I'm currently debating with myself on whether not to bridge to the RN or to pursue other interests. I've heard from so many nurses out there who seem to have a real problem with those of us nurses who will admit that a major factor in our choosing nursing was the salary options, flexibility, and (perceived in this economy) stability. They tell those considering nursing for the same reasons, that they'll never make good nurses, or that they'll just get burned out and leave the field, that the only reason to become a nurse is because you bleed to help other people. But they're plenty who have always dreamed of nursing and will burn out either way. As there are those who just don't understand what nursing work actually is and burn out, those who are afraid of "yucky" work, those who only want to do administrative work, etc.
My personal story is that I left business school to pursue nursing so that I could have the financial security since I wasn't interested in climbing the corporate ladder. And I've always had an interest in healthcare (almost pursued sports medicine) so it was a mostly smooth transition for me and I think I'm a darn good nurse. *pats self on back, hehehe, j/k*. But although I didn't "always want to be a nurse", I always wanted to help people in one way or another and have found aspects of nursing that I love (and of course, some I could do without :barf01:). If and when I leave the field, it will be to follow my dream of owning a business. And honestly, without my nursing salary & flexibility, it would probably be much harder to do so and maintain myself without taking out many loans, moving back home, etc. Nursing has and definitely would continue to make me a very independent young woman.
Anyway, my point is, what is so wrong with seeking the financial perks of nursing if you can do the job, because although we do deal with people on the most personal of levels, it IS work. Whether you see it as a job or as a career, we are not volunteering to do this work. We expect to receive monetary compensation (and sometimes get unexpected rewards :hug: from pts and families) at the end of the week, or two weeks, etc. How many of you would have entered into or continued in the field if it paid only $5-6 above the minimum wage?
So let's stop putting barriers and constraints on the field and those who may enter it for the financial benefits it can offer. Sure the money is definitely not everything, and at times doesn't seem to be enough. But does the prospect of decent earnings and autonomy determine who will become a caring, compassionate, active (and much needed) member of the nursing field and who will not? How much longer will we keep telling those whose initial or final decision to enter nursing stemmed from economic need that they are not needed here and destined to failure? Instead, maybe we should focus our energies on advocating for true depictions of nursing in the media, organizing a collective voice nationwide and truthfully advocating nurse education (the good & the bad) so that at least, future nurses (and those who choose another path) can make informed, healthy decisions.
The reason so many nurses have a problem with people wanting to do nursing "as a job" instead of as their "purpose in life" is because they themselves have low self esteem and need to believe they are "better" than others. Once again, nursing is FULL of codependents wit their resulting low self image, that need to feel above other in some way " the angels of mercy" to feel ok with themselves. People with low self images must do things to pull up their own self esteem and often this is by putting other down (saying "she is just in it for the money" while thinking " I am so much better then that,!)
It is well known that people that feel poorly about themselves "rescue" others to feel better about themselves. It gives them a God-like image of themselves. What better profession to enter if rescuing others is what makes you feel good? Self sacrifice is also something that makes codependents feel good and the more sacrifice the better which is a reason I suspect nursing will never really advance to the "professional" status that it could have and deserves considering the job and education required.
It is a lost cause to try to really improve a job where a group of people that live to sacrifice themselves and compete to see who can sacrifice themselves more and take more. This rampant codependent is also the reason for the cattiness which IS worse in nursing than any job I have ever had expereince in by a long long shot.
I think it is best to keep your mouth shut and pretend that you got into nursing for whatever reason those around you find acceptable and agree with what they say unless it is to your detriment or those you take care of. While it seems dishonest this is typcially the best course of action to deal with judgmental people who can't run their own life and have not enough self realization to understand their own motivagtion but are constantly concerned about the motivation of other people.
You will see here people all the time talking about how we are all nurses and RN's should have to clean up poo just as much as the next nurse etc etc.
Of course there is nothing wrong with doing what has to be done, but the problem is that nurses are not all the same. They dont have the same education and they dont get paid the same. Employers get sick and tired of having to pay people lots of money to do something that someone with a few courses could do for less money. More and more techs/medicine aids will be doing nursing jobs and the only reason there are not already more of them I believe is because this conversion has to be done at a not too rapid pace to keep things at an even keel.
