Stand up if you're not in it for the money!

pagandeva2000, LPN · Feb 22, 2007

I would say that I am into it for several things; the people, the mobility as well as the money. I don't think it is necessarily bad to wish to be properly compensated for a job, and I do want the ability to immediately leave if where I am working is beneath my standards, however, I have to care for the patients. I believe that most people have the Florence Nightiingale or television image of nursing in the brain. Heck, it is HARD WORK. And, even the RNs do not feel compensated monetarily for their efforts, but you have to care for the patients. I understand, because I think of either myself or my loved ones being exposed to these people and it is frightening. You will eventually feel comfortable seeing people at their worst. I have seen large men cry, big women become very vulnerable and brave children. I have patients that get on my nerves and others that I do care about, but I try and make the effort to treat them all the same. It is hard. Best wishes in your new career.

LadyNASDAQ · Feb 22, 2007

I've been a Nurse for 28 years. To say you aren't in it for the money is very interesting to me. How do you pay your bills without a salary and yes, there is nothing wrong with money and good care being said in the same breath.

Also, if you become too much of a friend you will not have professional distance and not do your job properly and finish on time. You can be nice and friendly but becoming too friendly is not a road you should be following.

The young ones are intimidated at first but will settle down and get into the groove. I say be careful and don't get too close to any one patient. Just be kind and do a good job with good feeling and humor but keep professionalism in there.

eldragon · Feb 22, 2007

I've been a Nurse for 28 years. To say you aren't in it for the money is very interesting to me. How do you pay your bills without a salary and yes, there is nothing wrong with money and good care being said in the same breath.
Also, if you become too much of a friend you will not have professional distance and not do your job properly and finish on time. You can be nice and friendly but becoming too friendly is not a road you should be following.
The young ones are intimidated at first but will settle down and get into the groove. I say be careful and don't get too close to any one patient. Just be kind and do a good job with good feeling and humor but keep professionalism in there.

Well, I am a published writer and make some money from that. My husband earns enough money for our family, and we live within our means.

I'm sure, once I am a nurse, I will be too busy to stand around talking to patients, but right now, in clinicals, we are working at a very small hospital and there is nothing much to do. So, rather then just standing around in the hallway watching the clock, I go talk to patients. Now, of course sometimes I see things that might be needed with the patient just by walking in, and of course, I do those things.

Maybe nursing isn't my thing. Maybe I should be a social worker.

muffie, RN · Feb 22, 2007

i'm sitting, i'm old and tired

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2007

While I am dearly fond of nursing, I definitely wouldn't do this job for free. I wish to be compensated monetarily for the all the care that I am providing. I hope nothing is wrong with me for wanting to be paid for the healthcare services that have been rendered.

While compassion is the most important personality trait of a caring nurse, it is time for nurses to stop feeling guilty for wanting to receive fair pay rates for all of their hard work.

postmortem_cowboy · Feb 22, 2007

When I started on my journey, I was an EMT. My partner and I went out on a call, took report, and learned this patient was heading home to die at the patient and doctors request. The patient didn't want to die in a hospital, but at home. The nursing staff told us they seriously doubted she'd make it down the elevator, let alone make it home alive. After speaking with my partner, who drove our bling bling ambulance, we agreed that 40-50 miles an hour just to keep bumps down to a bare minimum was necessary. We made a promise to our patient that she'd make it home alive. I held that lady's hand all the way home, reassuring her she'd make it, and that she was doing well. I took no BP, no pulse, no nothing, I simply held her hand the whole way. When we fullfilled our promise to her depositing her in the hospice bed at her daughters home, we both got kisses on the cheek from our fraile patient, handshakes and hugs from all the family members that were there.

Although I have on occasion wondered what happend to this lady, and that transport did in fact help shape my decision to be a nurse, I still took the paycheck to the bank.

I think "rudeness" might be misconstrued for not being comfortable as a student nurse for some of them, once they settle in, and get comfortable with all they are doing, they'll lighten up a bit, we had a few in my nursing class, rough around the edges and not people persons at the beginning. We also had a few that we knew didn't care about patient 1 at all, and were only there to get the license in hand. Those are dangerous people to have as a nurse, and sorry to say there's probably alot of them out there that couldn't care less about a patient or a family member.

