Was anyone poor before becoming a nurse?

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · Jan 12, 2009

Well, I cannot speak to the part about after becoming a nurse because I'm still in school to become one, but I will tell you that I know exactly where you are coming from, and I feel for you. Money is very very tight for us right now - we are basically living on a shoestring, paycheck to paycheck, with me trying to get through school as quickly as I can. Sometimes I wonder where the money for this or that is going to come from, but so far God has given us all we need to get by for now. It's funny, I suppose we could be considered "poor" by straight economic standards, but we really don't think of ourselves as being that, despite our current lack of money.

Hopefully by this time in maybe 2010 I'll be an RN working at a hospital, and things will be a bit better for us financially. I will tell you this though - despite all of this, money isn't the main motivator for me in seeking a medical career. I can see why most people who are familiar with me and my wife, and our situation would think so. But that's another story. I posted a bit about that on another thread concerning those who do it mainly for the money, but stopped posting after the discussion started being taken over by trolls

We will not be out of the woods by any means financially after I am a nurse because I'll still have school money to pay back etc, but we should at least have a bit more room to breathe in that regard. So yes, I think it will change our lives for the better in many ways. Just tell yourself (like I tell myself) that this is all only temporary, and that "this too shall pass" when it comes to shutoff notices, overdue bills, looking at a near-empty food pantry and an empty wallet at the same time. Been there, and done that myself. God Bless you and best wishes to you and yours.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Jan 12, 2009

I have been in your shoes :)

We were poor living off about $20K a year with 2 young kids, one old car that would die every time you came to a stop sign or red light, barely getting buy, having to pawn things at time just to buy food. No medical insurance, etc. Once I had to go to the ER and ended up getting sued by them because I couldn't pay off my bill in 6 months.

I make about $35,000 as an RN and that to me is a good living! I deserve every hard earned penny I make too! My husband recently has become a police officer (they don't make much either) and earns about $40,000 a year so for us going from $20G a year to about $70grand a year is excellent....we have less stress, health insurance for all of us, 401K, savings, pay off bills, can buy things we need and want, both have jobs we enjoy. We both have good cars, live in a rent house (better than the ghetto apartment we were in where my kids would find joints laying around the sidewalks and my next door neighbor shot a gun through our door and oh ya the meth lab bust).

So keep your eye on your goals! Its worth it in the end.

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I make 60% more as an RN than I did in my previous career.

laketrash · Jan 12, 2009

We lost everything due to bad IRS problems and went from living in our nice brick home to a rented house that had the walls seperating from the floor. We bought used clothing and stuffed the cracks and I decided my 2 babies were going to live better.I had quit school in the 8th grade and didn't know anything except that my life had to get better. I started cleaning houses for doctors and worked my way thru colllege.It took me 6 years to get a 2 year degree and altho we live decent now, I'll never forget the hard times or feel anything other than poor and blessed ! Good luck and hang in there !

diane227, LPN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I was completely poor. I lived on $185.00 per month plus a small amount of money that I made working in a clothing store on the side. Because my family (just me and my mom, my father had died) was below the poverty line, I was able to get federal grant money to pay for college. Grant money got me through the entire 5 years.

AWanderingMinstral · Jan 12, 2009

How about, "Is anyone still poor now that they are a nurse?" Well, YES, YES, YES! I cannot blame it on student loans because, yes, I have them, but, because I am working on my BSN (I earned a diploma RN), they are deferred. I did buy a new car (which was less than $20K), but my rent is less than $600 per month. In addition, I don't buy a lot of STUFF. Sadly, I had to decrease my 401K savings from 12% to 1% about six months ago to make ends meet. The only way a nurse is going to earn six figures is if they work casual, in a float pool, agency, or travel and THEN work 60 hours per week. That sounds like fun, huh?

gapeachRN2009, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

How about, "Is anyone still poor now that they are a nurse?" Well, YES, YES, YES! I cannot blame it on student loans because, yes, I have them, but, because I am working on my BSN (I earned a diploma RN), they are deferred. I did buy a new car (which was less than $20K), but my rent is less than $600 per month. In addition, I don't buy a lot of STUFF. Sadly, I had to decrease my 401K savings from 12% to 1% about six months ago to make ends meet. The only way a nurse is going to earn six figures is if they work casual, in a float pool, agency, or travel and THEN work 60 hours per week. That sounds like fun, huh?

If you want to make 100K/yr or more than you have to work for it and put in the long hours....if I could make that kind of money I would not mind working 60 hrs. per week.....it's certaintly better than being broke and at home. Just my :twocents:

Sarah Bellum · Jan 12, 2009

I don't know if you'd call us poor but my husband is definitely in an unstable field and has been for years. We're always wondering when he'll be laid off and most recently he was laid off in October. his field also doesn't pay very well, averages about 40k/year. We have always been able to pay our bills by living very frugally but I hate the feeling of being on the brink of poverty all the time and worrying when (not if, but when) the next job loss will happen.