Nursing could be a wonderful profession but i have come to the realization it will not be. I believe that there is hope for advanced practices and specialities but, even that is being held back by the cattiness of nurses who want to rest on their laurels and complain like crabs in a basket.
Employers want EMPLOYEES and are running a BUSINESS. Even if medicine becomes socialized there is still a limit to how much money can be spent, there will always be a bottom line and nurses are simily too expensive and COMPLETELY impossible to please.
Worrying about other people's motivations for what they do.. give me a break get a life- get your own life in order!
The reason so many nurses have a problem with people wanting to do nursing "as a job" instead of as their "purpose in life" is because they themselves have low self esteem and need to believe they are "better" than others. Once again, nursing is FULL of codependents wit their resulting low self image, that need to feel above other in some way " the angels of mercy" to feel ok with themselves. People with low self images must do things to pull up their own self esteem and often this is by putting other down (saying "she is just in it for the money" while thinking " I am so much better then that,!)
It is well known that people that feel poorly about themselves "rescue" others to feel better about themselves. It gives them a God-like image of themselves. What better profession to enter if rescuing others is what makes you feel good? Self sacrifice is also something that makes codependents feel good and the more sacrifice the better which is a reason I suspect nursing will never really advance to the "professional" status that it could have and deserves considering the job and education required.
It is a lost cause to try to really improve a job where a group of people that live to sacrifice themselves and compete to see who can sacrifice themselves more and take more. This rampant codependent is also the reason for the cattiness which IS worse in nursing than any job I have ever had expereince in by a long long shot.
I think it is best to keep your mouth shut and pretend that you got into nursing for whatever reason those around you find acceptable and agree with what they say unless it is to your detriment or those you take care of. While it seems dishonest this is typcially the best course of action to deal with judgmental people who can't run their own life and have not enough self realization to understand their own motivagtion but are constantly concerned about the motivation of other people.
We all have to work and make enough to exist on. Its nice to have a little extra too. You are already a LPN so you know what its like to be a nurse, so there is no way someone can suggest that you are in it for just the money. Everyone wants to improve their lot in life. Not only that, but as a LPN you may be very limited in what you can do. As a RN, there are so many avenues to pursue, that if you get burnt out in one area, you can try another.
I don't have an issue with someone coming into nursing for the money - as long as they do a good job and take care of their patients. I have seen those in it for the money that just don't care and barely do the minimum. But I have also seen those that feel they have the calling that just don't seem to be able to adjust to being a nurse. We can find good and bad in any motivation.
I do think those that choose nursing only for the money without knowing what they are getting into may very well be dissapointed. It is hard work with so much responsibility- with pay that does not match this.
For me, I always wanted to be a nurse since I was young. I do feel that I should live my life to make the world a little better and I feel that nursing is that way for me. But I also think being a good mom is also. :) I started out as a LPN and finally became a RN last Dec. So go for it!!!!
"It is well known that people that feel poorly about themselves "rescue" others to feel better about themselves. It gives them a God-like image of themselves. What better profession to enter if rescuing others is what makes you feel good? Self sacrifice is also something that makes codependents feel good and the more sacrifice the better which is a reason I suspect nursing will never really advance to the "professional" status that it could have and deserves considering the job and education required." Posted by misplaced1
Hmmmm....But, who wants a "job" that means nothing just to make the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR?!?!
Personally, I want a job that's more than a job. I don't want to work my life away doing something that doesn't seem fulfilling and that's why I want to be a nurse who enjoys being able to "rescue" others. It's the essence of who I am as a creature God created. It's not to give myself a God-like image because I won't do it for others to see; I'll do it for the patient to experience the best possible care when they are at their worst. I could care less if anyone thinks I'm a nurse for this reason or that. I'm not becoming a nurse for the other nurses, I'm not becoming a nurse just for the money, and I'm not becoming a nurse just to be a good employee. I'm becoming a nurse to take care of my fellow HUMAN BEINGS, and in return I will have a rewarding career that means something!