Personally, I went into nursing because being an EMT gave me so much pride, so much to look forward to knowing that me being where I am for a shift makes a difference in someone elses life, and a whole lot more than "you want fries with that?" I also think we don't get paid properly, but hey that's life and there's not much that can be done about that. I'd still be a nurse if it paid half what I make, but i'd be kicking and screaming about it as well. It took me alot of giving this and that up to become a nurse, I don't think it's too much to ask that all the things I had to give up I got in return from being a nurse.

I do agree with NASDAQ, too close is a bad thing, patients die, it's part of life, if one goes down the tubes, you can't be standing there not doing anything because this was your friend, your a nurse first and foremost, friendly yes, friend, never and that will get you into trouble. You cannot be objective that way. Imagine your on a shift and your husband comes in and you are assigned to his care, will you be as objective as if it was someone you did not know?

Wayne.

eldragon · Feb 22, 2007

That makes sense, Wayne.

Thanks for postiing.

linzz · Feb 22, 2007

I pretty much agree with the other posters, all of what they say is true. It takes time to get comfortable talking to patients and most young people will do that in time. No I am not a nurse for the money and in fact I just left a low paying nursing job and it was because of what they were paying me, it was due to the fact that I was the only nurse in charge of 75 patients that were supposedly retirement but was told on my first day that this facility will take anyone for the almighty $$, so as a result about half of these patients were really LTC placements. Well after two emergencies, one each night, fortunately not two at the same time, I decided I was no longer going to put my licence at risk as I am a new grad and still may need to obtain guidance from a more experienced nurse. I would say that I have found that many LTC's are the ones who are 100% motivated by $$ and not any sort of compassion for the residents. Thank you reading this rant.

eldragon · Feb 22, 2007

I would say that I have found that many LTC's are the ones who are 100% motivated by $$ and not any sort of compassion for the residents. Thank you reading this rant.

Actually, your post caused me to reflect on why I even posted this. Yesterday, a fellow classmate of mine, a young (20) CNA, was assisting me change an elderly woman who had urinated on herself, and I was disgusted by the abrupt handling of the patient by the young CNA. She was almost to the point of being rude.

Her attitude seemed to be "Alright, you old bag, you pissed yourself again. Let's get this over with!"

When, really, what was the bedridden patient on dieretics supposed to do about it?

linzz · Feb 22, 2007

I agree eldragon, that person who you worked should be spoken to about handling patients roughly. This happens all to often. I am in Canada and we just had a nursing home where an aide handled a patient too roughly and was charged with assault. I am not saying that corporate greed is an excuse for being rough or not caring but I think that it often goes along with these incidents.

eldragon · Feb 22, 2007

The thing is, this woman (girl) has been rude to me from the start of our classes, and I get along with everyone. I have just been blowing it off, because at age 43, I've seen my share of messed up individuals. But she always corrects me, and stares at me, etc. Even yesterday, when the instructor asked her to go with me to change this woman's diaper, the woman (girl) told me to go get a trash bag. I asked her to wait for me before she did anything with the patient, as I am new to this field. She said "Haven't you done anything today?" I said "yes, I've done many things today, but my two patients are ambulatory and do not need assistance with toileting."

And then, when we were rolling the patient to change her diaper, the woman (girl) said "grab that side!" and I answered,"it's still fastened," and she said "you should have unfastened it earlier!"

And, I mean, she's not nice about it. Finally - she slammed the diaper pad down and - didn't wipe the woman at all. The diaper was on, and she walked out, slamming the soiled one in the biohazard container. I stood with the patient for a second, making sure she was warm enough, etc.

I have an idea that I might incur a problem with this girl, whether I want to or not. So what if she has taken a 6-week CNA class and knows how to do those skills? I have had a lifetime of accomplishments, many of which are very impressive.

Thanks for listening, guys.