So my big thing is security. I am pretty sure I'll never be in want of a job as an RN and I'll always be able to provide health insurance for my family as well as making enough money to support ourselves. I don't expect to become rich, buy new cars, enormous houses, etc etc. but I do look forward to better job security than we currently have.

redranger · Jan 12, 2009

You want to see poor, go to 3rd world country.

We got life easy here in the USA.

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Jan 12, 2009

Maybe that wasn't the right way to word it. I know everyone complains that rn's don't make enough money, but were any of you here poor before becoming a nurse? I have been married for almost 9 years, stopped working full time 5 years ago when my oldest was born. My dh owns a construction company which has been on a downward slide for about the last two years. I am working parttime, going to school at night, staying home with my 3 year old twins (my 5 year old is in kindergarten), and babysitting my friend's 1 year old full time. We are so broke right now though. I mean not being able to grocery shop, shut-off notices, the whole nine yards. My dh has hardly had any work and it just sucks. I have wanted to go back to school for so long. I just can't get finished with school quick enough. I feel like it is really going to change our lives so much when I am done. Has anyone else here been in my situation? How did things change for you when you finally did become a nurse? Just looking for some inspiration.

Hoo boy, that sounds familiar!

On my very first day of nursing school, and my very last day of nursing school, and many times in between, my power was shut-off. We had the same issues. We've been struggling since DH and I got married. He's an immigrant, and for a long time we couldn't afford the fees to get his work permit, permanent residency, etc. He wasn't allowed to work. I worked full-time, with a baby and nursing school. I fought like hell through nursing school just to make it. Sometimes our power would get shut-off and we'd stay at one of my parent's houses for a while until we could get it turned back on. (Yes, they WILL shut your electric and gas off in the middle of winter, no matter if there's a child living with you. We've been there a zillion times.) My Mom would call, see our phone had been turned off, and just bring groceries over - knowing we were struggling. (God love her! I never would have made it without her.)

Now that I'm a nurse, it is a little easier. Emphasis on a little. We still get shut-off notices and are still behind on rent, etc. Those years of struggle left us with big piles of debt. Now my hubby has a steady job, but he is anticipating getting laid-off any day now. Just when we catch our breath, something else is dropped on us. I am working very hard to get us caught-up. I'm on the cusp of working 3 jobs to do so. I don't know what would have happened to us if I didn't get my nursing degree. At least now I have steady income and many opportunities. We've even recently decided that if my husband gets laid-off again, we're sending him to nursing school too.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I am butt poor right now, but things are looking up. My honey is an electrician who is his own business and we too have been on a downslide this past year. I avoid the phone because of all the bill people wanting what we just don't have. I shop at Aldi's and try to make do. Thankfully, the ADN program I'm enrolled in is also the lpn program. You can choose to stop at the pn level or continue on for the rn. I continued on, but when things got really bad I was able to take my pn boards and still go on. I just landed a job in ltc as a lpn and I will be starting my last semester of ns for my rn. The pay is $18.50 per hr, so that will help at least put food on the table and gas in the car. I know I'll never be rich becoming a nurse, but I also know that I'll be able to pay the bills, buy necessities, and buy my children a pair of shoes as soon as they need them rather than telling them how sorry I am, but they have to wait for 2 more weeks! Hang in there!

trmr · Jan 12, 2009

Yes I was poor growing up and poor going through school, but I made it. My mother had four kids, me being the last 10 years later. I was a BIG oops and she made it very well known. She did not work after I was 5, not sure why. I think she just gave up on life. Looking back I can see she was depressed and overwhelmed, but back then I did not understand it. I was always angry with her for not caring enough about me to change the situation we were in since I could do nothing to change it myself, I was too young. We lived in a small house that was falling apart and had to use food stamps and public aid. She would not cook, she would not clean house, she would not try to get out of the "poor house" as she called it. I decided very young I was not going to live like that with my children. I was going to stand on my own two feet. Hence there came my inspiration and determination. I married at 20 and my husband came from the same background I did, so together, we still had nothing. I had to use credit cards to pay for school while he worked a factory job making a measly 6 dollars an hour. Somehow we survived. I am a nurse and have been for almost 11 years. That helped us get out of a rut for sure. Then my husband started making more money each year. My children live in luxury compared to what I grew up in. They have no idea the struggles their dad and I went through to get here. The big bummer now is my husband is about to lose his job because the plant is shutting down. But I still have a sense of calm because I know I can stand on my own two feet just like I made that promise to myself so many years ago. I wish you the best of luck.:redbeathe