Now, I say to each his/her own, but I personally don't want to be taken care of by someone who just sees me as a job...Do you?? How can you give adequate care if you don't "care"?
*Disclaimer* I did not write the above post to seem holy or God-like. Please, do not feel the need to bow down or worship me for being a caring person. Doing so could result in serious injury to one's self esteem and I will not be responsible...LOL:lol2:
I was just concerned about the post were someone mentioned nurses being resentful toward people getting into the field and not staying in the nursing job for very long.
I'm starting nursing school in the fall and after being in a very competitive profession for the past 12 years where co-workers openly resent each other (they are each other's competition), I just hadn't thought that nurses would be resentful toward the new grads since some of them may not stay in the profession. I'm just glad I have a head's-up on what the culture's like once I get out there. Pre-judgement might be good from both sides. I'm just kidding!
I have many close friends that are nurses and the only one that gripes and complains about nursing is the one that just graduated. She can't stand people, never wanted to be a nurse, just wanted something to do.
It makes me think about the three friends I met in pre-req classes that would be excellent nurses and they didn't make it into a program this year, and I can understand why it's bothersome when someone takes a spot in a program that doesn't even want to be there.
As far as leaving the profession, I had one nurse that I sure wished had quit before she had me as patient. She was mean.
I'm not sure why TheDude got such a negative reaction..to many of us, nursing is just a job.
I clock in, do my job and do it well, and clock out. My job and patients are a distant memory to me once I leave the parking lot.
Yes our job entails a lot of responsibility and liability, but many jobs do..such as driving a truck or operating heavy machinery. My job as a nurse has little effect on who I am, it is just a job to me.
Reading the posts here on nursing "just being a job", it seems that (and I hope I don't get flamed for this, lol) many of the male nurses don't have the same emotional attachment to the job that women nurses do. NOT to say that they don't become attached to the profession or their patients and NOT that there aren't female nurses who also feel the same. But from some that I've spoken to or worked with, they typically have the same sentiment as TheDude. They come, they work well, they go home and enjoy the benefits of their career. This of course is just my personal observation. Any thoughts?
Unfortunately many schools do not train students to be professionals they crank out workers to do tasks. Those of us that do work to improve YOUR work environment help to sustain the "benefits" of your "job".
I do not understand how it is just a job. Mcdonalds ... Job. Shift ends at 3 you leave at 3. Full lunch break. You are almost never in any compromising situation with a stranger. Do you think your work is important? Does it matter to others if you make a mistake? It is an important job that matters to people you take care of. I clock in an out I play with my kids Its disheartening to see people who care less about improve care delivery and the conditions in which you work. It is not going above and beyond every day but intervening when you see something that needs attention.
I do not understand how it is just a job. Mcdonalds ... Job. Shift ends at 3 you leave at 3. Full lunch break. You are almost never in any compromising situation with a stranger. Do you think your work is important? Does it matter to others if you make a mistake?
Just a job??? This mentality is a bit foreign to me. I'll bet the person who puts their heart into their job at McDonalds has the potential of making a better nurse than the person who thinks they are too important to do a good job at McDonalds.
Just a job??? This mentality is a bit foreign to me. I'll bet the person who puts their heart into their job at McDonalds has the potential of making a better nurse than the person who thinks they are too important to do a good job at McDonalds.
Agreed. And this is my problem. While nurses do a VERY important job it is not the ONLY important job.
Just a job??? This mentality is a bit foreign to me. I’ll bet the person who puts their heart into their job at McDonalds has the potential of making a better nurse than the person who thinks they are too important to do a good job at McDonalds.
You missed the boat here. It is not about the person its about the job itself. I was using McDonald's as an example. I imagine a small percentage of people consider McDonald's a career or profession. The skill set, training, LIABILITY should clearly set the two apart.
Agreed. And this is my problem. While nurses do a VERY important job it is not the ONLY important job.
I agree, I am not sure who eluded to that.
You both missed the point. Its not about the place or person doing the work it is about the items I have bolded.
"Mcdonalds ... Job. Shift ends at 3 you leave at 3. Full lunch break. You are almost never in any compromising situation with a stranger."
