who knows but I think I'd feel guilty for not doing bedside nursing long enough ehhe.

trainer2070 · Mar 20, 2007

Its a combination of both for me. First of all I really do enjoy helping people and 2nd of all I was going to go to paramedic school and just enjoy being on the streets. However, when I can work in an ER and get paid 2-3x what I would have made as a medic with better work hours it was an easy decision for me. I still may get my EMT-P later on so I can still have fun on the streets, but nursing will pay the bills.

RHODE ISLAND BLOND · Mar 20, 2007

I don't have any classmates (YET!) but I want to become a nurse for the nursing aspect. When I was 19/20 I worked at a nursing home. I loved it, but found the people that were hired to work beside me were indifferent, treating the residents inhumanely at times, and with zero tolerance for the physical and mental variations of the residents. I had to get out. I've never forgotten that, but have only recently been granted the opportunity to pursue nursing as a career to work with the elderly. (My story in 2000 words or less!)

HM2VikingRN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

I am planning on pursuing NP ASAP not because of the money but because thats what I want to do. It also has to do with being 46 and not wanting to dally on the career path.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

Sadly it seems that the majority of my class seems to think LPN school is a cake walk and they will graduate and land a job making big big $$. They know nothing about what nursing really entails and they are constantly saying "I won't ever do that.." bedbath, change a brief, feed someone, etc. They are very indifferent and talk about the residents they take care of (most of them are CNA's) as if the resident weren't even human! They are very unrealistic about what they will be doing, their paycheck, etc.

It is a thing in my class where the majority think its an easy class and an easy way to make big (unrealistic) money but the ones who know a bit about what nursing is about, actually seem to have a passion for nursing, which are sadly the minority in the class.

But I'd be willing to bet that majority who are looking at nursing as a quick easy $ aren't going to be around for graduation.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

All the "little birds" in my class (including myself) want to go into nursing because they not only care for others but the pay is outstanding compared to other career fields! Let's be honest, if nursing pay was bad, then it would not be worth the effort!

For example, other fields of study pay poorly (20,000-30,000/year) and give the opportunity to help people all day long without the stress of attending schools that have such high standards and ask so much from the students (I have been up since 3 AM and won't be sleeping any time soon). I think people who state that he/she wants to be a nurse only to help others are not being honest! In fact, the only place I have heard the self righteous garbage about going into nursing at the exclusion of money or putting people down who talk about money is on this board! :uhoh3:

I am happy to say I am not surrounded by such hypocrites in my class. The Student Nurses in my class are not ashamed to tell the truth! We all agree that "it's all about the Benjamins, Baby!" ... Plus, the satisfaction of saving a life at the end of the day.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

I can always tell if people are just in it for the money when they say "Im going to be a nurse practitioner right after I graduate."

My eventual goal is NP. I repeatedly forget about the fact that I'll earn more. That's not even on my radar although it should be with all the student loans I'm taking out. It's not about the money for me but rather the focus on diagnosing and more autonomy.

ILRN200 · Mar 20, 2007

the majority of classmates in my class are here to help people. I can tell by the amount of support wee just give each other. Also I think our patients get a huge amout of care and empathy c q task.

I think another great way to get to tell that nursing is for you is by the different papers we do. We had to write a theraputic com. paper and really interact c our clients to see not just the procedure/prof. side of nursing but the your really making an impact on this client's life and helping them and family though hurdles.

I dont think that nursing would be for someone if they were just in it for the money. not only would they MAYBE be colder c their clients, but that nurse woud not be happy, so the money may not be worth it in the end.

Aki Time · Mar 20, 2007

I quit my fulltime sales job to go back to school. I didn't know what I wanted but I knew that sales was not for me. When I started serving at a local restuarant I realized how much I like taking care of people and being on my feet instead of in a cube. after some research found that Nursing was similar. It's a great combination of helping people, having a flexible schedule and many options to specialize in different areas as well as secure. Unfortunatley I make just about as much as a server as I would after graduating as an RN.

Just to make sure that this was the right career path for me I went through a CNA course and Wow, it really opened my eyes. Yes, this is what I want.

I still plan on starting my prereqs for Nursing school but one thing is holding me back. After this Nurse shortage, will pay go down and hospitals lay-off again? It's already happend once which is why we have a shortage in the first place. Job security and pay will always be a priority when looking for a career and things look good now but...what in 10yrs will I be getting paid even less or jobless? Should I still go through Nursing School?

thedude · Mar 20, 2007

Who is going to choose to go to school for a career that doesn't pay well. I have a family to feed and want a decent wage. However, I also wanted to help people and make a difference. Nursing seemed to cover all the fields.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Mar 20, 2007

There is no way I would be in nursing school if it didn't pay well. I have a family to support and things cost money (house, braces, food, gas, health care, clothes, aging and sick parents to care for, etc). I would have preferred to be a paramedic, but the pay is so bad that I never seriously considered it (and the reason we have so many paramedics in my nursing class...they couldn't even support their families). Nursing isn't my dream, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it or am not happy with it!

I am poor. I know what it's like to be poor. I have no problem saying that I want to make good money or that I want to go to NP school ASAP. Wow, I didn't know that somehow made me less of a nurse I care about my patients very much, but I also know my limits, there are some patients I don't care to work with, other I want to work with very much.

But it's also important that I have a job that I love because nothing is worse than going in to work everyday, dreading and hating what you do. I've BTDT.

I think part of this problem is that some people think of nursing as a "women's" profession and women shouldn't do things for themselves, only for others...somehow it is not ok for women to say we want to make good money, we want to be in charge, we want to go to the top of nursing (NP, CRNA, whatever), etc.