Was anyone poor before becoming a nurse?

MaryAnn_RN · Jan 12, 2009

If it wasn't for my RN salary I don't know how we would have coped with husbands' illness, unemployment, daughter at uni etc. We still have problems paying the bills...I am on annual leave this week and hoping to get some overtime. I will be 50 this year and hoping for a good holiday to celebrate, would love to go back out to Florida but at the moment there is no chance at all.

However if I hadn't qualified as a nurse, really wonder how on earth we would have coped. Our pay (in the UK) isn't great, and no doubt could be better, BUT it is a lot more than I used to earn. For our area of the UK my salary is pretty good really.

truern · Jan 12, 2009

Wow!! I really need to move to where some of you are!!

I think the RTP is an affluent area...good salaries, not horribly expensive to live here. When I went out of medical leave I was making $20.33/hr as a RN in a major hospital system. I made around $47,000 last year with overtime...certainly NOT six figures!!

OP, you'll find nursing pays more than working at Walmart and less than working for IBM...but you'll have JOB SECURITY which, imo, is priceless!

starletRN · Jan 12, 2009

ITA For me, job security is an important factor and one of the biggest reasons I went to NS. I just got out and am starting the job search. I don't need to make a ton of money. Just knowing I can support myself and my hubby if I have to means a lot. He's in the construction business, and with the housing market being what it is, I think I got out of school just in time.

Wow!! I really need to move to where some of you are!!
I think the RTP is an affluent area...good salaries, not horribly expensive to live here. When I went out of medical leave I was making $20.33/hr as a RN in a major hospital system. I made around $47,000 last year with overtime...certainly NOT six figures!!
OP, you'll find nursing pays more than working at Walmart and less than working for IBM...but you'll have JOB SECURITY which, imo, is priceless!

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I am not ashamed to say I am still poor compared to many, but I pay my bills, have food, buy medicine, and a roof over my head. I have a disabled spouse on a very fixed income, so it is necessary I work. I am a diabetic, but I count myself very lucky to be able to work. All of the struggles, all of the stress and strife will not go away by getting a job as a RN or an LPN, but it sure helps to keep the wolf at bay. Good luck, on down the line you will see the struggle you are having now as "a good time" in your life. Blessings and good luck.

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

Yes, I was poor. I was single, no kids, but earned less than $10,000./yr- this was in the early 90s. After I became a student, my income went down. I earned $6,000. in 1991. I supported myself.

I qualified for food stamps. I used them twice, but felt ashamed and went down and took my name off of the food stamp roles. I ate a lot of 4/$1. ramen noodles. I sold my plasma for extra money.

I qualified for reduced utility bill rates, and I did use that benefit.

I rented a room in a boarding house for women. There was no AC, and no heat. I had to share a kitchen and bathroom with other people, but it was close to school and the rent was less than $200./month, with utilities.

Later, the landlord started accepting men as renters. The place went to Hell after that (sorry guys). You know- drinking, strangers in and out of the building at all hours, dirty dishes left in the kitchen so long they got moldy.

One guy passed out drunk in his room while smoking, and caught the building on fire.

It was a hard time in my life.

Being a nurse is really stressful, but I sure don't miss being dirt poor.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I was not poor by 3rd world standards, and I had no kids. But I was stuck at a nearly minimum wage paying job, making $3.20/hour at Pizza Hut. My rent was only $220.00/month and my car payment for my no air-conditioned cheap car was $180.00 month, so I was able to pay the bills. Life is much better for me now as a nurse and I'm extremely greatful.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jan 12, 2009

My family and I were poor for much of my kids' lives. I mean the kind of poor where there are six of you living in a two-bedroom apartment and bouncing on and off the welfare rolls. We went from bare subsistence to earning over $60,000/yr. in less than a decade, and believe me, I like things the way they are now much better! I've never complained about my wages being inadequate, even though they have flattened somewhat over the past several years; of course, it helps that all but one of our kids are grown and on their own, and we don't need to keep making more and more money to cover their expenses. We don't have anything saved for retirement, and we pretty much spend everything we make because we chose to live in an upscale country neighborhood where we feel safe and secure. We'd have more disposable income if we moved back into town where rents are cheaper, but we wouldn't have the beauty of nature all around us or the room to roam that we have here. So there are always tradeoffs when you're in the middle-income category; I'm just grateful to have the kind of income where I have choices.