Nurses/Nursing is not the end all be all. No one said that they were. I do think nurses need a little bit more pride in the work that they do and atleast realize it is meaningful, though at times thankless.
With the McDonalds example, I think the point here is that if a person loves what they do and seeks to develop professionally in whatever it is they do, then it is no longer "just a job". "Just a job" flipping burgers or taking orders may turn into being a multi-franchise owner, or even a scholarship for higher education that leads to more than "just a job". Yes we as nurses have a liability and may deal with life or death-that however can't be the only deciding factor in what we view as professions in the scheme of the work part of our individual lives. I've devalued the work of other people because they seem to not have the liability or seriousness that my work does, but in reality, the majority of working people do a job that improves some aspect of someone's life in one way or another.
or that they'll just get burned out and leave the field, that the only reason to become a nurse is because you bleed to help other people. 
But they're plenty who have always dreamed of nursing and will burn out either way. As there are those who just don't understand what nursing work actually is and burn out, those who are afraid of "yucky" work, those who only want to do administrative work, etc. 
*pats self on back, hehehe, j/k*. But although I didn't "always want to be a nurse", I always wanted to help people in one way or another and have found aspects of nursing that I love (and of course, some I could do without :barf01:). If and when I leave the field, it will be to follow my dream of owning a business. And honestly, without my nursing salary & flexibility, it would probably be much harder to do so and maintain myself without taking out many loans, moving back home, etc. Nursing has and definitely would continue to make me a very independent young woman.
Instead, maybe we should focus our energies on advocating for true depictions of nursing in the media, organizing a collective voice nationwide and truthfully advocating nurse education (the good & the bad) so that at least, future nurses (and those who choose another path) can make informed, healthy decisions.
. Thanks for reading!
misplaced1
157 Posts
The reason so many nurses have a problem with people wanting to do nursing "as a job" instead of as their "purpose in life" is because they themselves have low self esteem and need to believe they are "better" than others. Once again, nursing is FULL of codependents wit their resulting low self image, that need to feel above other in some way " the angels of mercy" to feel ok with themselves. People with low self images must do things to pull up their own self esteem and often this is by putting other down (saying "she is just in it for the money" while thinking " I am so much better then that,!)
It is well known that people that feel poorly about themselves "rescue" others to feel better about themselves. It gives them a God-like image of themselves. What better profession to enter if rescuing others is what makes you feel good? Self sacrifice is also something that makes codependents feel good and the more sacrifice the better which is a reason I suspect nursing will never really advance to the "professional" status that it could have and deserves considering the job and education required.
It is a lost cause to try to really improve a job where a group of people that live to sacrifice themselves and compete to see who can sacrifice themselves more and take more. This rampant codependent is also the reason for the cattiness which IS worse in nursing than any job I have ever had expereince in by a long long shot.
I think it is best to keep your mouth shut and pretend that you got into nursing for whatever reason those around you find acceptable and agree with what they say unless it is to your detriment or those you take care of. While it seems dishonest this is typcially the best course of action to deal with judgmental people who can't run their own life and have not enough self realization to understand their own motivagtion but are constantly concerned about the motivation of other people.
You will see here people all the time talking about how we are all nurses and RN's should have to clean up poo just as much as the next nurse etc etc.
Of course there is nothing wrong with doing what has to be done, but the problem is that nurses are not all the same. They dont have the same education and they dont get paid the same. Employers get sick and tired of having to pay people lots of money to do something that someone with a few courses could do for less money. More and more techs/medicine aids will be doing nursing jobs and the only reason there are not already more of them I believe is because this conversion has to be done at a not too rapid pace to keep things at an even keel.
Nursing could be a wonderful profession but i have come to the realization it will not be. I believe that there is hope for advanced practices and specialities but, even that is being held back by the cattiness of nurses who want to rest on their laurels and complain like crabs in a basket.
Employers want EMPLOYEES and are running a BUSINESS. Even if medicine becomes socialized there is still a limit to how much money can be spent, there will always be a bottom line and nurses are simily too expensive and COMPLETELY impossible to please.
Worrying about other people's motivations for what they do.. give me a break get a life- get your own life in order!