Who is in Nursing for the money?

[rnmomtobe2010]

I just had to ask that question? I am not trying to start anything...I see a lot of threads about how much RN's make.... That makes me wonder who is in Nursing ONLY for the money?

[RN1121]

of course i'm not in it for the money. i enjoy my "work" so much, i'd do it for free, nevermind that the repo man has just hauled my car away, the utilities have all been disconnected and the bank has changed the locks on my house. at least i don't need to worry about eating, because i have all those extra patient trays to choose from.

what other job affords you the opportunity to clean up poop all day long? and i get to deal with such interesting people who call me lovely and inventive names such as "hey you! you fat white bit** over there" or "you with the tits -- my mom needs a diet soda!" and we have such interesting conversations about their plans to sue the hospital and me personally because their loved one didn't get steak on his dinner tray or because the respiratory therapist dared suggest that he work on his incentive spirometer rather than demand to be taken outside for a smoke.

where else can i drive through a ghetto to get to work and worry about stopping at a light because of all the happy, colorful people recreating on the street corner?

really, my work isn't all that difficult because the doctor tells me just what to do and how to do it. i don't need to think for myself at all . . . just do what i'm told silently and cheerfully. i only have to turn my 2 patients every two hours -- but they are slightly large so it takes four nurses to turn them. that means between the four of us we have only 8 patients to turn every two hours . . . but i digress.

i love my work sooooooo much i'd pay to come to work and do it. you don't have to pay me, really! my husband can support me.

oh wait. my husband is a nurse, too . . .

amen!!!!:bow:

[rnmomtobe2010]

FYI: Being a nurse and earning as much money as possible are not mutually exclusive concepts.

FYI...I never said it was...

[correctlywrong]

I work for money. Period. If it weren't for the money, I would not be employed by anyone.

I work in nursing because it is the best work that I have found that I can do. I can apply my heart and my head and sometimes I can make a difference. I can feel as if the hours that I spend away from my family earning a living for them have some meaning, and that I do good for other people's families. I can feel proud at the end of the day that I have made things better than they were for people who really needed the help.

There are things that would pay me more money, but money can't buy the way I feel about the work that I do.

[brizzo]

Nurses have the same financial needs as any other profession. With the rising prices, in every aspect of life we need to have fair compensation for the work we are doing. Women are typically under paid for the same level of work as men, and nursing is a predonminantly female occupation. Keeping nursing salaries down is anothey way in which the male dominated society continues to suppress women.

I too went into nursing for the "calling" but my creator didn't ask me to be stupid and let people take advantage of me. And that is what has happened for nurses, we have been taken advantage of. A typical response of "it's not about money", which is what we women say, is an example of how we are enculturated to believe that we are not worthy of equal pay and appropriate compensation. We must all have a united front and demand equal pay for equal work. In the business world the level of stress, and requirement to work shifts/weekends, on our feet, with overtime expected would be compensated much more than the current level of nursing salaries. If you have a post high school education, which we all have, then we should be paid for our level of education and the demands of the job. No one should be making less than what they deserve.

The only profession that is also extremley undercompensated is teaching, and guess what, predominantly women.

I have 3 kids (2 in college) am married and both of us work full time. We are barely tweaking by. I left the bedside 8 years ago to work in industry just so I could afford to support my family and provide my kids with an education. I was a great bedside nurse and belong in patient care but can't afford to work there. We would have less of a nursing shortage if nurses could earn a salary they could live on. My job now is possible because of my nursing education but I am not caring for patients. How many other of you are doing the same thing? What kinds of entrepreneurial positions have you found? We need to let the nursing profession/lobbyist know that there are nurses who have left the bedside strictly because of the unfair compensation.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

A doctor said yesterday 'it sucks to be me" I have two problems

1/ Overworked

2/ Underloved

but then he said but it sucks worse to be a nurse they have multiple problems

1/ Overworked

2/ underloved

3/ underappreciated

4/ overused

and the big one UNDERPAID

[oakbourne]

Money is certainly a factor, but I would work for less if I could get a job in nursing that doesn't have unfair patient/nurse ratios, mandatory overtime, reems and reems of paper work that is more important than taking care of a patient, nurse managers and administrators who don't care or support their nursing staff, and a system that promotes nurses eating each other up like bull dogs put in a pit to kill to the end. Yes, you could say go get a job at a doctor's office, become a school nurse or whatever, but I would be bored stiff. I like floor work, getting my hands dirty, using my critical thinking skills, and meeting and getting to know my patients. I wish for the good ole' days. They say it is progress but I say it is regress.

[rnmomtobe2010]

Thanks everyone for the responses... I would have most of you take care of me in a heart beat and that's no lie....

[Sarah Bellum]

I was floated at work today, and one of the nurses mentioned that today was her day off but she came in to work. I asked good heavens why?! She said "cause I'm a money-hungry b!tch" :roll I mentioned that I was going to nursing school in the fall. She asked me why?! Guess what I said?

Seriously though, everyone needs to be able to make a living. I'm going into nursing because it's what I want to do. I also expect to make a decent wage to support myself and my family and provide health insurance if/when I need to.

JM

[church123]

I thought that the money was good, but I'm still in nursing school with about 6 weeks to go. I'm going for LVN right now. The way I'am seeing all the responsibility I question myself, is this what I want? I love to work with people, but the work in school is exagerrated and my clinical instructors don't help any, either. I don't know if I can keep up with all the stress.

[pill2008]

Hello! Everybody,

I work with the Health dept. as a case Manager for Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. Being a nurse for the health dept. is not that good for the money. But I stay here for the good benifits and I love what I do to help these ladies who have no insurance with breast and cervical cancer screening. I am being rewarded from the sparkle of their eyes saying thank you so much for helping me every time I called them to give the results.

Every other weekends I work as a Supervisor in the nursing home. This is where I make good money. If I need more money I volunteer to work more days or more hours. You can not do this to any other profession except nursing. Besides nursing job is needed every where you go :yeah:unlike the other that is limitted.

[salinajd]

does benefits count? When my husband got sick and was disabled I got my lpn license for the health insurance. Am I a caring, good nurse? YES! Do I love my work, no, but I do love people and give them the best care and attitude possible. MY patients NEVER know I am there for my loved ones first and foremost.

[ANNA HALL]

I went into nursing because I knew that I would always have a job. Nothing altrusitic or anything like that. Yes, I have made a good living at nursing and have been able to work 2 jobs in nursing since I would get more than flipping burgers as a second job. Sorry to sound so cold, but sometimes the truth hurts