FLmomof5 · Jan 12, 2009

OK...I have been your definition of poor (once married to an Alkie/Addict), but it wasn't nursing that turned that around. I have made quite a comfy living as a computer programmer....I just don't have the enthusiasm I used to have for this anymore....and never know when I will be laid off again (well, actually I *do*! I will be OOAJ on 31 Jan09...Oh JOY!)

A single mom of 5 and my pay was a quite comfy $75k+/-..... Now I am married to an Army SFC (E-7) and our joint 2008 income was $119K.....but with his alone..... :eek: broke city! (Oh did I forget to mention that he has 4 kids!) OK....sounds worse than it may be only because only 1 child of mine is under 18 and 2 of his.:trc:.....

Yes, nursing for me will be a paycut, but I am at a point in my life where I can afford one...and I will have a more secure employment situation.

Oh, and for those $100K+ nurses? My brother got his ASN/RN yrs ago and he made over $100K last year....but then again, he DOES live in Manhattan! My DH's Ex-W earned $54K her first yr as an RN (ASN) in Greenville SC and she only worked 26 hrs per week! Not sure how she managed that, but it is true!

How much you earn depends on where you live, how many hours you work, your degree, which shift and years of exp.....it is simply going to be different whereever you are!

Rumor I heard was that FL has a nursing shortage because the hospitals down here think they can "pay in sunshine"!!!! :rotfl:

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Jan 12, 2009

Before and during nursing school, I was so broke, I couldn't even afford to pay attention. I had two small children and a worthless husband.

I work in the ICU now as a 0.9 (That's 9 nights per 2 week pay period) I DO NOT come in on my nights off. At the end of December, I earned over 120,000.00 for 2008. I repeat..... I DO NOT come in on my nights off, and I have not worked a double shift at all in 2008.

Folks, it is possible in Northern California....... Wanna hear the kicker? There's two empty night shift positions in the ICU, and they've been empty for the past THREE MONTHS!

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jan 12, 2009

Hate to say it, but I am poor even as a licensed nurse...LOL...

kmoonshine, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I was poor before I graduated and I'm poor now (well, I feel like it anyways). However, being "poor" totally depends on your lifestyle. I've also noticed that it seems like earning more money earns you more bills. Plus, now that I'm out of school I'm paying off my student loans - and if I didn't have my student loans, I'd be much more comfortable financially (but, I still have 8 yrs left of monthly payments).

I have no kids. My husband and I bought a modest condo a few years ago and we have been renovating it ourselves (sure, it would be great to have our own single-family home with a big backyard; but, the real-estate market in my area was so inflated in my area a few years ago that it wasn't worth it to buy big). We have one car (which will be paid off in March; its a civic hybrid that we bought nearly 5 yrs ago when the car dealership was trying to "get rid of it" because they weren't popular at the time). We do not have cable. We do not go out to eat. Since our car is gas-efficient we save lots of money at the pump; plus, its very reliable and we haven't had to invest any money into car repairs (I could go on for hours about how awesome honda civic-hybrids are).

Currently, I am not working full-time because it's too stressful for me (and I would compromise my health if I overdid it). I'm sure the extra money would seem great if I was working full-time though. But, I don't want to "work" in order to "live"; I'd rather "live" and find time to "work". Due to my philosophy, I make many financial compromises (as I said, we don't have cable, we have one car, etc). So in many ways its all about the choices you make. Choosing to go back to school is one step in the right direction.

You could make a million dollars and feel "poor" because you have so many bills. Or, you can make squat and feel rich because you are able to meet your "needs" while saisfying your "wants" in a responsible manner. Right now, the economy is in the toilet and many people are financially strapped. Your situation is becoming more common, and once you are finished with nursing school you will notice a difference financially. However, I urge you to retain responsibility once you graduate because more "things" cost "more money" (I see so many new grads go crazy once they graduate - spending hundreds of dollars on new purses, taking out loans on expensive cars, etc).

Good luck to you!

gcupid · Jan 12, 2009

I'm single with no kids, so a RN/LPN's income would be awhole lot of money for me.

Until taxes...